By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A YOUTH charity’s establishment in Geelong has brought a $240,000 funding boost for the region’s homeless.
Ladder chief Mark Bolton said the charity arrival in the city followed a pilot program last year with local youth welfare agencies.
Federal Government had since announced almost $1 million in funding for new Ladder programs in Geelong, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, the former Essendon Bombers players said.
“Youth homelessness is a hidden problem because young people are either on the street, couch surfing or in temporary accommodation but we’re hearing of numbers of 70 to 100 nightly and we hope to put a real dent in that over the coming years,” Mr Bolton said.
Geelong Cats star and Ladder program ambassador Steve Johnson said the situation facing the region’s homeless youths had stunned him.
“Youth are often the forgotten face of homelessness. I’m excited to be part of the Ladder ambassador team to help the raise awareness of such an important issue.”
Mr Bolton said Ladder aimed to help young people develop their own talents, allowing them to break out of the cycle of homelessness.
“We want young people to reach their potential because there’s no one cause and no single way out of homelessness.”
Mr Bolton said Ladder worked closely with AFL clubs, using the popularity of football to draw out at-risk young people
“Players across the league donate a portion of their match fee each week raising about $150,000 a year, matched by AFL,” he said.
“We’re also keen to work with local corporates.”
