Kids Under Cover is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preventing youth homelessness.
We offer young people the unique combination of supported housing options with scholarships
Kids Under Cover supports vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness by building studios
There are many ways to get involved and help at-risk young people and their families.
What an incredible start to 2018 we have had. In mid-January, the Andrews Labor Government launched their new ‘Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan’ with the announcement of more than $45 million to fund initiatives to combat homelessness.
The Action Plan builds on a commitment to grow Victoria’s social housing supply, ensure better collaboration between agencies and improve support services for vulnerable Victorians.
We welcomed this unprecedented funding commitment, which included a one-off grant to be invested specifically into an innovative homelessness prevention program we are working in partnership with Anglicare Victoria to deliver.
‘Village 21’ will address the needs of young people aged 18-21 who are leaving the Out-of-Home Care system. We are incredibly proud to have been included in the Governments Action Plan. You can read more about the project on page four.
2018 marked the 10th anniversary of the Cubby House Challenge® which, since its inception has raised over $600,000 for our homelessness prevention programs. This year the event did not disappoint. Over 200 guests joined us for the special twilight auction which saw five wildly different cubbies sell to some very generous bidders who contributed to the $70,000 raised on the night. A tremendous contribution indeed.
Each year I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of those who support the event. Our partners, sponsors, enthusiastic volunteers and those who come along to bid for a cubby.
Likewise, the kind-heartedness and generosity of the build teams, designers, and their partners, really does leave me speechless. The collaboration between so many diverse organisations who donate their time, materials, and expertise to ensure they deliver world-class cubby houses is almost beyond belief. This goes a long way in making a difference for the young people we support.
You can read more about the success of the Cubby House Challenge® on page eight.
2018 is set to be a momentous year for Kids Under Cover. We work hard every day to support young people at risk of homelessness, but to ensure we can continue this support we must find ways to diversify our income.
Behind the scenes we have been working hard to do just that, and, at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, we launched our social enterprise, Nestd.
Drawing on our experience in building relocatable studio accommodation we are now tapping into the tiny home movement. Nestd will be selling tiny homes with a purpose. Please click here to read more about this very exciting development.
We will not rest when it comes to supporting vulnerable young people. We can’t do it alone, we need people like you, who share our vision of a community where no young person is homeless.
I thank you for taking an interest in our work and hope you have the time to read more about what’s happening at Kids Under Cover, I trust you will enjoy this edition of Undercover News.
Jo Swift
Chief Executive Officer
Kids Under Cover
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