Village 21- Breaking New Ground

Last month, Kids Under Cover received the heartening news that the Victorian Government will provide the funding to build two new Village 21 communities in regional Victoria.

Minister for Housing, Colin Brooks (second from left) visits one of the 173 studios housing 268 young Indigenous Victorians

This is in addition to our Village 21 in Preston and the second Village, Moorumbina Mongurnallin. currently in development in Frankston.

Victorian Minister for Housing, Colin Brooks announced the funding would be granted as part of a $50 million investment by the government to help prevent youth homelessness across the state.

“We are addressing youth homelessness,” Minister Brooks said.  “And this investment ensures that commitment continues and helps to give young people a place to call home. The stability of having a roof over their head will support these young people to learn and develop, setting them up for success in the rest of their lives.”

The three latest Villages will focus specifically on Aboriginal communities and all are designed in collaboration with leading Indigenous organisations and with First Nations cultural considerations as a priority.

Our CEO, Stephen Nash has every confidence in the program’s ability to offer a positive path for young people:

“This is a proven model which enables young people to navigate the challenges of leaving Out-of-Home care. This funding will not only enable us to house more vulnerable young people, it will also help propel us towards our goal of eliminating youth homelessness in Victoria.”

The Village 21 model of support is tested, proven and ready to go. We expect these initial project announcements to be the first of many and can’t wait to share updates on the success stories of the young people who have been given the opportunity to imagine and shape their own positive futures.

Moorumbina Mongurnallin is a new culturally sensitive village site currently in development in Frankston