- Crisafulli Government delivering 8 new youth foyers across Queensland with Redcliffe confirmed as the Moreton Bay location.
- Each foyer will have 40 apartments and 24/7 support for 16 to 25-year-olds experiencing or at risk of homelessness in work, study or training.
- Proven model helps young Queenslanders build independence and learn essential skills for life.
- Labor only opened two youth foyers during their decade of decline, leaving too many young people unsupported.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering on its commitment to increase the amount of supported housing for young Queenslanders by acquiring a key Redcliffe location and appointing an architect to begin work on the new Moreton Bay Youth Foyer.
The Redcliffe site was purchased by the Queensland Government earlier this year, providing a central location for the youth foyer close to public transport, services, employment opportunities and TAFE.
Youth foyers offer vulnerable young people aged 16-25 with stable housing in a supported living environment while they are learning and earning.
Tenants are required to pay about 25 per cent of their income in rent, receiving 24/7 on-site support while they complete education, training or work.
Labor only opened two youth foyers during their decade of decline, leaving too many young people unsupported and without a safe place to call home.
Under the Crisafulli Government, eight youth foyers will be underway this term - four times as many as Labor delivered in a decade.
The Redcliffe project is one of eight new youth foyers the Crisafulli Government will deliver across Queensland, helping more vulnerable young Queenslanders benefit from this successful evidence-based model.
Brisbane architect Arkhefield has been contracted to design the project, which will provide 40 self-contained units with wraparound support for young people facing housing insecurity in Moreton Bay.
Construction is about to commence on the Cairns Youth Foyer at Manoora, which will provide 40 units for vulnerable young people in the state's far north.
Planning is also advanced for a youth foyer at Hervey Bay, with the five other locations yet to be determined.
Minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O'Connor said youth foyers were vital in helping vulnerable young people to learn the skills they need to build brighter futures and achieve their full potential.
"Youth foyers change lives. They give young people who are earning or learning the stable foundation they need to build whatever life they aspire to live."
"Under Labor, youth homelessness kept getting worse but only two new youth foyers were opened over their decade of decline."
"The Crisafulli Government is turning things around by committing to having work underway on eight new foyers by the end of this term alone to give more young Queenslanders the support they deserve," Minister O'Connor said.
"As Housing Minister and as Youth Minister I'm determined to give more young people in communities across our state the opportunities a youth foyer creates - a safe place to call home and a pathway to build a better future for themselves."
State Member for Redcliffe Kerri-Anne Dooley said the project would make a real difference for young people in her community.
"This new youth foyer will give local young people who've done it tough a safe place to live and support to build their independence," Ms Dooley said.
"Our current providers of youth residential care have been stretched beyond capacity, and that is now changing under the Crisafulli Government."
City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said it was critical that young people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, can access wraparound supports to help get them off the street.
"A safe and secure place to stay, in a 24/7 supportive housing environment, gives these young people the opportunity to complete their education, get into the workforce and find their own place to call home.
"We thank the State Government for their investment in this new youth foyer and their solution-driven approach, in collaboration with Council, to end homelessness in City of Moreton Bay."
