Young people can become homeless for many reasons: it may be because of a family relationship breakdown and/or conflict with their parents.
Our Homeless Youth Assistance Program (HYAP) provides homelessness prevention supports, chid centred family work and accommodation to assist young people who find themselves homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless.
HYAP is available to young people aged 12–15 years who live in the local government areas of:
- Auburn
- Blacktown
- Cumberland
- Parramatta
- Hills Shire
The HYAP Care Team consists of a Coordinator, Therapeutic Specialist, Case Worker, House Supervisor and Therapeutic Youth Workers. The HYAP Care Team, work in collaboration with young people and their families to identify and address the causes of their homelessness, with the aim of re-connecting them back to their family, education, and community.
HYAP Accommodation
The primary objective of the HYAP program is family restoration and this is achieved through supporting young people and their family to develop a restoration plan to enable the young person to safely return to reside with their family. Ideally, the young person will return to family home, however if that’s not safe, we will support in exploring alternative accommodation options.
Our HYAP accommodation provides:
- consistent and predictable Care Team and home-like environment which provides a foundation of safety
- experiences of difference to promote healing
- therapeutic and trauma informed practices and principles which are underpinned by The Sanctuary Model
- Therapeutic Care Planning which focuses on strengthening connection with family and exploring options to resolve homelessness.
How to access this service
HYAP is available by referral and self-referral. For more information or to make a referral, please contact the MacKillop Metro Sydney Office on 02 8881 4800 or email hyapreferral@mackillop.org.au.
