Youth crisis accommodation centre STAY reopens after $200k funding boost to expand services in Geraldton

At-risk youth can now benefit and learn life skills after a crisis accommodation reopened last week, helping keep youth off the streets. Short Term Accommodation for Youth held a grand reopening on September 5 after receiving a $200,000 funding boost for upgrades last year. The accommodation is designed for youth aged from 15 to 25 living at crisis point to transform into confident, stable independents. The funding went towards creating counselling rooms for support workers and short stay self contained rooms for young people deemed a significant risk of being homeless. STAY reopened with single occupancy rooms for six young people, a new staff wing including two new offices, a kitchen, bathroom and counselling room. STAY board member Shirley McKinnon said she became involved with the board because STAY offered a practical service that was “so much more than crisis accommodation”. “They teach them how to cook, how to change their sheets and wash their hair,” she said. Ms McKinnon said when the youth arrived they were sometimes traumatised, but they learnt how to look after themselves, their personal hygiene and reclaim their lives. “Once they get old enough they move into an apartment and they continue checks until they are independent,” she said. The STAY program accommodates young people in applying for their licence, visiting the school for guardian meetings and attending job interviews to ensure the person feels safe and supported in their endeavour. “One of the examples was a young boy when he moved in he discovered he loved cooking. He got an apprenticeship in one of the restaurants in town,” Ms McKinnon said. “He’d never done any cooking before as a teenage boy.”