In the Field with Kirsty: Helping Young People Find Their Way Home
Kirsty is a Case Worker at Youth Futures, and her job is all about walking alongside young people facing homelessness as they take steps toward a better future. With warmth, honesty and practical support, Kirsty helps them find safe housing, build life skills, and regain a sense of control over their lives.
Before joining Youth Futures, Kirsty spent seven years as a WA police officer. “I saw the same young people going through crisis over and over again,” she says. “No real support, no real change. I wanted to be part of the solution.”
One of the young people Kirsty is supporting is 20-year-old Leah*. After a childhood marked by foster care, trauma, and housing instability, Leah* is moving from supported accommodation into a shared transitional home through our TAP South program, a major step toward living independently.
“She’s made amazing progress,” says Kirsty. “She used to be completely shut down. Now she’s open, kind, funny, responsible, and caring.”
We join Kirsty and Leah* on move-in day. At the Housing Choices office, Leah* signs her Licence to Occupy, learns about rental rights, and prepares to manage her tenancy. “It’s important she leads this,” Kirsty explains. “Because one day, she’ll be doing it on her own.”
At her new home, Leah* meets her housemates, fills out a condition report on her room, and settles in with help from Kirsty, who offers to shop with Leah* for essentials like groceries and a fan heater using emergency relief funds. “It’s all about building capacity,” Kirsty says. From setting up utilities to learning to cook, every step is a skill that helps Leah* grow in confidence.
Leah’s* goals are modest and meaningful: a stable job, her own rental, a passport…and learning how to keep a plant alive (Kirsty’s gifted her a cutting from her own garden to get started). She’s working part-time with horses, looking into study options, and starting to believe in her future.
“She just needed someone in her corner,” says Kirsty. “That’s what we do, we walk beside them until they don’t need us anymore. That’s the best part of the job.”
Kirsty’s work is one example of how Youth Futures supports young people experiencing homelessness. Each journey is different, but with the right support at the right time, real change is possible.
Donate before June 30 to help more young people like Leah* find safety, stability and hope.
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