Homelessness Services

TINOCA provides short-term accommodation for young people aged 15-19 who are experiencing homelessness or are unable to stay in their family home. Located in Perth's northern suburbs, TINOCA is able to support six young people at any given time, with residents being able to stay anywhere from one night up to many months as we work with them to find longer term accommodation.

During their stay young people are provided with all the essentials such as nutritious meals, warm showers and toiletries. A Youth Worker is also on-site at all times to provide residents with support in a variety of areas such as;

• Developing independent living skills such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting
  
• Accessing education or employment
• Achieving family reunification (where appropriate)
• Developing a plan for securing longer term accommodation, and
• Accessing other support services e.g. mental health.

A Drug Education and Support Worker is also located on-site to support young people to address any drug or alcohol use.

Coming soon in 2025!

To meet the growing need for a second crisis accommodation, Djinda will be opening in 2025, mirroring the services offered at TINOCA.

Our Transitional Accommodation Program (TAP) offers housing and support to young people aged 16 to 21. Spread across the Perth metropolitan area our TAP houses accommodate one to three young people at a time.

Young people staying in our TAP properties are given the freedom to live independently and are able to stay in their house for up to 12 months. During this time they are visited regularly by a Youth Worker who helps them address their needs and to plan for their future; whether that be enrolling in education, gaining employment, setting saving goals or securing future accommodation.

Our Brentwood program offers transitional housing and support to young people aged 16 to 25 years who are seeking stable accommodation while working towards long-term housing solutions.

Each young person will be supported by an assigned case worker to help them set and achieve their goals, including securing sustainable housing. To be eligible for the program, young people must have an income source (such as Centrelink or employment) and, ideally, be engaged in work or study.

Please note that while staff will be available during weekdays, there are no staff on-site overnight or on weekends.

The Nest aims to help young parents maintain parental responsibility of their baby when facing homelessness or unsafe living conditions such as domestic violence.

To be eligible for the Nest a young person must be aged 16-19 and pregnant or have an infant under the age of two.

During this time a Case Manager will help them;

• Develop vital parenting skills, financial and independent living skills
• Create a plan to secure future long-term accommodation.
  
• Maintain wellbeing

Outreach Support Program
The Outreach Support Program provides case management support to young parents and mothers. The Nest Case Manager meets parents at a space where they feel safe and comfortable, for example the local library.

Nest Housed Support Program
Once accepted into the Nest Housed Program, each parent and child are housed in supportive transitional accommodation.

The Youth Place program assists young people aged 15 to 25 who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Our friendly team of youth support workers can help young people with Emergency Relief, outreach support, case management, advocacy and referrals and/or transitional housing.

If there are no vacancies in the supported accommodation service, Youth Workers are able to support young people on an outreach basis by providing assistance to find appropriate housing and support to work through barriers such as mental health, drug use and family breakdown.

Youth Place is run in partnership with St Patrick’s Community Support Centre and also offers Emergency Relief.

This service helps young people aged 16-18 who are experiencing homelessness, or at risk of homelessness upon exiting the justice system, by giving them the support they need to get back on their feet. Young people who are on a community-based order or exiting juvenile detention are able to access the support of a Housing Support Worker who can;

• Help them find housing through different pathways
• Act as an advocate and provide tenancy support
• Teach vital life skills such as cooking, cleaning and budgeting
  
• Support them to address financial hardship and family matters etc.

Once long-term housing is found, the Housing Support Worker will help the young person establish their new home and can continue to provide support for a further 12 months.

Referrals:

Must be made through the individual’s Youth Justice Officer.

Our Housing Support Worker supports individuals, couples and families aged 16 to 25 who are in exiting homelessness services and still require additional support to overcome homelessness. The program supports young people to;

• Find and maintain stable accommodation
• Work through personal issues such as substance use, mental health and wellbeing
• Develop an action plan to achieve housing, education, employment and financial goals.

Young people engaged in our Homelessness Services can participate in private counselling or group sessions to discuss alcohol/drug use. The DESS program provides a safe space for young people to discuss current challenges in their lives with a professional who can provide them with accurate information on topics such as harm minimisation strategies and mental health.