Newsletter for the Rotary Club of Greater Geraldton - Issue No.: 781 Issue Date: 22 Apr, 2024

Amanda Brunelli is Agency Manager, employed by STAY for the past 25 years. Her role has been interesting and varied over the last 25 years, perhaps the reason why she has remained in the position so long! "Young people keep you entertained and their resilience and tenacity is something I find inspiring".

Lucy Moogan is a Social Work Masters student from UWA doing her placement at STAY. Lucy is currently performing the role of Tenancy Support Worker running the life skills program.

Amanda outlined the STAY life skills program and what it does:

• STAY was established in 1983 by a group of community volunteers. 

• In 1988 an application was put forward for a ‘not for profit agency’ and funding was approved by Department of Child ProtectionSTAY is funded by both the State and Federal Government through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA).

• STAY is a preferred service provider.

• We support young people who are 15 to 19 who are in crisis.
• We provide supported accommodation in various settings where support is case managed and individually tailored to a young person’s needs.

• We focus on, health and wellbeing, young parents, life skills including driving,  tenancy issues, paths to education, employment, referral to treatment options around alcohol and other drugs, trauma and other specialist counselling. We address and overcome barriers in a young person’s life.

• We provide a sanctuary for young people to explore their options, feel safe, valued and accepted. We encourage young people to be the very best version of themselves.

Quarry Street Housing

The practice approach – Using a relationship and strengths based, client approach. Every young person is at the center of everything we do. The young person helps us tailor their support and they direct the pace, scope and extent of their support. Identifying goals, making plans and providing the support around this ensures that the young person has all the information, support and resources to work towards their full potential.

Masters Student Lucy coordinates the STAY Tenancy Program

STAY has a partnership with Department of Communities (Housing Division) and Community Housing Limited CHL to deliver long term accommodation to young people. This accommodation allows young people to develop independent living skills around managing and maintaining tenancy. We focus on budgeting, cooking, cleaning and transitioning to independence.

STAY has 8 transitional properties that supports singles, students, and young parents. All the young people participate in the STAY Life Skills Program, including the driving program, where eligible

STAY Driving Program

• The STAY Driving Program was started in 2014 when young people expressed concerns around their barriers to obtain a licence. This followed changes to legislation for P plate drivers in WA.

• The program was funded initially by STAY and Royalties for Regions in 2014.  A partnership was formed with SEDRA (School Drug Education and Road Aware and Fergys Driving School to develop a life skills program aimed at young people who were at risk of driving without adequate training and those young people with limited access to resources and parental support.

• The program has been a huge success with the following numbers of youth supported;

• 2014 – 2015 -7 young people successful in obtaining a full provisional licence

• 2015- 2016 – 5 young people successful in obtaining a full provisional licence

• 2016 – 2017 – 8 young people successful in obtaining a full provisional licence

2017 – 2018 – 10 young people working on/registered for the program

• The successful grant application from Future 2 Foundation in February 2017 has made it possible for STAY to keep the driving program going. A further 10 young people have been supported to achieve the life skill of having a driving licence.

• It costs $1000 to assist a young person to achieve their full provisional licence from start to finish and more than 50 hours of supported driving. The majority of this is done by STAY and performed in kind by STAY youth workers trained in advance driver training.  

• The program developed by STAY enables young people to do six lessons with our partner Fergys Driving School. By this point the young person has developed good driving habits, has learnt the road rules and may be deemed competent for the STAY supported driving program.

• The young person sits a hazard and perception test at the half way mark, 25 hours.

• A further four lessons are afforded to the young person coupled with their STAY supported hours to reach 50 practical hours. The young person is then eligible to do their practical driving assessment.

Amanda and Lucy outlined some of the stunning success stories of lives changed, including two autistic young men who studied to become fluent in Japanese and are now living in Japan! They were thanked by PP Pete Svensson and presented with an End Polio certificate.