A new culturally safe, supported accommodation program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people transitioning out of care has been launched in Melbourne's Bayside Peninsula region.
Announced by the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) on Monday, the first-of-its-kind project was developed in partnership with youth homelessness prevention charity Kids Under Cover, Moorumbina Mongurnallin, and is the first independent living model developed exclusively for First Nations young people.
VACCA chief executive and recent NAIDOC person of the year, Muriel Bamblett, said VACCA sees the "strength and resilience of our young people, and their potential".
"Our young people will be able to draw on their own strength and resilience in a supported environment, so they can successfully navigate the next chapter in their lives," she said.
The Moorumbina Mongurnallin site will provide housing for six young people.
They will be supported by live-in mentors, as well as a key practitioner, to help provide culturally safe, supported accommodation as they transition from out-of-home-care to independence.
The program has adapted the successful Village 21 model created by Kids Under Cover and designed it for Indigenous young people.
"We know the power of culture and its vital role in the wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people" Ms Bamblett said.
"Our hope is that this program can be replicated across the regions we work in so that more Aboriginal young people leaving care can access the supports they need to build brighter futures, surrounded by their culture, with strong links to community".
Meaning "You are loved" in Bunurong Boon Wurrung language, Moorumbina Mongurnallin provides a wraparound service for support and access to programs for young people to help strengthen their culture, as well as build independent living skills and improve their long-term education and employment options.
The program also provides young people with connections to local Elders, and access to local Aboriginal services and supports.
VACCA is the only ACCO working with Indigenous young people in the Bayside peninsula area and in a statement, said they were approached to work alongside Kids Under Cover to develop Moorumbina Mongurnallin with the support of Homes Victoria and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
