The Victorian Government funds a range of services and supports to assist young people age 16 to 21 years, to transition from care to adulthood.
Leaving care services include:
- Better Futures
- Home Stretch
- Housing First
- Leaving Care Hotline.
Better Futures
Better Futures provides flexible and tailored support for young people as they transition from care.
Better Futures includes:
- case work support
- information and advice
- money (flexible funding to support transition goals)
- Community Connections.
Better Futures provides support across a range of life areas including:
- health and wellbeing
- housing and living skills
- education (including TAFE and university)
- employment
- community and cultural connections (including mentoring).
To find out more, see Better Futures.
Home Stretch
Home Stretch, provides young people leaving care with a more gradual and supported transition to adulthood.
With Home Stretch you can stay with your kinship, foster or permanent carer until you turn 21, if your carer agrees. Your carer can get an allowance to help support you.
If you are moving from care to independent living, you can get an allowance to help you achieve your transition goals.
To find out more, see Home Stretch.
Housing First
The Housing First for Young People Leaving Care initiative (Housing First) provides young people with a gradual and supported transition from care. Housing First includes guaranteed housing and wrap around case work support.
For more information, see Housing First.
Leaving care hotline
If you are leaving care services in Victoria, you can call the Leaving Care Hotline. You can speak to someone on the hotline for advice or referral to support services.
The Leaving Care Hotline can give you information about:
- finding accommodation or staying in existing accommodation
- staying in education or returning to studying
- looking for a job, or applying for on the job (vocational) training
- keeping a current job
- re-connecting with family
- financial help to maintain independence if you have already left care
- linking with other support services.
Melbourne City Mission's Frontyard Service manages our Leaving Care Hotline. You can use it to connect with your nearest Better Futures service. For more information, see 'Contacts'.
Other leaving care programs
There are a range of programs and supports available to you when leaving care.