We have been operating our Youth Transition Housing (YTH) model since early 2018 – with houses now supporting young people in Dunedin (YTH Ōtepoti) and Invercargill (YTH Waihōpai). 

We developed the YTH model to support 16 – 19 year olds who would otherwise be homeless to successfully transition to independent living, while developing their essential living skills, creating educational and employment pathways, and enhancing their physical, mental and social resilience.

YTH addresses the specific challenges faced by young people who are homeless – a group that frequently slips between the cracks in housing statistics. To deliver YTH, we work closely with a number of local service providers to best meet the needs of young people across Otago and Southland, and achieves the best possible outcomes for our target clients – in terms of sustainable accommodation, personal wellbeing and development, and achievement in education, training and employment. 

Youth Transition Housing

Supportive flatting environment to learn group living skills and prepare for the next steps towards independent living.

• Potential to transition approx. 24+ young people into sustainable accommodation each year.

• Residents are supported to remain at school, enrol in an education or training course, or find meaningful work experience or employment

• Evening and night-time support and supervision is provided by overnight staff who stay at the house

• Individual support and action plans are developed with a Client Support Worker to encourage and map progress towards personal goals, and prepare for successful transitions to independent living

• Supported education, training and employment options, ranging from the development of foundation skills, to Youth Guarantee unit standards and NCEA qualification achievement.

• Supported access to vocational training and links with local employers

• Individual assistance with job and accommodation searching

• On-site access to personal development and life skills initiatives and health services such as budgeting and cooking, personal care and interpersonal skills

• Supported referrals to specialist providers (GPs, addiction support, mental health services etc.)

• Ongoing post-transition support provided by Client Support Workers as needed

We are now actively working on establishing more YTH facilities, and on adapting the YTH model to support other young people with their transitional housing needs – including young mothers, people exiting state care, and people requiring support with bail and/or reintegration from prison.