Caretakers Crisis Refuge

Caretakers Cottage Youth Crisis Refuge provides emergency accommodation and outreach support for young people 13-17 years of age who cannot stay at home.

This emergency accommodation can be accessed from an individual overnight but can also facilitate longer stays of up to three months. During this time we focus on individual case plan’s aiming to help young people establish goals and assist engaging with supports.

We also provide respite and outreach services for those young people who normally live at home but need support, assisting and working cooperatively with families in crisis. This type of outreach is primarily preventative, dynamic and involves varying interventions ranging from providing outreach counselling to the young person or the parent, family mediation, advocacy or simply checking in with both the young person and their parents.

Homeless Youth Assistance Program (HYAP)

Supporting Vulnerable Young People Aged 12–16

Caretakers Cottage’s Homeless Youth Assistance Program (HYAP) provides one-on-one support to young people aged 12–16 in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and Inner West who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

A dedicated caseworker works closely with the young person and their family to develop a tailored support plan.

HYAP focuses on:

– Family restoration
– Living skills development
– Emotional and physical well-being
– Safe housing options

Our goal is to help young people stay safely at home or access secure, age-appropriate accommodation. We collaborate with schools, community organisations, and external agencies to provide wraparound support and connect clients to further services as needed, helping them build a safe and positive future.

Contact Caretakers Cottage for more information or to request a referral form.

Watch our video about Caretakers Crisis Refuge

Program components

Crisis Accommodation
Case Management
Referrals to support services
Advocacy
Outreach Support
Family Intervention/Mediation
One-on-One mentoring
After-care support

Stability and structure

Caretakers Crisis Refuge provides and safe space for a young person to work on themselves. Our caseworkers collaborate with each young person to create individualised case plans in accordance with the needs of the young person. These case plans can consist of reengagement with education, medical services and mental health, while also referring appropriate services whether this be NDIS, school, apprenticeships, jobs, counselling, court support, semi-independent accommodation and more.

We provide outreach services and supports to those young people from the local area who are living with family but who are at risk of becoming homeless due to family breakdown, with a particular focus on local young people under the age of 16.

We also provide after-care support to ex-residents who have been referred to, and living in, semi-independent, community, or private accommodation. Part of this is to facilitate an easier transition to their new independent situation.

We also provide some one-on-one mentoring outreach to those young people whom are particularly vulnerable or disengaged. Mentoring can be a soft introduction to services through building rapport and slowly re-introducing young people back into the mainstream and community.

These elements of our program work together, starting from the ground up, to introduce a young person and their families to the appropriate supports and tools to help them thrive.

Our accommodation

Our accommodation consists of a 5-bedroom residential property, where we can provide short term emergency accommodation for young people ages 13-17 in crisis. All young people will be asked to abide by a code of conduct while staying at the property in order to maintain the wellbeing of all of our residents. All young people must also engage with a case plan and participate in their programs or supports.

Referral Pathways

Self-Referrals and Family Member Referrals

An in-depth phone interview is required when the young person or their parent self refers. This interview will help to decide whether the young person can be accommodated or do we instead provide outreach assistance as a first step.

If the young person is under 16 years, a consent form also needs signed by parents so we can begin working with the young person.

Government Service Referrals

All government services can phone Caretakers Crisis for an initial phone assessment. If there is a vacancy, the Service will be sent our Initial Referral Form which the external Service caseworker will need to fill, sign and return to us. Once we have the referral form, we will contact the referrer within the same day with a decision on the referral. We may also request more information under a section 16A to inform our decision making.

Non-Government Referrals

Non-government services such as other refuges etc will also need to fill and return our referral form. Additional information on the young person can be requested under a Section 16A from the refuge. A decision will be made on the referral within the same day.

frequently asked

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for our service you must be (or require support for):

13-17 years old
Homeless or at risk of homelessness
Based in the Eastern suburbs? (Exceptions can be made)

We assist people of all genders and backgrounds

How long can I stay at Caretakers Cottage?

We are a crisis accommodation service; we can support young people with accommodation for up to three months. However, our support does not end when a person leaves our service, we use outreach and after-care support to assist in transition to a new environment or to aid with re-establishing themselves back at home.

Do I have to stay for a certain amount of time?

Caretakers’ cottage can be accessed from as little as one night, should that be what is required. It is, however, a voluntary service, that means while we encourage individuals to stay, we do not force this. Young people can leave at any time. The Crisis refuge is a 24-hour service, with a youth worker is available as support outside of business hours, they will assist the young person to make the right choices.

Are family and friends allowed to visit?

Unfortunately, to ensure the safety of all of residents, we do not allow visitors to the crisis refuge. However, we do encourage maintaining these relationships and visitation outside of the refuge is a great way to do that.

Our family is struggling, can you help?

We provide outreach services and supports to those young people from the local area who are living with family but who are at risk of becoming homeless due to family breakdown. We can also provide respite for when a family situation would benefit from some space and can assist with organising appropriate referrals for parents and young people, for example, counselling and mediation, parenting classes or legal services etc.

“Without you guys, I may have never fully recovered from my experience in hospital and may not be alive today to share my story and help others who have been in similar situations.

No matter how big or small you think you may have contributed, know that you guys have changed my life for the better and I will be forever grateful for that”

Vincent

“Options case management support has been pivotal in helping me achieve my goals, providing me with the means to obtain an amazing job as a mentor that I balance with university work. By referring me to programs that can lead me down the right path, Options has given me the chance to make an impact on the world and achieve goals that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise”

Sarah

“My Caseworker offered me a variety of supports from finance to general advice. I always felt satisfied with the solutions we came up with”

Mirabella

refer someone in need

Do you know a young person who is in desperate need of help? Refer them to Caretakers Crisis Refuge, where they can find the support and care they deserve. For more information about our services and how we can assist, please contact us at info@caretakers.org.au

PHONE 02 9389 0999