Three young Indigenous women from Canberra who are at risk of homelessness have been granted a lifeline by an award-winning support program.
The women are all from "high-risk" backgrounds, facing drug abuse in their homes.
EveryMan Australia granted the teenagers - aged between 16 to 20 - two years worth of housing support and mentorship to support their housing and study needs.
Two of the recipients are studying at the Canberra Institute of Technology, and the third has been offered a placement within a childcare centre.
Case manager Panya Connors said the support was to help the young people overcome traumatic past experiences.
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"They have barriers to overcome, but we want them to know that there is a better life out there for them," she said.
"We want them to know that their past is not their future and we hope they can overcome the self-doubt that stems from a hard start in life."
The program is a collaboration with the Onelink Client Support Fund Program.
Ms Connors said the mentoring was important to let the women work through challenges in a constructive way.
They will also be able to access housing, particularly important considering the struggle many Canberrans are facing trying to access affordable rentals at the moment.
"We want to open up opportunities for women who would otherwise end up homeless or on the street," Ms Connors said.
"[The program is] a work in progress, it isn't perfect, but we are hoping that after the pilot program finishes, we can obtain more funding to open another house and keep the good work going."
EveryMan recently won the 2021 ACT NAIDOC Non-Indigenous Contribution of the Year Award at the 2021 ACT NAIDOC Awards.
Their Indigenous Support and Accommodation program provides families at risk of homelessness with housing, and provides boarding houses for people in desperate need.
On Tuesday, Brumbies players Jacob and Kyah Turto; and Makenzy and Mason Campbell played football some of the with families and children supported by the program.
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Lanie Tindale
I am a reporter at The Canberra Times, and was previously a trainee. I have covered various topics at the masthead, including courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. I previously worked in digital news. I am now a general news reporter, with a focus on health. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
I am a reporter at The Canberra Times, and was previously a trainee. I have covered various topics at the masthead, including courts, federal politics, breaking news, features and opinion. I previously worked in digital news. I am now a general news reporter, with a focus on health. lanie.tindale@canberratimes.com.au.
