Jacquie Petrusma: New Accommodation Facility to Give Young Women Somewhere to Turn

Tackling homelessness is a priority for the Liberal Government.

That is why I am very pleased to be officially opening Hobart City Mission’s new accommodation facility that will provide safe, secure accommodation for young women up to the age of 25 who are pregnant or have young children and are considered to be at risk of homelessness or having their child moved into State Care.

This facility will also provide young women with a safe and nurturing environment to continue their education, develop good parenting skills and engage in their community with confidence in themselves.

It has been developed by the Hobart City Mission from $900,000 distributed by the Government under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) Development Fund.

It will give young mothers and expectant mothers – including those living with disability – long-term accommodation, support, and skills to successfully transition into independent accommodation with improved levels of self-confidence and employability.

I congratulate Hobart City Mission on this wonderful new facility.

The Government further supports the Hobart City Mission through Housing Connect, Tasmania’s social housing and homelessness service system.

The Liberal Government is committed to reducing homelessness and has made the development of a State Affordable Housing Plan a major priority. This plan will provide a clear framework for the next decade around home ownership, affordable rental, public and community housing and crisis accommodation.

We have already held a roundtable with 50 key stakeholders from government, local councils, housing providers, homelessness support groups and representatives from industry bodies and the private sector to start the discussion about the State Affordable Housing Plan and what it needs to achieve.

And we have delivered on our election commitment to overhaul HomeShare, which will make it easier for more low to middle income Tasmanians to purchase their own home.

The Liberal Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rebuilding essential services in Tasmania.
Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for Human Services