First Youth Foyer centre to be opened at Broadmeadows campus

By mid-2013, Kangan Institute's Broadmeadows campus will be home to a $10.4 million centre providing homeless youth with access to training and job-skilling.

This initiative is part of the Youth Foyer program announced last week and is a joint partnership between the Victorian Government, Kangan Institute, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Hanover Welfare Services.

The program aims to create medium-term accommodation for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and provide them with access to education, employment, training and general support. Kangan Institute will be providing the site for the first Youth Foyer to be built at its Broadmeadows campus.

This will be the first of three Youth Foyers planned for Victoria. Kangan Institute CEO Ray Griffiths expressed his excitement at being involved in this initiative.

"We have a long-standing commitment to the local community here in Broadmeadows and it's fantastic to have this new opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of many young individuals," he said.

"One of our biggest objectives here is to help these young people gain the skills, credentials and confidence to build a career and a life, and I definitely see Kangan Institute playing a big role within this scope."

The Youth Foyer at Broadmeadows will be managed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Hanover Welfare Services and student residents will be made up of young people who have demonstrated a willingness to engage in education and employment.