HomeBase Secures $100,000 of Local Solutions Funding to Enhance Support for Local Young People
Hands Up Mallee congratulates HomeBase, an initiative of Sunraysia Community Health Services (SCHS), on their successful application for $100,000 through the NextGen Community Connect Local Solutions Funding. This funding will support HomeBase in engaging with young people in the region after hours and on weekends, meeting them where they already gather. The initiative will co-design and deliver a series of no-cost activities for 10–17-year-olds, developed in close partnership with young people themselves. Additionally, the project will collaborate with local traders, police, and other youth service providers to ensure the initiatives’ success and sustainability.
The Local Solutions Funding, provided by the Department of Social Services, aims to support innovative, community-led solutions to local issues, fostering shared decision-making alongside communities. A distinctive aspect of the NextGen Community Connect tender, facilitated by Hands Up Mallee, is that the community played a key role in shaping the criteria and decision-making process from the very beginning, ensuring that local voices were central to every step of the process.
Darren Midgley, CEO of SCHS, highlighted the importance of this funding, stating: “This funding is pivotal for enabling HomeBase to deliver tailored, after-hours services that truly meet the needs of local young people. By co-designing activities with young people themselves, we are ensuring that these programs are relevant, engaging, and impactful. The support from this funding allows us to create a positive, sustainable environment where young people can thrive and build relationships with their peers and trusted adults.”
Stedman Watts, co-Chair of the Hands Up Mallee Collaborative Governance Group, emphasized the significance of community involvement in the initiative: “What makes the NextGen Community Connect funding opportunity so unique is the active involvement of the community in every aspect—right from shaping the criteria to making the decisions. It’s not just about providing funding, but about ensuring that the solutions are tailored to the real needs of the people who live here.”
The funding opportunity follows a series of community-led discussions in 2023 that highlighted concerns about rising incidents of crime among youth aged 10-17. In response, small-scale collaborative trials were initiated in partnership with local services to build relationships with young people and engage them in positive, pro-social activities.
These trials built upon previous initiatives led by Hands Up Mallee, including free outdoor pool access during the summer and the HomeBase Hoops program—a free after-hours youth basketball initiative led by SCHS. These programs were designed to foster protective factors by creating peer relationships and connections with trusted adults in informal, non-clinical settings.
HomeBase’s successful funding application marks a significant step in expanding these efforts, providing more opportunities for local youth to engage in meaningful activities that promote positive outcomes.
