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ReceiveReconnect Program
Reconnect is an early intervention program that aims to prevent youth homelessness that may be caused by family conflict.
Reconnect works with both young people and their families to assist in building relationships with family members and links to education, employment, training and community homelessness assistance if return to the family is not possible.
Reconnect is an Australia wide initiative of the Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Connections provides the Reconnect Program in collaboration with the municipalities of Casey and Greater Dandenong.
People who can access the service
- The following two groups may access Connections Reconnect Program if they live in the municipalities of Casey or Greater Dandenong:
- Young people aged between 12-18 years who are at risk of homelessness or are already homeless
- Families with a young family member between 12-18 years of age and are at risk of, or are experiencing homelessness
- Young people and families can access Reconnect through:
- A referral from a community and government organisations such as schools or self referral
- A phone call to the Connections Reconnect program
How Reconnect works
With the aim of preventing homelessness among young people aged between 12-18 years, Reconnect provides a range of services to young people and their families.
- For young people:
- Individual support and advocacy
- Mediation with family members
- Help to build relationships with their parents
- Life skills development
- Linking young people to education, community work and support groups
- Assistance in accessing community benefits such as Centrelink applications
- For families with a family member aged between 12-18 years:
- Assistance in building relationships with their daughter or son
- Strategies to build and/or improve their parenting skills
- Links to other support services in the community
How clients can benefit from the service
Reconnect can assist young people to avoid becoming homeless or help them to access community supports, such as Centrelink benefits, if returning to their family is not possible.
For families with a young person aged between 12-18 years, who is at risk of homelessness or is already homeless due to conflict in the family, Reconnect provides the parents with assistance to re-establish relationships with their son or daughter and to improve their parenting skills.
How this service benefits the community
It is not in the community's interest for anyone to be homeless, especially if this can be avoided through helping young people and their families to establish and enhance supportive relationships with each other.
