Dear Friends and Supporters,
As we come to the end of The Living Room and our other services operating from Hosier Lane, I wanted to write again to say thank you and share where things have landed.
When we announced the closure of our Hosier Lane services, we knew The Living Room was deeply valued, but we were incredibly humbled by the response. So many donors, supporters, partners and friends reached out to tell us how important the service has been to Melbourne and, in many cases, what it had meant to them personally.
The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions. There has been sadness and uncertainty, but also enormous pride. In true Youth Projects fashion, everyone has banded together and remained focused on what matters most: doing the right thing by our clients and each other.
Our priority has always been continuity of care, and we are pleased that the majority of our Hosier Lane team have been able to secure positions with cohealth’s new CBD Community Health Hub. It means much of the experience and compassion, and many of the trusted relationships built over the years, will continue to serve the community.
We are also incredibly grateful to everyone who has told us they want to continue supporting Youth Projects beyond The Living Room.
For more than twenty years, your generosity has helped thousands of people access healthcare, practical support, dignity and compassion during extraordinarily difficult moments in their lives. While these services are now coming to an end, the impact you helped create does not disappear.
As Youth Projects moves into its next chapter, we are taking everything The Living Room taught us and applying it earlier in people’s lives. We are growing our work with young people through prevention and early intervention, helping to change life trajectories before disadvantage becomes entrenched and crisis takes hold. We believe this can be one of The Living Room’s most powerful legacies.
To everyone who donated, volunteered, shared expertise, opened doors, advocated for us or simply stood alongside us, thank you. You helped make The Living Room what it was, supported the broader work we delivered from Hosier Lane and have been part of something very special.
And to those continuing to walk alongside Youth Projects, we are genuinely grateful and excited about what we can achieve together in this next chapter.
Melanie Raymond, OAM | Trent Miller
Chair | CEO