Youngcare has been recognised for their contribution as a finalist in the 2017 Telstra Business Awards.
For more than 12 years, Youngcare has been fighting to make a difference to the lives of young Australians with high care needs — many of whom are still living in unacceptable and inappropriate housing.
Youngcare CEO Anthony Ryan attributes the Telstra Business Award recognition to the charity’s commercial and transparent approach.
“One key difference to our success is that we have the solution. We have always fought for the rights of the individual and with the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), we can now act as the catalyst for solving the residential crisis for young people with high care needs once and for all,” he said.
“We are leading much-needed change in the disability housing sector, rallying change makers across the country — industry, government and community — to shape a national solution.”
With no recurrent government funding and a small Queensland-based team, the not-for-profit has raised $13 million in funds to build appropriate accommodation, distributed $4.2 million in grants for young people to remain at home and received more than 10,500 calls to their national hotline since 2002.
“Our success so far is a testament to the hard work, commitment and passion of the Youngcare team, and the generous support of our donors and corporate partners, but there is much more to be done. While the NDIS provides individuals with funding, Australia has a severe shortage of appropriate housing for young people with high care needs,” he said.