The Harold Mitchell Foundation is proud to support the Lighthouse Foundation in its battle against youth homelessness. We believe that the Lighthouse Model of Care is the model of the future and encourage other philanthropic, government or private sector organisations to do what they can to help.
On any given night as many as 100,000 people are homeless in our country and almost half of them are young people. For more than 20 years, Lighthouse Foundation has been supporting homeless young people to take their rightful place in the community by giving them a home, a family and therapeutic care that is trauma-informed, individually tailored and – above all – proven to work.
At Lighthouse, two full-time carers fulfil the role of a surrogate Mum and Dad, living with their "kids" for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A dedicated team of specialists provide around-the-clock therapeutic care and rehabilitation. Loving volunteers from all parts of the community also become the ‘extended family’, making sure their Lighthouse has everything it needs to be a secure and safe environment. The kids stay as long as they need. The goal is to get them ready to learn new skills so they can re-integrate and become contributing members of the community.
Since it inception, Lighthouse have helped more than 600 young people in this way and the Lighthouse Therapeutic Model of Care is a world leading treatment model for youth homelessness.
Put simply, it is the model of the future. Not only does the Lighthouse Model of Care allow these young people to regain their self-esteem and become productive members of society, it also provides an unprecedented return to the community for every dollar invested. A recent independent report from Social Ventures Australia found that the Lighthouse Model of Care provided more than $12 of social value for every single dollar spent. It is one of the most cost-effective social programs in existence anywhere in the world.
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