By Heidi Tucker
Every young person deserves to be understood and grow in a safe and healthy setting. To attain this, the government needs to consistently prioritise mental health and wellbeing systems that supports all young people and their communities, to flourish.
In the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Health and Wellbeing 2022 survey, 39 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 said they had experienced mental health issues in the past 12 months compared to 26 per cent in 2007.
With the growing number of mental health cases among young people, not-for-profit youth organisation Headspace in Melbourne’s outer-east has a waitlist of over 100 kids. 83 per cent of Headspace’s participants reported high or very high levels of psychological distress on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale upon joining.
Despite this, the government will not continue to fund The Lilydale Youth Hub, a successful mental health and wellbeing program for individuals aged 12 to 25, resulting in its closure next month. The Federal Government have confirmed that the grant provided was a “once-off” and the State Government said continued funding of the initiative was not their responsibility, leaving the Hub in “no man’s land”.
Since July 2021, the Hub has supported more than 400 young people needing help with case management, peer support, counselling, wellbeing programs and social activities.
Unfortunately, governments neglecting young people’s mental health is not new. People who have worked in community services for a long time (in my case, 35 years) have not seen such a crisis in the mental health and wellbeing of our young people.
According to Beyond Blue, over 75 per cent of mental health issues occur before the age of 25, while suicide remains the highest cause of death among young Australians in that age bracket. Although the Hub has proved that the format works, the lack of ongoing funding support from government is leaving 7,000 young people from the Yarra Ranges out in the cold.
“The amazing group of people at the Hub have been the saving grace that my 13-year-old and family needed. Our beautiful and brave young person is not only still alive because of this wonderful and all-encompassing service, but also made many friends through pet therapy, creative arts and social connection programs,” a local Yarra Ranges parent said.
Addressing children’s needs must rise above politics, even beyond the Hub. Often, vulnerable young people don’t have parents to help navigate support systems and fall through the cracks. Covid-19 has intensified numerous problems, increased loneliness and highlighted Australia’s dependency on face-to-face contact. We must find urgent solutions as part of our societal obligation to our young people’s care.
As the CEO of Anchor, a for-purpose organisation and one of the Hub’s five consortium partners, I’m passionate about every young person experiencing disadvantage being able to have a supportive space to thrive and achieve their goals. And when they need support with their mental wellbeing, it is accessible and effective — the Hub has proven to do just that.
I acknowledge that the timing is impractical for the State Government to commit to funding because of the state election. However, the mental wellbeing of our children and young people must not be determined by politics. It seems counter intuitive to discontinue a successful program when we hear so often in the media and through our services that the mental wellbeing of young people post-COVID has never been so dire.
I call on the:
– State and Federal Government to fund the Hub’s $3.5 million over three years.
– Community to write a message of support for the Hub at www.lilydaleyouthhub.org.au/raise_your_voice
– Community and urge you to contact your local Federal or State member and ask about their youth mental health initiatives.
We need to move as quickly as possible, or the Hub will shut forever at the end of 2022. The pandemic has taught us that more than ever that young people need an open-door space to access support and feel safe.
