Major funding boost for key Townsville youth intervention service

• Miles Government boosts funding to key Townsville youth after hours diversionary service targeting youth offending.
• $750,000 investment allows The Lighthouse: Youth After Hours Diversionary Service to expand operating hours to offer more intensive outreach and engagement activities during peak hours.
• After-hours expansion builds on the Lighthouse programs already delivered by Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (TAIHS).

A boost of $750,000 from The Miles Government will allow Townsville’s The Lighthouse: Youth After Hours Diversion Service to extend the hours that services are available to support young people at risk.

The service is operated by the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (TAIHS) with the increased funding through the Miles Government’s Townsville Engagement and Integrated Diversion initiative targeting youth offending.

The expanded after-hours service adds to more than $6million of Youth Justice programs being delivered in Townsville this financial year including:

• Townsville Street University;
• Intensive Bail Initiative;
• Upper Ross Youth Hub;
• Lighthouse.

New staff employed by The Lighthouse with the additional $750,000 over two years will complement its existing workforce to provide intensive outreach and engagement activities during peak hours.

The Lighthouse supports 10 to 17 year olds, who may:

• not have adequate adult supervision.
• not feel safe at home and need a place to go.
• be in trouble.
• need someone to talk to.

Its new youth workers will connect with young people who are gathering in key locations, such as Townsville Shopping Centre, and transport them to The Lighthouse where they are able to access meals, diversionary activities, health and wellbeing services and a bed of rest if they cannot safely return home. 

The centre provides support for disengaged youth and offers a safe place to form connections, including cultural connections.

For young people with greater support needs, they can be assigned a case worker to help them with everyday tasks and guidance. Each morning the young people still there are supported to return home and actively participate in attending school or other activities during the day.

The after-hours expansion builds on The Lighthouse programs already delivered by TAIHS, which was selected because of its experience, staff capacity and ability to deliver the expanded service.

The Miles Government has also announced two new trials of Intensive On Country services in Mt Isa and Cairns. Where appropriate, the contracted providers will be able to accept referrals of young people who are involved in the youth justice system and are living in the Townsville region.

The Miles Government has already received interest from employers offering support for employment pathways for Intensive On Country trial participants.

The Expressions of Interest process for Intensive On Country services identified ongoing demand for services in the Townsville region.

The Miles Government is open to receiving market-led proposals for further services to address offending by young people.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer:

“Community safety is an absolute priority for the Miles government that’s why we are supporting programs like Townsville’s The Lighthouse that are tackling the root causes of crime.

“Our priority first and foremost will always be protecting Queenslanders and supporting victims. Our laws will put the most serious offenders in detention, but we are also focussed on prevention and stopping the pipeline of young people entering the youth justice system.

“It means doing all we can to break the cycle of offending, because when a young person comes into the system, we want to make sure we’re doing our very best to stop them returning.

“TAIHS is known and trusted in Townsville and their contribution to reducing reoffending is important.”

ENDS

Media contact – Gary Shipway 0458 090906