COVID-19: Keeping young people safe

Published: 

4 August 2020 9:13AM

The provision of personal protective equipment has helped Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Beenleigh-based InSync Youth Service to provide crisis accommodation to young people who are at risk of homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

InSync provides a temporary home to people aged 16 -18 years. The young people, who stay in supported accommodation for up to 3 months, learn independent living skills before they move to longer term accommodation. Three or four young people share a house at one time.

Tara from Anglicare Southern Queensland says personal protective equipment is needed to keep clients and their support workers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When the pandemic was declared, we managed to find two boxes of food preparation gloves at the supermarket and then they ran out,” Tara said.

“Our clients learn to cook by preparing a meal for everyone in the house with the help of their support worker. Without gloves we cannot do meal preparation. We also need to show young people how to clean the kitchen after they have finished cooking.”

“The department’s donation of gloves and disinfectant wipes rescued us.”

As well as cooking and cleaning, InSync teaches young people budgeting and job-search skills.

“The young people share one computer. The disinfectant wipes we received help us clean the keyboard, pens and the desk after they’re used”.

“The department’s delivery of these supplies has made us feel safer. We no longer need to worry about where we will source our gloves and disinfectant wipes.”

Gemma Crooks is the Senior Contract Officer in the South/West Region for Housing, Homelessness and Sport Homelessness Programs.

“It’s rewarding to be able to support our providers with personal protective equipment during such unprecedented times,” Gemma said.

Find out more about our response to housing vulnerable people during COVID-19 .