George Mudford, Operations Manager - Youth Accommodation Association (YAA) provides a great summary below of the recent 2009 Youth Homelessness Matters Conference. Visit the conference section on the Clearinghouse for audio, powerpoint presentations and summaries of key notes and workshops from the conference.

The Tweed community had got right behind the development of a new crisis facility for homelessness people, Square One, instigated by local State Government Member Geoff Provest.

$1m has already been pledged by the corporate sector in the town, North Coast TAFE is partnering up to place building, plumbing and electrical trades apprentices to work on the renovation of the targeted premise, and community services, including senior citizens groups, are part of a broad based response to finding solutions to the 184 rough sleepers in Tweed.

The YHM 09 Conference sparked media interest on the Gold Coast. View the story Homelessness Rife in Tweed.

The YHM 09 Conference opened with three addresses: Kevin Crowe, President of YAA, Geoff Provest, State Member for Tweed, and Michael Coffey, CEO of YAA. 

Nearly three quarters of those who remain homeless longest first experienced homelessness when they were young, said Guy Johnson in his keynote address to the YHM 09 conference, 12th October, 2009.