More than 50% of all young people in residential state care become homeless within 3 years of leaving care. Anchor’s MyLife program is a strengths-based, integrated support model designed to help young people aged 16 to 18 with residential care experience transition safely into independent adult living. The program focuses on building self-worth by uncovering ...
Anchor
MyLife
GOAL
$10,000
Australia > VIC > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Education/training and employment
- Housing and homelessness
Target Population
- People experiencing or at risk of homelessness
- People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
Anchor
From small beginnings in 1976, Anchor Community Care has grown into a vital part of Melbourne’s eastern region over 48 years of rapid growth and change. As a community services organisation, we have evolved and expanded alongside the suburbs and communities we serve; at the heart of our work is an unwavering commitment to children, young people, and families facing social and economic hardship. A key focus of our work is youth homelessness prevention, where we support some of the most vulnerable young people, helping them find stability and hope.
Our approach goes beyond addressing immediate needs. We design programs that build independence and self-sustainability rather than creating a revolving door of services. We believe true sustainability is achieved when wellbeing is established, enabling people to confidently make decisions that affect their lives long after their relationship with Anchor ends.
Anchor’s vision is that every child, young person, and family can overcome disadvantage and achieve their full potential. Our mission is to ensure that those experiencing hardship have access to the support they need to secure a safe and stable home, thrive, and achieve their life goals.
Project Summary
More than 50% of all young people in residential state care become homeless within 3 years of leaving care. Anchor’s MyLife program is a strengths-based, integrated support model designed to help young people aged 16 to 18 with residential care experience transition safely into independent adult living.
The program focuses on building self-worth by uncovering each young person’s unique strengths, interests, and goals while providing stable accommodation, education support, employment connections, and relationship reconciliation. MyLife aims to equip these young people to develop agency, confidence, and a positive identity, empowering them to build a future with safe housing, sustainable independence, and personal wellbeing.
It addresses the complex challenges faced by young people leaving care, offering a vital pathway from out-of-home care to adulthood with practical life skills and ongoing support. Anchor have started a sponsorship program whereby we are seeking $10k from donors and grantees to sponsor a young person going through the MyLife program. Each sponsorship will support one young person during their transition from care to independence.
Project Outcomes
During the two years spent in the MyLife program; participants are able to build up their skills, capacity, education and employability without the obstacle of worrying whether they will have a roof over their head that night. They will build up a rental history, strengthen networks and community ties and focus on finishing their education, pursuing further study or obtaining work to become productive members of society and avoid falling into homelessness. My living in their own individual units, they develop self dertermination by making decisions, many times often for the first time in their lives, and learning to deal with the outputs of those decisions.
“If I wasn’t living with MyLife at the time, I probably wouldn’t have gone to TAFE straight away… It pushed me to go through education, start living by myself, having the opportunity to budget, to meal prep, to run my own life.”
Former MyLife Client
“I’ve grown up a lot”
“I’ve grown into myself. I’m not in survival mode anymore”
MyLife Client
This program requires yearly funding to continue and we offer generous donors the opportunity to sponsor a young life and receive progress reports (un-identified) to show how they are changing the course of someone's life for the better. A donation of $10K will support a young person for one year in the MyLife Program
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $500,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Donations | $400,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| One year of supporting 50 young people in MyLife | $500,000 |
Support Anchor
Got a question about this organisation or ready to contribute? Contact us.
Are you an ACF Fundholder? Log in to your Fund Portal to request a grant from your Fund.
Add your organisation to the Funding Platform
Is your not-for-profit organisation seeking funding? Add your organisation to the Funding Platform or upload your funding needs for a project.
Is this your organisation profile? You can request updates by resubmitting a Funding Platform Submission.