Orygen Assist, the program we are seeking funding for, is a volunteer-run program that provides access to essential items for young people and their families in financial hardship. This includes non-perishable food and fresh produce, new clothing and hygiene products. Volunteers operate a drop-in shop at Orygen Parkville as well as an online ordering and ...
Orygen
Orygen Assist hubs – Supporting young people experiencing mental illness with local essentials.
GOAL
$10,000
Australia > VIC > Metro
Field of Interest
- Individual/family services and support
Target Population
- Young people (6-25)
- People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
Orygen
Orygen, founded over 30 years ago, is Australia’s largest youth mental health research organisation, addressing the fact that 75% of mental ill-health begins by age 25. It pioneered youth mental health with a focus on early intervention and evidence-based care.
Orygen integrates research, education, advocacy, and clinical services to improve outcomes for young people. It delivers care through five headspace centres in northwest Melbourne and the Orygen@Home program in Footscray. Orygen Assist, the focus of this application, supports young people and families experiencing hardship by providing essential food, new clothing, and hygiene items. We have one volunteer-run shop in Parkville and deliver online orders to our 6 local Orygen/headspace centres across Melbourne’s northwest.
In the last financial year, our headspace centres provided 30,000 occasions of service, many to socially excluded or marginalised people: 66% of our clients were unemployed, 47% had a health-care card, 36% identified as LGBTIQA+, and 29% were from a culturally or linguistically diverse background.
Australia’s escalating cost-of-living crisis disproportionately affects low-income families, making essential expenses unmanageable. This increases stress, exacerbates mental ill-health, and places additional pressures on families caring for young people with mental health needs. As a result, demand for Orygen Assist continues to grow. In the last 12 months alone, we supported 4,569 young people and families with 27,004 essential items.
Our priority is to establish an Orygen Assist shop in each Orygen/headspace centre. Funding will directly support the establishment and stocking of these shops.
Project Summary
Orygen Assist, the program we are seeking funding for, is a volunteer-run program that provides access to essential items for young people and their families in financial hardship. This includes non-perishable food and fresh produce, new clothing and hygiene products.
Volunteers operate a drop-in shop at Orygen Parkville as well as an online ordering and deliveries service available across Orygen sites for clinicians and staff, on behalf of young people and families.
Due to growing demand, Orygen Assist is seeking funding to expand this program by establishing permanent hubs at its 5 headspace youth mental health centres and Orygen@Home program. These hubs will reduce immediate financial stress, enabling young people to focus on their mental health, access support, and participate in education, employment, and community.
With the success of the Orygen Parkville shop, we now wish to establish permanent shops within our 5 headspace centres and Orygen@Home program, so local clients can immediately access a greater range of items, right where they are, at the time when their need is greatest.
By providing targeted, personalised material support at the time when people in need are also seeking mental health support, Orygen Assist makes an immediate positive difference in people’s lives, helps keep them engaged with mental health treatment, and facilitates their participation and inclusion in society, both now and in the longer term.
Project Outcomes
Outcome 1: Young people and their families have improved access to essential items at local headspace and Orygen@Home centres.
Indicator 1: Will track and report numbers of: in-person visits, orders, people assisted, food items/clothing items/hygiene packs/produce hampers/other items distributed. Expect to see year-on-year increases.
Verification Method 1: Daily reporting
Outcome 2: Young people and their families experience reduced financial stress and allocate more resources to other critical needs including mental health care.
Indicator 2: Surveys and qualitative feedback from young people, families, and staff will be collated.
Verification Method 2: Surveys
Outcome 3: Young people and their families experience improved inclusion and social participation with increased access to essential items tailored to their individual and cultural needs.
Indicator 3: We will track and analyse changes in types of items requested and stocked. We will collect surveys and qualitative feedback from young people, families and staff around changes in perceived inclusion and participation.
Verification Method 3: Daily reporting and surveys
Outcome 4: Young people have increased trust and long-term engagement with mental health services at headspace centres.
Indicator 4: We will collect surveys and qualitative feedback from young people, families and staff around changes in trust and engagement.
Verification Method 4: Surveys
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $25,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cleanaway grant | $6,000 |
| Nelson Alexander small grant | $1,500 |
| Bunnings fundraising bbq's x2 | $2,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Foodbank supplies | $12,000 |
| Hygiene products, not sourced from charity partners | $4,000 |
| New clothing, not sourced from charity partners | $4,000 |
| Grocery vouchers | $4,000 |
| Volunteer police checks | $500 |
| Essential shop supplies | $500 |
Support Orygen
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.