Wollongong City Council is planning to cut funding to several neighbourhood youth organisations, due to “systemic and long term deficiencies” in their provision of youth services.
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Under a plan recommended to councillors at next week’s meeting, the council hopes to bring all of its youth programs under its own control which would provide “consistency and efficiency in service delivery”.
Funding for the Berkeley Development Association, Cringila Co-operative, Careways in Dapto, Helensburgh Community Centre and Port Kembla Youth Project Inc would be cut under the proposal.
Additionally, cash which is available but not being used by the Koonawarra Area Residents Association and Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre Committee would go.
The move comes after a 2015 review found the Neighbourhood Youth Work Program – which delivers funding to the community groups – had low participation rates, were targeting the wrong age groups and were not “undertaking adequate levels of community development work”.
Additionally, the review found problems with the community groups’ capacity to deliver projects.
“For example Warrawong Residents Forum no longer delivers youth services, Koonawarra Area Residents Association have disbanded, Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre Committee is currently in the process of re-establishing itself and Thirroul Neighbourhood Centre is reviewing its operations and is potentially at risk,” according to a staff report.
To fix these issues, staff have recommended councillors vote to cease its current youth services model in June next year.
Under the council’s preferred new model, extra youth service workers would be hired by the council.
The new staff would be based at Wollongong Youth Centre, in Wollongong’s CBD and would deliver services in south, west and northern hubs which have been identified as areas of need.
“The provision of services to young people has been affected by committees disbanding or resignation of youth workers, resulting in breaks or cessation in service delivery,” council staff said.
“Service delivery would remain consistent if delivered by [Wollongong Youth Services] as a stable organisation, delivering the program from its own resources, with a pool of skilled youth development workers who can readily address program staffing.”
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
