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01-Dec-2022 | Housing & Homelessness

HYPA Homes - A Year in Review

HYPA Homes by SYC is a therapeutic residential care program for young people under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive of the Department for Child Protection. In 2021, SYC purchased two new properties for the HYPA Homes program, adding to the existing three properties and extending SYC’s ability to provide a nurturing, stable and secure home environment for young people.

The HYPA Homes program supports young people through a therapeutic model of care to ensure their psychological and emotional needs are understood and met. Young people are also supported to build their capacity for independence in the future through a focus on education, employment, and life skill development.

In the 2021-22 Financial Year…

• 23 young people were supported
• 2 new properties were opened
• 74 staff employed
• 96% of young people engaged in weekly extra-curricular activities

Kristen recently joined HYPA Homes as Community Care Coordinator, supporting young people in two new homes. In this Q & A, she shares her perspective on her role and the program:

What drew you to this role?

“I’ve worked in out-of-home care for about three years now. I studied youth work and am currently studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science & Sociology. I’d love to work in policy someday, helping to make decisions that make the world a better place for our young people. It’s a beautiful thing to see their achievements and their hopes for the future.

I’ve wanted to be a youth worker since I was 15. I had my own youth worker, and they encouraged me to look into it as a career. Working in residential care was meant to be a stepping stone for me; I thought it would just be for six months, but working with children in care is now my passion.”

What does a Community Care Coordinator with HYPA Homes do?

“As a Community Care Coordinator, I support young people in their home, building independent living skills, working towards goals that the young people have set, and working to engage young people with the community, whether that be connected to school, extra curriculars or preparing for work.

Community Care Coordinators also spend time connecting young people with activities and opportunities, with a big focus on building living skills for independence. We also concentrate on supporting young people’s transition from HYPA Homes. A lot of support can be removed once a young person turns 18, but we actively work to ensure that the support that is needed can continue.

The Community Care Coordinator role is quite unique to HYPA Homes, and so is our Adventure Therapist role. This role really acknowledges that ‘sit down and talk’ therapy doesn’t necessarily work for young people, so instead, the “adventure” could be going for a hike or going bowling; it’s driven by what the young person wants to do and what works for them.”

What makes HYPA Homes unique?

“The HYPA Homes program is based on attachment theory. We have small care teams, which means we can build great relationships with young people in the homes. The young people know who will be where and when, and whom they can go to for support and can feel a sense of closeness and family within the home.

Something HYPA Homes prides itself on is the one-to-one time young people have with a carer of their choice; it’s a time to check in and talk about their feelings and anything they’re going through. We organise program-wide activities, bringing young people together, and proactively creating a sense of community. We support activities like camping trips, roof climbs, going to Bounce, Go Karting & The Bend, always creating new opportunities for a young person to experience.

The two new homes are incredible. They are spacious, warm, open and inviting. Purchasing these homes to ensure that the young people have long-term stability is incredibly important. It means young people can have a sense of permanency and can make the homes their own. We are currently in the process of installing garden beds in one of the homes, and often have art sessions painting canvases to hang on the wall.”