A youth counselling service in Wyndham will shut down unless it can find a new financial backer before the end of the year.
Anglicare’s Youth Futures counselling service could end after 15 years when Wyndham council funding ceases at the end of this month.
The service provided individual counselling for 98 young people battling mental health disorders in the 2014-15 financial year. The counselling coverage included suicide prevention and depression. It provided group counselling for a further 54 people.
Anglicare Victoria chief executive Paul McDonald said the service cost about $150,000 a year to run and was predominantly funded by Wyndham council grants.
Anglicare is desperately seeking different funding streams to keep the program running.
“This is going to be devastating for the many young people that have been attending our Werribee counselling support service,” Mr McDonald said.
“There is a burgeoning population of young people in Wyndham … it’s quite staggering that the council is seeking to end this service rather than continue it or even develop the service more.
“What trumps youth counselling and out-reach support to young people?”
Invaluable help
Werribee teen Kodei Mulcahy, who used the service for three years when he was the subject of bullying and family problems, said the help he had received was invaluable.
The year 9 Manor Lakes College student called on Wyndham council to reconsider the funding cut.
“There’s not many free counselling places around here – most places will give you five or six sessions for free, and then it costs you an arm and a leg to continue,” he said.
Wyndham council chief executive Kelly Grigsby said the council had funded the service through its Identified Needs Grants program since 2007 on a three-yearly basis.
Ms Grigsby said the council advised Anglicare in 2012 that the funding program was under review “with the aim of focusing resources on community needs” and that the council initially committed to keep funding the service until June 30, 2015.
The council contributed another $75,000 to keep the service going until December 31 and to allow Anglicare “time to explore further options”.
She called on state and federal governments to support programs such as Youth Futures.
