Bendigo for Homeless Youth

In January 2012, Luke Owens and longtime friend and mentor, Chris Morley were sitting around the bonfire at home. Luke explained how he met Catherine; a homeless nine and a half year old girl who had been sleeping out in rough conditions with her immobile mother, whilst on his recent teaching rounds as a La Trobe University Education student. He explained how "helpless" he felt knowing that he was only one person and didn't know how he could make a difference to her or the hundreds of other homeless people living in Bendigo. In February, four local musicians and teachers; Luke Owens, Chris Morley, David Turpie & Leigh Turner came together to create "The Bendigo for Homeless Youth Project"; an initiative to raise $100,000 and awareness of youth homelessness by December 2012. The Bendigo Bank, Bendigo Community Telco and Bendigo Toyota kindly provided sponsorship for their CD Production and they booked The BRIT Studio in June. They gathered musicians from across Bendigo and Central Victoria to write and record a charity album "Home", hosted monthly "Unplugged For Charity" events at The Golden Vine Hotel and co-ordinated fundraising events with local rotary clubs, lion clubs, primary & secondary schools, churches , businesses and non-profit organisations. "Home" featured Bendigo musicians Albert Skipper, Leigh Turner, Taylor Sheridan, Rowden Kolone, Eliza Dearaugo, Penny Larkins, Talisa Jobe and Sherri Parry, as well as 2010 Australia’s Got Talent finalists Cameron and Taylor Henderson and Tom Tuena. The album was officially launched at The BfHY Gala Fundraising Dinner on Saturday 20 October 2012 at the Bendigo Town Hall with over 220 guests in attendance including outspoken priest and community advocate, Father Bob Maguire. In December 2012, they achieved their $100,000 target and achieved further funding from The Sidney Myer Foundation transforming their community contribution into a $500,000 donation towards a large scale housing project being developed by locally-based, community housing organisation Haven; Home Safe, in addition to the $1.5 million pledged by The Yulgilbar Foundation. In May 2013, Minister for Housing and Early Childhood Development Wendy Lovell announced that State Government would be pledging an additional $4 million to the overall $6 million housing development for low-income earners including 24-hour support and education for tenants funded through their rent. Since the success of The Bendigo for Homeless Youth Project, they see themselves as a credible, stand-alone organisation and have since adopted the name "Bendigo for Homeless Youth" or BfHY. They have big plans for 2013-14 and the future including funding a transition house for local housing organisation Horizon House, producing a sequel to their first mini-album "Home" with high calibre Australian artists, and implementing their organisational model in every city in Australia.