Home sweet home
Our 13-year vision of a purpose-built Youth Support Centre has officially come to life. Located at 518 Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, this new centre serves as a safe and welcoming space for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to access youth-specific critical services, all under one roof.
“Today we celebrate not just a building, but the future it represents.”
Pam Barker, CEO at Brisbane Youth Service
On 26 November 2024, we proudly marked this milestone with a special AGM and Grand Opening event, bringing together partners, supporters and employees.
The event’s highlight? Hearing directly from young people we support. Their stories of hope and resilience, featured in our 2023-2024 Annual Report, are a testament to how comprehensive, wraparound support can break the cycle of homelessness and lead to long-term outcomes.
Our CEO, Pam Barker (pictured: right), reflected on BYS’s 45-year journey, from appointing our first youth worker in 1977 (pictured: right) to now having a dedicated team of over 140 employees working across eight locations in the Brisbane area.
To commemorate our history, a timeline decal has been permanently installed in one of the centre’s communal spaces, offering a daily reminder of how far we’ve come – and how much further we can go.
See below to take a trip down memory lane with key milestones throughout BYS history.
A community effort
None of this would have been possible without the incredible commitment of the BYS Board, employees, partners, and supporters. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to:
🌟 The Department of Housing and Public Works for making this dream a reality.
🌟 Archway for designing a space that is both functional and inspiring.
🌟 Outgoing Board Chair, Mark Wheatley, for his leadership and commitment.
🌟 Our BYS employees, partners and young people, whose valuable insights have shaped this vision.
Shoutout also to Jordan Bruce, a former BYS Arts Health worker, whose vibrant artwork adorns the pylons that warmly greet everyone who visits the centre.
As Pam Barker shared during the event: “Today we celebrate not just a building, but the future it represents.”
A new era of support
This new Youth Support Centre enables us to expand and meet the growing demand amidst Brisbane’s youth homelessness crisis. By consolidating critical services under one roof, we can open more doors to not just emergency relief – but to whole new futures.
The centre enables us to support an additional 500 young people each year in a secure, centralised environment where they can access the coordinated support they need to address complex issues such as homelessness, mental and primary health, and domestic and family violence.
Photo credit: Archway
We look forward to another year of responding to and championing for the needs of the young people we serve. Thank you for being part of this journey. 🙌