Are you at risk or are you currently experiencing homelessness?
You can contact us by phone from 9 am – 5 pm on 3620 2400, or you can come to 518 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley without an appointment during walk-in hours.
We understand that every young person’s needs are unique to them and their situation, so we work together with you to identify and plan the support that’s most needed. There are lots of programs at BYS that might be suitable, but we also have extensive knowledge of what else is out there that might help you.
Intake, Assessment & Referral
When a young person comes to BYS for the first time one of the things we do is an intake assessment. This is a chat with a youth worker about what’s happening. During the intake assessment youth workers will ask questions that help us to learn about you, your situation and what you need.
We really care about your safety, health and wellbeing, and together we will explore your current challenges and identify the most pressing things you need. It’s important that we gather enough information to make the appropriate plan to support you.
We will explain how we work with young people generally, what to expect from us and what we expect from you. We’ll also ensure you know how we protect your privacy and information.
After the intake assessment is completed and we have developed a support plan – we may do several things:
- Provide you with some emergency relief
- Provide you with a brief period of support to help get things back on track
- Refer you into another BYS program for more specialised support
- Refer you to another service that might be better for you
- Help you approach other services for support
Youth Support Program
The Youth Support Program helps young people aged 12-21 with goal-setting, strategies to improve mental health, engagement with school, accessing training or employment services, improving physical/emotional wellbeing, connecting with family and support networks, and securing a stable place to live.
Safe and Connected Futures Program
The Safe and Connected Futures Program helps young people to improve relationships with family members to prevent homelessness, or to strengthen support networks if they leave home or live independently.
The program also offers support to young people leaving BYS transitional housing to move successfully into independence with enhanced support from family members and/or social and community networks.
Couch Surfing Support
Couch surfing has been identified as a precursor to chronic homelessness, occurring in the very early ‘in and out of home’ stage, when young people are still at school.
It involves frequent movements between temporary living arrangements, including in the homes of friends, friends’ parents, extended family and strangers.
The concept of couch surfing acknowledges that homelessness is not ‘rooflessness’: there are people who may not be sleeping rough but who do not have safe and stable housing.
Please get in touch with us if you are couch surfing and need support.
Advocating to
Support Your Needs
It is sometimes difficult for vulnerable young people to understand and negotiate complex systems.
Brisbane Youth Service supports young people in a range of ways by advocating for their needs with landlords, the Department of Housing, the Department of Education, Queensland Health, tertiary institutions, and Centrelink.
We also support young people who are experiencing legal issues or involved in the justice system.
Lawright
Volunteer lawyers from LawRight visit the Valley Youth Support Centre weekly for free appointments with young people, to assist them to identify and navigate their way through legal issues. The lawyer can provide ongoing legal casework for the young person, and offer practical help, working on their legal issues until they are resolved. Young people are asked to make an appointment for legal advice by calling BYS on 3620 2400.
Human Rights
Australia is under legal and moral obligations to promote, protect and realise the human rights of all people. Young people experiencing homelessness can face violations of a wide range of human rights. Please contact BYS on 3620 2400 if your experience of homelessness is having an impact on your ability to enjoy basic rights and freedoms.
SPER / Debts
Young people experiencing hardship can be under added financial stress from unpaid or overdue debt with the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER). We can help you by providing potential options for resolving these debts.
NDIS
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was set up to ensure people with a disability are able to access mainstream services. If you are a young person with a disability, at risk of or experiencing homelessness, we can help you work through the NDIS processes to ensure you receive appropriate support.
March 2025 service update 
March walk-in hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
1 – 4 pm
Working together to find solutions