President’s Report 2022

I’m sure everyone was hopeful that 2022 was going to be the year that we put the health, economic and social challenges behind us and moved forward with opportunities.

GCPHY was no different and we felt 2022 was going to be a year to grow the support we offer young people on the Gold Coast and surrounding regions while building on the hard work of our staff and volunteers to date!

Well, 2022 presented the same and different challenges that the organisation overcame before getting back on the trajectory for growth and diversification.   Various Government policies and economic conditions, including but not limited to, new and continued COVID restrictions, ongoing rental crisis and unaffordability, young people presenting with complex mental health needs, risk management and mitigation in the houses and constant monitoring of everyone’s physical and mental health have put significant pressure on
the organisation.

That has never held the organisation back.  There have been more challenges that GCPHY has overcome in the last 12-24 months than the last 10 years!  We are grateful for our staff who persevered and continued to deliver phenomenal outcomes for the young people in our care.  We appreciate the volunteers and the community for their donation of time, money, necessities, and everything else during the year!  Thank you also to the companies and ECHO partners for supporting a tailored program designed specifically to support young people transitioning to their independence in the community.

So, we were all happy to say goodbye to 2021 and we are now happy to put 2022 behind us! 
The foundations for growth and diversification at GCPHY is unprecedented and we are all prepared to strategically implement some amazing things in 2023! Some of those include, and there’s too many to list.

ECHO Program Growth and Extension

The pressures on the Gold Coast presented by unprecedented rental prices and demand have put pressures on all young people, including young families.  ECHO will be extending to support single mums aged between 16 and 25 as they are finding it increasingly difficult to manage and navigate with their new little ones.

Young families are facing additional challenges and we have found ECHO to be a program well suited to meet the needs of those single young mums and families experiencing homelessness.

Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

The Management Committee has been passionate about introducing an alternative employment and education stream to the programs at GCPHY.

2023 will introduce our first of many social ventures to encourage and stimulate employment, entrepreneurship, business acumen and providing additional business skills to our young people with creative and business aspirations.

Youth Outreach

As the demands of the Gold Coast and our young people extend well beyond accommodation-based support and programs, the need for outreach is rapidly increasing and the impact that can be provided by outreach can be exponential.

To position GCPHY more appropriately in the Gold Coast, Queensland and NSW regions it was time to rebrand and expand how we deliver our core business!

Management Committee

It is with sadness but immense appreciation for our longstanding Management Committee members that are taking lesser duties with GCPHY and will not be nominating for the Management Committee in 2023.

Pru Lawson

After more than 30 years of dedicated service, has seen GCPHY through modest beginnings and she has been invaluable in navigating the strategic direction of the organisation.  It started with a single house and a Project to support homeless youth. Pru’s contribution is never taken for granted as she has contributed to the GCPHY today that supports hundreds of young people every year with 5 houses, head leased properties, mobile support, ECHO, and now GCPHY social enterprise and various community partnerships and wrap around services.

Graham Smith

Graham has been our Treasurer for over 12 years!  His diligence, dedication and discipline has provided comfort to the Management Committee and our stakeholders around our financial matters including governance processes and reporting.  Graham has worked and supported many internal financial and operational resources to assist with efficient service delivery to the young people.  In addition to being an extraordinary person, his skills and contributions have attributed to the growth and scale experienced by GCPHY to date.

Karen Hughes

Karen has been a member of the Management Committee and always brings her passion, energy and keen eye for business and outcomes.  Her input to the design, development, improvement and construction of GCPHY houses is a complement to her entrepreneurial insight to the social ventures and diverse programs that GCPHY have introduced during her 8 years on the Management Committee.

Those contributions cannot be understated and it is the quiet achievers like Pru, Graham and Karen that we should all acknowledge who volunteer their time, energy, skills, money and emotion for the betterment of young people in our care and for their contribution to the future of all young people we are privileged to support and the Gold Coast community as a whole.

Fundraising

In 2022, the Gold Coast community, companies, individuals, associations and partners continued to provide valuable donations through various fundraising efforts including the Mayoress’s Charity Ball and Foundation, Morgan’s Financial Limited “Shep’s Turning Point” fundraiser, St Vincent’s de Paul, Community Broker Network, and countless other associations have made 2022 a successful year for the young people and set GCPHY for an exceptional 2023!

There are too many people and organisations to thank for the year we just finished, but none of this would be possible without the incredible dedication and passion of our General Manager, Angela Sheeran and her administration and support workers.

The GCPHY management, leadership and employees have steered the organisation through unprecedented times and circumstances that no one could foresee.

The Management Committee and I are privileged and honoured to experience the amazing work, patience and outcomes achieved by the staff but we are always impressed and remain in awe of the achievements of every young person who trust us to support them in their journey to independence.

Andrew Antonopoulos, President