Homeless Youth

After several years spent with my (now ex-) wife of rescuing and rehabilitating suicidal homeless youth (homeless by running away from intolerable abuse) in our own home, I was unable (as a ‘single’ man living alone) to carry on – until I had a ‘Vision’ for setting up self-sufficient farm homes for the purpose – so I founded, Incorporated, and had registered as a charity “Friendly Farms Association Incorporated” in 1991. see http://www.friendlyfarms.org.au
Since then, we have acquired a small ‘pilot project’ property (on leased land, owned by a Social Worker friend of mine & at very favourable lease terms) and to date have fully developed the farm side of it, and (after numerous knock-backs by all sorts of philanthropic organisations/trusts) even had a removal house DONATED to us, as the result of a TV interview during a failed attempt to raise the finance to BUILD one by doing an unsupported bike ride from Cairns to Coolangatta (at my then age of 62).
Only problem with this donated house was that it was not big enough, so needed extensions/renovations/repairs, which were quoted at $45,000
AGAIN, we suffered numerous knock-backs to applications for grants, because the property is leased, and altho’ our lease guarantees reimbursement for all capital improvements if & when we leave the property, Trustees are still leery.
Government also refuses to fund capital works – – – even tho’ all we need money for is to set up something that will then be totally self-supporting. It seems to us that we are out on a limb because (a) there are no immediate votes in homeless kids; (b) there is no immediate spending power (for Corporate Sponsors/Partners) to be had from homeless kids; and (c) the average Joe Public equates ALL “homeless youth” with what WE call “rebel runaways”.
Even the TV 7 Radio stations won’t answer letters or emails seeking some air time to publicise our project.
THAT’s my beef!!

Andrew Ogilvie