Caretakers Cottage

Caretakers Cottage is a Sydney-based Australian non-profit, non-government organisation focused on children and young adults experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Its work combines accommodation with practical support intended to help young people establish safer and more stable living arrangements. Services include short-term emergency accommodation, semi-independent living options, individual case management, and early intervention for young people whose housing situations are becoming unsafe or unsustainable. The organisation developed from a community response in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. In 1972, Laurie Matthews and his family established a teen drop-in centre known as The Club, with support from the Holdsworth Community Centre and a small weekly budget. By 1975, the Matthews family was informally accommodating young people at a caretaker's cottage on property associated with the Oxford Street Uniting Church in Paddington. The site gave the organisation the name by which it later became known. Initially, the refuge assisted young people arriving from rural areas who needed temporary accommodation while seeking work and housing. Caretakers Cottage was formally incorporated in 1977 under the name Paddington Woollahra Youth Service, making it one of the early youth refuges in New South Wales. During its formative period, Laurie and Sara Matthews operated the service with limited remuneration, while financial support came from the parish's Village Church centre and, from 1977, government funding administered through the New South Wales Department of Family and Community Services. The organisation subsequently became associated with a broader network of youth homelessness services and helped establish the sector body that later became Yfoundations. The service's model extends beyond providing a bed. When a young person enters care, staff work with them to develop a case plan addressing immediate safety and health needs as well as family relationships, legal matters, education, employment and training. Some residents are supported to remain in their existing schools, while others receive help to return to education or move toward employment and more independent housing. The organisation has assisted thousands of young people across Sydney, including substantial numbers from the Eastern Suburbs; published material estimates that approximately one-third of those assisted are of Aboriginal heritage. Caretakers Cottage has changed locations as its accommodation needs and property circumstances evolved. After approximately fifteen years in Paddington, an eviction notice from the property owner led to a move to Surry Hills, supported by funding from the New South Wales Department of Housing to purchase a new property. The organisation later moved to Bondi, where it is headquartered. Its Bondi crisis refuge underwent renovations in 2014 with assistance from Gumtree Australia's Gumtree Roadshow corporate social-responsibility project. In the 2010s, Caretakers Cottage became part of a more integrated youth homelessness service arrangement. Following the New South Wales Going Home Staying Home reforms, it jointly tendered with the Ted Noffs Foundation for multipurpose youth homelessness funding. The resulting partnership, formally launched in 2015, combined Caretakers Cottage's refuge and support work with Ted Noffs Foundation expertise in crisis accommodation, drug and alcohol issues, and lifestyle support. Caretakers Cottage remains a specialist homelessness service funded by the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice for work with young people in Sydney's south-eastern area.

Caretakers Cottage originated in a community initiative in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. In 1972, Laurie Matthews and his family created The Club, a teen drop-in centre supported by the Holdsworth Community Centre. The centre operated with very limited resources but provided a place where local teenagers could obtain informal support and social connection. In 1975, the Matthews family began accommodating young people informally at a small caretaker's cottage on land owned by the Oxford Street Uniting Church in Paddington. Reverend Rex Matthews, Laurie's father, served as a minister at the church, and the family lived in the larger church-owned residence while the cottage was used as a refuge. The first residents included young people from rural areas who had come to Sydney seeking work and a place to live. Laurie Matthews initially financed much of the operation personally, while Laurie and Sara Matthews ran the refuge for little or no pay. The service received New South Wales government funding after its first two informal years. In 1977 it was incorporated as the Paddington Woollahra Youth Service, commonly known as Caretakers Cottage. This made it one of the earliest youth refuges in New South Wales. Although government support became important, the parish's Village Church centre remained a significant source of early funding. Around 1980, the refuge moved from the small cottage into the former parsonage. The original cottage was then used for a separate experiential independent-living program for older people, supported by the local council. Caretakers Cottage also developed a community-based support model around the refuge. In the 1980s, the service was linked to an extended-family arrangement at neighbouring Eastern House, involving Reverend Rex Matthews, Gwenneth Matthews and other household members. The organisation's work expanded beyond shelter to include accommodation referrals, practical guidance and assistance with education, employment and family issues. Laurie Matthews established Phone-A-Home, a computer-assisted shared-accommodation referral service that allowed callers to search for housing according to preferences such as smoking status, diet and lifestyle. After about fifteen years in Paddington, the organisation was required to leave its premises following an eviction notice from the Uniting Church. The New South Wales Department of Housing provided funding to help purchase another property, but the shortage of large family homes available in Paddington made remaining in the area impractical. Caretakers Cottage therefore relocated to Surry Hills and later moved to Bondi, which became its headquarters. The organisation participated in the development of the wider youth homelessness sector. In 1979, Caretakers Cottage was among the youth homelessness services involved in founding the Youth Refuge Action Group, a body that subsequently operated under several names before becoming Yfoundations. Caretakers Cottage has also been associated with the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies. In the contemporary period, Caretakers Cottage operates as a specialist homelessness service funded by the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice. Its programs provide crisis accommodation, semi-independent living pathways, case management and early intervention for young people. Case planning covers health and safety, family relationships, legal needs, education, employment and training. The service reports assisting thousands of young people across Sydney, with a significant proportion coming from the Eastern Suburbs and an estimated one-third identifying as Aboriginal. The organisation's current service model was shaped by the New South Wales Going Home Staying Home reforms. Caretakers Cottage and the Ted Noffs Foundation jointly tendered for multipurpose youth homelessness funding, enabling an integrated program that combined Caretakers Cottage accommodation and case support with Ted Noffs services focused on crisis accommodation, substance-use concerns and lifestyle issues. The partnership was formally launched in May 2015. Caretakers Cottage also received practical support for its Bondi refuge through the Gumtree Roadshow renovation initiative in 2014.

• 2015

  Joint Going Home Staying Home program launched

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Caretakers Cottage and the Ted Noffs Foundation formally launch their integrated youth homelessness program following New South Wales service reforms.

• 2014

  Bondi refuge renovation

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  The Bondi crisis refuge receives renovation and interior-furnishing assistance through Gumtree Australia's Gumtree Roadshow.

• 2007

  Thirtieth anniversary

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Caretakers Cottage celebrates thirty years since the formal establishment of its youth refuge.

• 1980

  Refuge moves into the former parsonage

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  The youth refuge leaves the original caretaker's cottage and relocates to the larger parsonage, while the cottage is used for another community program.

• 1979

  Participation in the founding of the youth-refuge sector body

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Caretakers Cottage helps establish the Youth Refuge Action Group, the organisation that eventually becomes Yfoundations.

• 1977

  Paddington Woollahra Youth Service is incorporated

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  The refuge is formally established as Paddington Woollahra Youth Service and begins receiving New South Wales government funding.

• 1975

  Informal youth accommodation begins in Paddington

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  The Matthews family begins housing young people in a caretaker's cottage associated with the Oxford Street Uniting Church.

• 1972

  The Club teen drop-in centre is established

  [1]Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org

  Laurie Matthews and his family establish a youth drop-in centre called The Club with support from the Holdsworth Community Centre.

A community-based specialist homelessness service combining crisis and transitional accommodation with individualized support for young people.

• Emergency accommodation

  Caretakers Crisis Refuge

  Short-term crisis accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness or unsafe housing. The refuge is paired with practical support intended to address immediate safety and health needs and to help residents move toward education, employment, family reconnection or more stable accommodation.

• Support service

  Case management

  Individual case management developed with each young person. Plans may address physical and mental wellbeing, personal safety, family relationships, legal matters, schooling, employment and vocational training, with the aim of supporting longer-term independence rather than providing accommodation alone.

• Transitional housing

  Semi-independent living support

  Living options and support for young people who are progressing from crisis accommodation toward greater independence. The service helps participants build practical housing and life-management capabilities while connecting them with relevant education, employment and community resources.

• Youth homelessness prevention

  Early intervention

  Support for young people at risk of homelessness before a housing crisis becomes entrenched. The work can include assessment, case planning, family and safety support, accommodation advice and referrals to other specialist services.

• Accommodation referral

  Phone-A-Home

  A shared-accommodation referral initiative established by Laurie Matthews in the 1980s. Its computerised system helped callers identify local accommodation options and filter results according to preferences including smoking, diet and lifestyle compatibility.

• 2015Going Home Staying Home partnership launch

  Sydney's South-Eastern district · New South Wales

  Caretakers Cottage partnered with the Ted Noffs Foundation in response to the New South Wales Going Home Staying Home reforms and jointly tendered for multipurpose youth homelessness funding.

  Outcome. The partnership enabled an integrated program combining accommodation and case support with specialist assistance related to drug and alcohol concerns and lifestyle issues.

  Source
• 2014Gumtree Roadshow renovation support

  Bondi · Sydney

  Gumtree Australia's Gumtree Roadshow supported renovations at the Caretakers Crisis Refuge, with stylists assisting with furnishing and redecorating the facility.

  Outcome. The refuge received refreshed interiors and practical facility support.

  Source

• 2015

  Partnership with the Ted Noffs FoundationStrategy

  Background

  The New South Wales Going Home Staying Home reforms encouraged a more integrated approach to youth homelessness services.

  Action taken

  Caretakers Cottage and the Ted Noffs Foundation jointly tendered for multipurpose funding and launched a combined program.

  Aftermath

  The partnership brought together accommodation and case-management capabilities with specialist support for drug, alcohol and lifestyle issues.

  Source

• 1977

  Formal incorporation as Paddington Woollahra Youth ServiceStrategy

  Background

  An informal refuge that had operated from Paddington since 1975 developed into a formally incorporated youth service.

  Action taken

  The organisation incorporated under the name Paddington Woollahra Youth Service and accepted New South Wales government funding.

  Aftermath

  The formal structure helped establish Caretakers Cottage as one of New South Wales' early youth refuges.

  Source

• Relocation from Paddington to Surry Hills and later BondiStrategy

  Background

  An eviction notice from the Uniting Church and the limited availability of suitable large homes in Paddington made the original site unavailable.

  Action taken

  Caretakers Cottage moved first to Surry Hills and later to Bondi, which became its headquarters.

  Aftermath

  The organisation continued operating its youth homelessness services from new premises.

  Source

1. 1Caretakers Cottageen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Caretakers Cottage official websitecaretakers.org.au