News
23 January, 2025
Community can help youth crime
Somerset community groups can now apply for funding to tackle youth crime and help keep the community safe, with Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann is calling on local groups in the Somerset Region to apply for funding.
Applications for the Federal Government’s $28.4 million Youth Empowerment Program are now open, to divert young people away from a life of crime and anti-social behaviours.
The program will target the root causes of youth crime and strengthen community safety by providing resources to community-based organisations working with young people aged 10 to 17.
The program is being funded from the confiscated assets of convicted criminals.
Eligible organisations will be able to apply for grants from $300,000 to $1 million for practical initiatives on the ground, including:
Awareness campaigns and programs to prevent criminal and anti-social behaviours;
Workforce preparation and vocational skills development;
Healthy decision making to foster positive connections with communities;
Youth justice conferencing; and
Transition from detention support.
Applications close next week, January 28.
Mr Neumann said the Federal Government was committed to supporting local communities to boost community safety and provide alternate pathways for young people at risk of engaging in criminal and anti-social behaviour.
“The Government is providing significant funding for practical community projects to keep locals safer,” he said.
“We’re investing in prevention, early intervention, diversion and rehabilitation programs that are proven to work by reducing offending behaviour, leading to fewer victims of crime.
“What’s more, the program pays for itself by being funded from the proceeds of crime, and will deliver real results for at risk young people and the community as a whole.”
Mr Neumann emphasised the importance of backing community organisations to help tackle the root causes of crime, “because local organisations know the issues on the ground and know what will work best”.
“This is about doing what we can to break the cycle of offending and stopping young people from entering the juvenile justice system in the first place.”
Further details of the Youth Empowerment Program, including grant guidelines, can be found at https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/youth-empowermentprogram
