By Parker McKenzie
The future of the Lilydale Youth Hub continues to be in doubt, with funding for the mental health facility excluded from the latest federal budget.
The not-for-profit received three years of funding from the previous federal government in 2019 but has yet to receive funding from either the new federal government or the Victorian state government.
Casey MP Aaron Violi, who promised $3.5 million for the hub if the Liberal Party returned to government, said it appears it will not be funded by the Labor government.
“We believe at this point that it won’t be and I’ll be continuing to fight up until the end of this year to see if we can extend that project in particular because it’s so needed in our community,” he said.
“There’s nothing more important than investing in Youth Mental Health because it delivers dividends for those people, their families, the community, not just today because if we help young people today, we’re helping them become great people and productive citizens in our community moving forward as well.”
Yarra Ranges Council previously said the Hub delivered 3,651 sessions and 5,632 contact hours of services over the last financial year to young people aged between 12 and 15.
Mr Violi said he hopes funding can be found in the budget to ensure the Lilydale Youth Hub remains open.
“I’ll be continuing to advocate for that strongly,” he said.
“That’s one particular project that needs to continue.”
The Youth Hub offers mental health counselling, health services, homelessness support, Aboriginal health and community, legal services, NDIS services and employment, education and training services.
