Life Skills and Residency Program
The Killara Life Skills and Residency Program is a Culturally-safe, wraparound model of service that provides after hours life skill mentoring and accommodation to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples.
Killara Life Skills Coaches are mentors, advocates, and role models. Their role is to support our program participants and help them reach their full potential by ensuring each person receives the necessary skills, stability, and connections to Culture.
*This programming is currently restricted to participants employed by one of our key commercial partners.
Skills.
Stability.
Connection.
Stability because if you don’t have adequate housing, it’s hard to sit down and learn. If you don’t have adequate housing, it’s hard to rest and prepare yourself for a day’s work. If you don’t have adequate housing, it’s hard to create a stable and secure place in your community and hold down a job.
Skills because life skills are essential for being able to meet the challenges of everyday life, while work skills are essential for getting, keeping and being successful in a job.
Connection because the more an Indigenous person is connected to their Culture, Community and Country, the more likely that Indigenous person will succeed and grow.
Mentorship
Coaches build strong and lasting relationship and are always there for participants. This can include going with participants to appointments, providing a lift in their Killara vehicle, facilitating development opportunities and cultural connection, teaching you how to cook a new dish, or just having a yarn on the phone.
Eligibility for this program is any Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander person in Australia between the ages of 18 and 25* without dependents who has recently started, is about to start, or is looking to start work in Melbourne. The Program is available to people from anywhere in Australia who get a job in Naarm/Melbourne (including those already residing in Victoria).
*This programming is currently restricted to participants employed by one of our key commercial partners.
Housing
We at Killara provide privately sourced share housing, and student accommodation for program participants. Housing is gender based and is located as close as possible to a person’s place of work.
Participants pay rent and bills, which is no more than 25% of their gross income. We nominate a senior resident in every Killara house who is responsible for making sure everyone does the right thing. There are some non-negotiables when living in Killara housing - which are not overly restrictive - and are in place to ensure that there is every opportunity to succeed.
*This programming is currently restricted to participants employed by one of our key commercial partners.
Address
Level 1, 90 Collins Street, Naarm (Melbourne), VIC 3000
Phone
(03) 9103 1464