Youth Projects’ Living Room service is using an innovative approach to homelessness and food security by teaching people to cook and eat well when sleeping rough.
The Department of Health-funded primary health service, which operates from Hosier Lane in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, has found about 80 per cent of its clients need food and nutrition support.
Food security is an issue of growing concern in the community with one survey by the Royal District Nursing Service showing homeless and marginalised people most affected.
Youth Projects Chair Melanie Raymond said it was actually Living Room service users who first identified cooking classes as a practical way to help overcome their reliance on soup vans and food vouchers.
‘Because many homeless people have never been educated about nutrition or cooking, our Cooking on the Street program provides important life skills, including how to shop on a budget, food preparation and identifying public facilities to cook at.’
Twenty-five Youth Projects clients have taken part in the course and been provided with basic utensils, so they have the ability to prepare food after the session.
As a result of the program, two participants have enrolled to study hospitality and food preparation.
This Cooking on the Street program was among the reasons Youth Projects was nominated as a finalist for the 2010 Melbourne Awards, awarded by the City of Melbourne.
Youth Projects provides health, outreach, community and employment, education and training services to individuals experiencing disadvantage, unemployment, homelessness and alcohol and other drug issues.
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