ANNUAL REPORT 2018 CONTENTS WHO ARE WE? INTRODUCTION 02 Kids Under Cover has been working hard for almost 30 years to prevent youth homelessness. We support vulnerable and disadvantaged young OUR WORK 08 people between the ages of 12 and 25 years who are either already homeless or at risk of homelessness. OUR FUNDING 24 We are the only not-for-profit organisation in Australia delivering the unique combination of studio accommodation (placed in backyards) and education scholarships as a practical OUR PEOPLE 38 and proven strategy in preventing youth homelessness. It is Kids Under Cover’s mission to provide young people at risk of homelessness the foundations to strengthen their connection to family, community, and education and make a lasting difference in their lives. BOARD & GOVERNANCE 40 FINANCIAL REPORT 42 WHAT WE DO THANK YOU 58 Our early intervention and prevention model has been successfully shown to interrupt the spiral of homelessness and is a far more effective strategy both economically and socially in ending the homelessness crisis. Kids Under Cover’s early intervention model is delivered in two parts: • The Studio Program is at the heart of Kids Under Cover’s work. One- or two-bedroom studios (with bathroom) are built in the backyard of a family or carer’s home, providing secure and stable accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness. • Complementing the Studio Program, scholarships are awarded to assist with the financial costs associated with PHOTOGRAPHY: SPECIAL THANKS TO MEGAGRAPHICS education or training, to keep young people (aged 15-25 years) engaged with education and connected to the community. PHOTOGRAPHY FOR FRONT COVER IMAGE AND GENEROUS SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THANKS TO CAPTURE POINT MEDIA FOR PHOTOGRAPHY OURN VISIO OURS MIS ION OUR VALUES SUPPLIED AT EVENTS AND FOR NESTD. Where no young person Providing young people at • Empathy in our community risk of homelessness the • Collaboration DESIGN: GRIN CREATIVE. is homeless. foundations to strengthen their • Resilience connection to family, community • Engagement COVER: THOMAS AND NINA and education and make a • Integrity READ THEIR STORY PAGE 28. lasting difference in their lives. 2 INTRODUCT I 2018 FINANCIAL YEAR IMPACT ON 139 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO 4,111 YOUNG PEOPLE CARS FOR EDUCATION SUDT IOS DONATED OR TRAINING 504 ON THE GROUND *Includes two Ken & Lenka Morgan scholarships 30 JUNE 2018 3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR I am delighted to share with you the 2018 Kids Under Cover Annual Report. It’s an extraordinary privilege to represent the Board as Chairman. I would like to acknowledge and thank my fellow directors for their passion and commitment to For almost 30 years the team at Kids Under Cover has been working hard to prevent achieving our vision – where no young person in our community is homeless – and for young people from becoming the face of homelessness. The last 12 months have the faith they have placed in me. I am honoured to work alongside such an inspiring, been no exception. dedicated and enthusiastic Board of Directors. As I look back on my first year as Chairman of the Board, I’m reminded of what To Jo and the team at Kids Under Cover, who work tirelessly every day to ensure an exciting time it has been – with great progress achieved on several projects. we can continue to deliver our programs for at-risk young people, I thank you for The launch of our social enterprise Nestd in March certainly created a great deal your enthusiasm, dedication and hard work. You are an inspiration. of buzz in the ‘tiny home’ market and kick started our pursuit for greater financial diversification as we work toward strengthening our financial sustainability. I am pleased to report – with your help – we were able to build 55 studios, supporting 78 additional at-risk young people. I’m proud to say we had 504 studios – providing accommodation for more than 720 young people, enabling them to remain connected to their family, community and education. Colin Radford In addition, to provide greater support for vulnerable young people, the development and subsequent launch of the Short Stays Studio Program has been the focus of our program expansion during the past 12 months. The pilot program will continue throughout this next financial year as we look at the possibility to expand into other geographical areas. We can only undertake this critical work with the support of the Victorian State Government, our corporate and philanthropic partners and individual donors. On behalf of all the young people and families we have been able to help, I extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you. You have made a real difference, from volunteers, to building crews, to partners, supporters and donors – and we are truly humbled by your generosity and ongoing support. 4 We have been actively preventing youth homelessness since 1989, and yet continue to struggle to find a place within mainstream funding. Greater investment in early INTRODUCT MESSAGE FROM THE CEO intervention strategies and long-term housing solutions like the Kids Under Cover Studio Program should be an integral part of addressing the homelessness crisis. Significantly, 2019 marks 30 years since our founder, Ken Morgan OAM was driven Reflecting on the achievements of the organisation for the past year I feel to do more to support disadvantaged young people. an enormous amount of pride for all we have accomplished and excitement His vision, passion and determination to fill the gap in the support provided to homeless I for what is set to be a momentous time ahead. young people all those years ago has made a life-changing difference for many thousands of ON This past year has been challenging and rewarding as we focussed on building our young people. We are all looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the organisation long-term sustainability. and the many hundreds of people who have supported Ken’s vision along the way. Our 2016-18 strategic plan came to fruition with several projects realised during the year I hope you enjoy reviewing the year that was 2018 in our annual report. The foundations of which drove the organisation’s success on many levels. our success and ability to continue to support some of our most vulnerable young people is no secret, it is a whole team effort. Working closely with more than 50 Community Service Organisations we built 55 studios during the year, making an enormous difference in the lives of another 78 young people, It is with sincere appreciation I thank and acknowledge the whole Kids Under Cover their carers and family. team. Their enthusiasm and dedication to making a difference in the lives of young people is inspirational. Each day I am motivated by their shared commitment towards This means we are now providing accommodation support for over 720 young people the prevention of youth homelessness. Thank you for believing in what we do. in more than 500 studios. Just over 10 years ago we had a portfolio of 156 studios. I wish to also make mention of the Board who have provided effective governance, stability Another significant achievement was the 180 scholarships awarded during the year – and ongoing support over the past 12 months. I acknowledge and thank them for their the most awarded since the program’s inception, this included two Ken & Lenka Morgan leadership and enthusiasm along with the generosity they show volunteering their time. It scholarship recipients. Keeping young people connected to education or training ensuring is their hard work and belief in what we do that ensures we can achieve inspiring results. improved long-term outcomes for employment and independent living is made possible through our Scholarship Program. We could not have provided this level of financial relief And finally, to our Chairman Colin Radford, I congratulate you on your first year as for young people and families without the tremendous funding support we received from Chairman of the Kids Under Cover Board. I’m sure I speak for all the Directors when I say our philanthropic partners. Colin’s firm commitment to his position as Chairman has given us great comfort in his leadership thus far. With a genuine passion for making a difference to the lives of young Throughout the year our programs team worked hard on improving processes and people, his dedication to the role has been remarkable and for that, on behalf of the Board evaluating our program frameworks to strengthen our service delivery. and the whole team, I thank him. The development of the Short Stays Studio Program and the Village 21 pilot projects are I look forward to the exciting times ahead as we strive for a community where no young leading the charge for our program expansion. Each pilot is an innovative re-purposing of person is homeless. our successful Studio Program providing greater support to disadvantaged and vulnerable young people whilst utilising our existing core relationships and supply chain. Whilst our programs team focussed on delivering greater support our fundraising team were focussed on building stronger income streams. Donate Your Car® continues to deliver sound returns while donations from individuals and our corporate and philanthropic partners grew considerably – making up 67% of our total revenue. Behind the scenes, we have been working hard to ensure we can support more young people. In January 2018 the Board and Senior Management Team continued to work toward strengthening our financial position. Developing a robust strategic plan which, through Jo Swift greater financial diversification will enable us to grow our impact across the next three years. As each year goes by I continue to be overwhelmed by the support we receive from our generous donors, partners and of course the Victorian State Government.