An Oasis For The Homeless Who Want An Education

An Oasis For The Homeless Who Want An Education

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday August 24, 2007

Harriet Alexander

THE squat near Central Station has gone to ruin since the days Jessica Spicer slept there, but it will still work for a film location.

The lights don't work. The lock to the cupboard where the blankets were kept is so jammed it takes a knife minutes to do what a Medicare card would once have done in seconds. And chain smoking is the only way to drown the smell of urine.

"No respect," Ms Spicer said.

"Different types of people," said her co-filmmaker, Jason Fletcher.

It may only have been a few months since they were scrawling on these walls and sleeping on this landing, but their world has changed.

They have become pioneer candidates in what will be Australia's first accredited vocational college for homeless people, studying in the "faculty" of film and video.

The Oasis Training Program, run by the Salvation Army, will allow homeless and disadvantaged young people to qualify for the same certificate they would get from TAFE, but with dedicated counselling and mentoring services.

"We're trying to say the environment of TAFE is not supportive to these young people, who often have been years out of the education system, have lifestyle issues and just don't get that holistic support," the program's mastermind, Paul Moulds, said.

Ms Spicer, who had been to three schools by Year 10, said she did not have the support or inclination to study while at TAFE and on the streets.

"I would just go to the park with my friends and smoke cones," she said. But the Oasis program is different - with flexible hours and additional support and ongoing monitoring once they enter the workforce.

The other faculties include property maintenance, information technology, retail, building and construction, broadcasting and hospitality, and each is allied to a commercial partner that will hire graduates.

"We realised if they're going to succeed they need this additional support in the first few months, and certainly when they're training," Captain Moulds said. The program receives no government funding, but the Salvation Army is holding a ball tomorrow night to try to raise $200,000.