Oasis Youth Support Network - Frequently Asked Questions
Oasis Youth Support Network
What is Oasis?
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2
Where is Oasis located?
2
When was Oasis founded?
2
What is The Salvation Army’s relationship with
Oasis?
2
Who is on the Board of Oasis
2
Where does Oasis funding come from?
3
What work does Oasis do?
Working with us
How many staff work at Oasis, and what are their
roles?
5
What employment opportunities are available at
Oasis?
5
I am studying youth work and want to complete
my practicum at Oasis. What should I do?
5
3
Getting involved with us
How can I get involved with Oasis?
5
What services does Oasis offer?
3
How can I donate goods to Oasis?
6
Who does Oasis help?
3
Fundraising for us
Can I fundraise for Oasis?
6
How many young people does Oasis support
annually?
3
Accommodation
What accommodation does Oasis offer?
3
What if the Crisis Accommodation is full for the
night?
4
Programs and Services
Does Oasis offer Drug and Alcohol programs?
4
Does Oasis provide education support or training
support?
4
Does Oasis provide employment support?
4
What are Oasis's regular fundraising events? 6
Volunteering with us
What roles do volunteers play at Oasis?
7
Can I volunteer at Oasis?
7
The Oasis Documentary
What is the Oasis Documentary and how can I see
it?
7
Social Media
Is Oasis on Facebook and Twitter?
8
Oasis Youth Support Network
What is Oasis?
The Oasis Youth Support Network is The Salvation
Army's major response to youth homelessness in
Australia.
Our mission statement reads; 'The Oasis Youth
Support Network provides a place of safety and
care where, through compassion and skilful
intervention, troubled young people find refuge and
hope to achieve dreams and potential.'
Located in Surry Hills, Oasis provides over 25
innovative programs that offer critical points of
intervention and support for homeless and
disadvantaged young people between 16 and 24
years of age.
These holistic and life changing support services
include:
 Crisis and transitional accommodation
 Case management
 Counselling
 Legal support
 Accredited workplace training, education
and vocational opportunities
 Specialist intervention services
 Multimedia training
On any given night, Oasis helps accommodate and
feed more than 100 homeless young people.
For a complete list of Oasis programs and
services please click here.
For information on youth homelessness in
Australia please click here.
Where is Oasis located?
365 Crown Street, Surry Hills Sydney. This property
provides crisis accommodation for 13 homeless
young people, as well as being the centre from
which we run a number of our core programs,
services and central administration.
Further information on our location as well as
our other services nation-wide is available here.
When was Oasis founded?
Oasis opened its doors in 1992 as a single drop-in
centre on the corner of Albion and Crown Streets,
Surry Hills, Sydney Australia.
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
What is The Salvation Army’s relationship with
Oasis?
The Salvation Army, through its national network of
youth services, provides a wide range of assistance
and support for homeless and disadvantaged
young people.
Oasis falls under the umbrella of The Salvation
Army youth programs, with its national focus on
prevention as well as assistance for homeless and
disadvantaged young people.
We share the ethos of The Salvation Army in
“serving suffering humanity” and its mission to
ensure that every disadvantaged young person has
access to skilful intervention and the opportunity to
turn their lives around.
The director of Oasis, Major Keith Hampton, is also
an officer of The Salvation Army.
Who is on the Board of Oasis?
Oasis is overseen by an Advisory Board, who are:
 Sam McKay, Managing Director of Jurlique
 Major Keith Hampton, Director Oasis
 Michelle Bryant, General Manager, Oasis
 Louise Duff, Managing Director of Brilliant
Logic
 Christopher Whitnall, Group Managing
Director, The People Development Group
 Matthew Toohey, Director, MJ Toohey
Consulting
 Emma Vonwiller, Integration Director,
Channel Ten
 Envoy Alan Staines OAM, The Salvation
Army
 Lieutenant Colonel Peter Laws, The
Salvation Army
 Major Bruce Harmer, The Salvation Army
 Major Robin Black, The Salvation Army
 Alan Higgins, CEO of Markitforce
 Tim Reed, CEO of MYOB
 Ben Frewin, Investment Director at Archer
Capital
 Steve Billingham, Partner at PwC
Consulting
 Cathy Jongens, Communications and
Fundraising Manager, Oasis
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Where does Oasis funding come from?
Oasis has an annual operating budget of more than
$7 million dollars, of which approximately half (51%)
is funded by Federal and State Governments.
The remaining costs to maintain all programs and
services are met by social enterprise initiatives,
private contributions, appealing to trusts and
foundations and undertaking community
fundraising events and campaigns throughout the
year.
In 2012/13 Oasis received a contribution equal to
about 2% of its annual operating budget from The
Salvation Army’s national Red Shield Appeal. Oasis
also has a number of invaluable partnerships with
high schools, passionate individuals and corporates
providing financial, in-kind and voluntary
assistance.
Corporate partners and individual donors can
provide general funding to support and enhance all
aspects of Oasis programs or can also sponsor
individual services to suit their philanthropic
interests.
Oasis is very active in fundraising for our programs
and services. Amongst our regular fundraising
events, we hold an annual fundraising Ball, annual
fundraising campaign ‘The Couch Project’, and
participate in Sydney’s major sporting events like
The Sun-Herald’s City2Surf and Blackmores
Sydney Running Festival.
2013 Event Dates:
We invite you to participate, volunteer, fundraise or
celebrate with us in 2012 at the below events:
 The Couch Project
- Sunday 28 July to Friday 6 August
 The Sun-Herald City2Surf
- Sunday 11 August
st
 21 Annual Oasis Ball
- Friday 30 August
 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival
- Sunday 16 September
What work does Oasis do?
Oasis offers more than 25 innovative programs &
services to at-risk or homeless young people aged
between 16 – 25 years in Sydney’s inner city.
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
What Services Does Oasis Offer?
Our services include:
 Crisis and transitional accommodation
 Street Outreach
 Specialist Intervention
 Case management
 Leadership and Advocacy
 Drug and Alcohol Support
 Legal Support
 Education
 Training and Employment
For more details, please download our services
fact sheet here.
Who does Oasis help?
Oasis will work with any young person between the
ages of 16-24 who is homeless or at-risk of
homelessness. We will work with all young people,
regardless of health issues, legal needs, religious
beliefs, behavioural concerns, economic status,
family background, or alcohol and other drug
issues.
How many young people does Oasis support
annually?
Over the years our programs & services have
grown so much that, in 2010, we connected with
more than 13,600 disconnected and homeless
people.
View Oasis’ 2011/ 2012 Impact Report here.
Accommodation
What types of accommodation does Oasis offer?
Oasis offers a number of accommodation services
in Sydney, including:
Crisis accommodation -Our Crown St, Surry Hills
property offers short-term crisis accommodation.
During this time the young person is offered a case
worker to help stabilise their lives as well as explore
and implement their goals. Oasis Crisis
Accommodation provides an opportunity for
homeless young people to secure safe
accommodation in a positive, supported
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environment. Oasis Crisis will often be the initial
step in a young persons’ journey towards long
term, stable accommodation.
Transitional accommodation- Transitional
accommodation options are offered for young
people who are moving towards independent living.
All young people living in transitional
accommodation are allocated a case worker and
are encouraged to participate in a comprehensive
living skills program, designed to build selfconfidence while learning about subjects including
health and nutrition, cooking, budgeting, legal
rights and responsibilities.
Outreach housing -Outreach housing is an initiative
where Oasis partners with community housing
organisations to help young people who are at risk
of being homeless access affordable housing with
ongoing support and case management.
What if the Crisis Accommodation is full for the
night?
Oasis Crisis Accommodation offers beds to young
people between the ages of 16–21 years each
night; with a total of 13 beds available onsite. Due
to high levels of demand, we are often full.
Where we are unable to accommodate a young
person, Crisis Accommodation youth workers will
offer assistance in locating a suitable alternative.
This can include contacting the Youth Emergency
Accommodation Line (YEAL), or providing direct
contact details for alternative youth
accommodation services. If we are unable to
provide accommodation to a young person at the
time of referral, we may also suggest that they try
contacting us again the following day, as although
demands are high, vacancies can become available
at short notice.
Click here for other emergency support services.
Programs and Services
Does Oasis offer Drug and Alcohol programs?
While Oasis does not explicitly provide
detoxification and rehabilitation services, we do
have strong connections with specialist services in
these fields, and provide support and referrals to
young people in need of this care.
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
Oasis oversees Choices; a drug and alcohol
program aiming to assist young people trying to
break the cycle of addiction. Choices provides
services including individual counselling,
therapeutic groups and education programs; and
addresses concerns such as grief and loss,
relationships, anxiety and depression, conflict,
alcohol and other drugs and stress management.
Does Oasis provide education or training support?
Yes. Oasis provides training and education support
to young people aged between 16 – 24 years.
After noticing many of our young people falling
through the cracks of traditional mainstream
education, in 1995 the Oasis Education Centre was
launched and is now recognised nationally as an
alternative education provider.
The Oasis Education Centre provides a distance
education program and offers disadvantaged and
homeless young people the opportunity to learn at
their own pace, in a safe environment and with the
support of dedicated teachers providing one-onone assistance.
Operating out of two centres in Sydney’s Surry Hills
and Chatswood, the Oasis Education Centres
offers basic literacy and numeracy, where students
can complete their year 9 to 11 school certificate
and selected TAFE courses.
In addition to the Oasis Education Centre, we also
provide intensive short courses like:
 Pathways Program, where young people
receive work-readiness training;
 Streetmedia Program, where young people
can train in music, radio, film, television and
photography;
 Driving 4 Employment and Drive for Life,
which assists young people to gain their
drivers license; and
 Young Parents Program, which provides
education on parenthood, child
development and nutrition and more.
Does Oasis provide employment support?
Yes. Oasis offers the following varying degrees of
employment support:
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Property Plus Group- The Property Plus Group is a
social enterprise run by Oasis which places young
people into professional maintenance teams which
are then contracted out to government and private
companies to provide cleaning, landscaping, lawn
mowing and handyman services. Through this
program, Oasis provides real employment
opportunities for disadvantaged young people.
Pathways Program- The Pathways Program is a
workplace preparation course, combining life skills,
personal development and social activities with
accredited work-readiness training. Graduates
receive a certification of completion, as well as a
job with one of our business partners such as
Woolworths, the ATO, Grocon and companies
associated with the Property Industry Foundation.
Following graduation and work placement, Oasis
provides an additional six months of employment
coaching and mentorship for our young people and
their employers to ensure a successful transition
into the workplace.
SOS Crisis Case Management- Oasis also provides
individualised Crisis Case Management, maintaining
help and support during the job hunting process.
Within the Crisis Case Management, SOS Case
managers aim to help young people stabilise their
lives and explore and implement personal and
professional goals. At times, there are
circumstances and issues faced by young people
that can restrict their ability to effectively secure
employment, and the SOS Case Management
team can work with young people to address these
issues to ensure they have a better chance at
locating and maintaining employment or education.
Working with us
How many staff work at Oasis, and what are their
roles?
Oasis employs approximately 60 full-time and parttime staff and oversees approximately 50
volunteers, who provide critical support to our staff
and young people.
Our staff includes youth workers, case managers,
teachers, chaplains, counsellors, psychologists,
financial coordinators, administrators, fundraisers
and landscapers, plus niche positions such as film
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
producers and certified driving instructors within
our innovative programs.
What employment opportunities are available at
Oasis?
We are always on the look-out for the best possible
people to join our team. For current job
opportunities, keep an eye on Australian job
websites or visit http://salvos.org.au/aboutus/employment-opportunities/.
I am studying youth work and want to complete my
practicum at Oasis. What should I do?
Please contact our Case Management and
Accommodation Services Assistant Manager, Alex
O’Neal , with your request. Please clearly note your
place and level of study, what requirements you
have for your practicum and with your preferred
term of study.
Getting involved with us
How can I get involved with Oasis?
Whether individually or as a business, getting
involved with Oasis is simple – and the possibilities
are many.
Individuals
You can learn about the issue of youth
homelessness in Australia, fundraise or donate to
Oasis, or volunteer in one of our life-changing
programs or fundraising events.
Corporate
At Oasis, we are always open to explore new and
creative ways where businesses and corporations
may get involved with what we do. We value longterm partnerships and we'd love to develop a
tailored sponsorship, project or staff engagement
initiative that best suits your expertise and
strengths. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
 Engage staff with education and awareness
about Oasis and our work
 Conduct cause-related marketing for Oasis
 Donate funds directly to one of our services
 Donate prizes for fundraising events such as
the Oasis Ball Charity Auction
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
Encourage staff donations via payroll giving
and/or matched donations
 Give team development days an additional
purpose with employee fundraising
 Host a fundraising BBQ, breakfast or dinner
 Provide a full time employment opportunity for
a Pathways graduate
 Sponsor a Friday Freeway outing – by donating
a half day event or activity such as kayaking,
abseiling or kicking back at the movies with
our young people
 Team outing to pack and/or sell candle bags at
Woolworths Carols in the Domain
 Volunteer skilled pro-bono work by your
designers, builders, writers, teachers or
administrators
Whether you spread the word about youth
homelessness, fundraise for Oasis, or volunteer
your time to support one of our many programs,
we are sincerely grateful for your help.
How can I donate goods to Oasis?
Oasis is always in need of a variety of donated
goods for our programs, from household and white
goods for our transitional and independent housing
programs, to luxe items for our young parents
retreat and sports gear for our Freeway program.
Over Christmas, Oasis creates and delivers
hampers to young people, so speciality and gift
items are great at this time of year.
Items suitable for donation to Oasis include:
 Electricals - toasters, kettles, microwaves,
televisions, irons.
 Kitchenware - crockery, cutlery, glasses,
pots and pans.
 Linen - towels, bed sheets, pillows, tea
towels (new only).
 Toiletries - toothpaste, toothbrush,
shampoo, shower gel or soap.
 Laundry - detergent, stain remover, fabric
softener, clothes pegs.
 Clothing - socks, underwear, outerwear,
shoes (various sizes).
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S

Food - tinned fruit, tuna, biscuits, long life
milk, tea, coffee, sugar, vegemite, salt and
pepper, cereal, pasta, etc.
But please, don’t let the list of possibilities
above curb your creativity! Email our donations
coordinator to find out if any specific items are
in need.
For more information on donating goods to
Oasis, please visit our website here, or contact
02 9331 2266.
Fundraising for us
Can I fundraise for Oasis?
Absolutely! Anybody can fundraise for us, whether
for your own project or within one of our official
events.
You can turn your personal project (like climbing
Mount Everest for example) into a powerful
fundraising opportunity for Oasis via websites such
as Go Fundraise, Everyday Hero and more.
For more information on fundraising or to
fundraise for one of our official events, please
visit our website or contact our
Communications and Fundraising Manager on
02 8353 9407.
What are Oasis's regular fundraising events?
Oasis participates in a wide range of fundraising
activities. Our regular events include:
Carols in the Domain
Oasis has the privilege of being the official charity of
Sydney’s Woolworths Carols in the Domain. We
coordinate volunteers to pack and sell Christmas
candle bags; Oasis is the beneficiary of all the
proceeds from candle bags sold on the evening.
Oasis Annual Charity Ball
In addition to Woolworths Carols in the Domain,
Oasis has an annual Charity Ball, in which a live,
silent and media auction takes place. This is a key
fundraising event for Oasis and in 2011 helped to
raise in excess of $160,000.
City2Surf and Blackmores Sydney Running Festival
We also participate in major running events in
Sydney, such as the Sun-Herald City2Surf and
Blackmores Sydney Running Festival, where
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runners fundraise for Oasis before they partake in
their running event.
In addition to these regular fundraising events,
Oasis also participates in various other fundraising
activities throughout the year, both of our own
accord as well as in conjunction with our corporate
partners, schools and individuals.
For more information on fundraising, please check
our website here.
Volunteering with us
What roles do volunteers play at Oasis?
Hugely important ones! We are incredibly grateful
to all our volunteers and the brilliant work they do,
and we strongly encourage anyone willing to
contribute their time, talent, skills, funds and other
resources for the benefit of our young people.
Currently, over 50 volunteers assist in many of our
programs by:
 teaching;
 Chaplaincy;
 assisting our youth workers;
 assisting with our Coffee Van and Street
Connect Bus outreach services at night;
 supporting our Young Parents Program;
 offering endless hours of driving instruction
through our driving programs;
 assisting with much needed administration
support
 assisting us in the many events we hold
throughout the year such as the Woolworths
Carols in the Domain, Blackmores Sydney
Running Festival and our annual Oasis Ball.
For our corporate volunteers, we really emphasise
the value in staff engagement, and are happy to
work alongside organisations to tailor ways in
which your organisation can partner with Oasis.
For more information on volunteering at Oasis,
please click here.
Individuals- As we deal with at-risk and
disadvantaged young people, aged between 16-25
years, we prefer not to have volunteers on-site
under 18 years of age. However, the Salvation
Army has a range of volunteer or work experience
opportunities in the field of social work and justice,
which would be suitable for those under 18 years
of age. Please visit www.salvos.org.au/edify for
more information.
If you are over 18 years of age, please contact our
Volunteer Coordinator at
oasisvolunteers@aue.salvationarmy.org for more
information.
Corporate- Volunteering is not limited to individuals
– we are always interested to hear of proposals or
discuss opportunities for corporates to get involved
with Oasis and to play a crucial role in ending youth
homelessness. Please contact our
Communications and Fundraising Manager at
oasisysn@aue.salvationarmy.org to discuss the
opportunities.
For more information on volunteering at Oasis,
please click here.
The Oasis Documentary
What is the Oasis Documentary & how can I see it?
Shark Island Productions and The Caledonia
Foundation believed the Oasis story needed to be
told and partnered together to produce “The Oasis”
documentary in an effort to help to raise awareness
of the issue of youth homelessness in Australia. For
two years the documentary filmmakers Ian Darling
and Sascha Ettinger Epstein, followed former
Director, Major Paul Moulds and his team of
dedicated workers in their mission to support and
improve the chaotic lives of homeless youths.
 To rent a copy, visit your local Video Ezy store.
Call first to ensure they have one available.
 To purchase The Oasis, visit Shark Island
Productions here.
 To watch online, visit The Oasis documentary's
website here.
Can I volunteer at Oasis?
The opportunities to volunteer at Oasis are broad
and varied.
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
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Social Media
Is Oasis on Facebook and Twitter?
Absolutely! We want to celebrate and share the
milestones of our young people with the world.
You can like, follow and watch the Oasis journey via
our social media platforms, and we encourage our
O a s i s Y o u t h S u p p o r t N e t w o r k – F A Q : H O M E L ES S N E S S
supporters to use these media to spread the word
about our many incredible stories and to become
passionate advocates in the fight against youth
homelessness.
 Like us at www.Facebook.com/OasisYSN
 Follow us at www.Twitter.com/OasisYSN
 Watch us at www.youtube.com/OasisNetwork
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