Chance On Main

Chance on Main Chance on Main (CHoM) commenced operation in Moonah, in the City of Glenorchy, in October 2004. The need for an early intervention program was identified by extensive consultation over the previous five years, involving all relevant service providers, surveys of the Glenorchy community and in-depth consultation with young people. Thus, it was established on the basis of sound research about community need and the type of service model that was required to address this identified need.

The service was able to commence operation when it received funding for two years from the Australian Government’s National Community Crime Prevention Program (NCCPP). Other partner agencies also enabled the service to open its doors through provision of rental costs, in kind support and provision of equipment.

The development of the service involved a collaborative effort between a great many partner agencies in the Glenorchy community under the leadership of the Glenorchy City Council. The partners included the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Tasmania; Anglicare Tasmania; the Department of Health and Human Services; Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA); Tasmania Police; APW Training; the Glenorchy Better Business Association; the Department of Education; and Mission Australia.

Throughout its history Chance on Main has been innovative and collaborative in its structure, activities and operational model.

The mission of Chance on Main was to:

‘Give young people at risk the opportunity to discover their skills and abilities and to support them in their journey along the pathways to achieving their potential’.

Chance on Main aimed to achieve positive benefits for both young people at risk of being involved in crime or anti-social behaviour and the broader community.

Using restorative practices, CHoM supported young people to develop life and decision making skills, increase academic competence and job readiness. It also improved the health and wellbeing of young people involved in the program through offering opportunities to address issues of anger management, mental health, nutrition, alcohol and drug use and sexual health.

In 2008, CHoM’s Steering Committee invited a number of not for profit organisations to submit a tender to replace ADRA as the auspice. The tender process for an auspice organisation was completed in July 2008, with Oak Tasmania being the successful tender and taking over responsibility for the ongoing management and administration of Chance on Main on 1 January 2009.

Chance on Main had operated as a pilot, being variously funded by the Australian Government National Community Crime Prevention Program, one-off small grants schemes, the Tasmanian Community Fund and in-kind support from committed partnership organisations and agencies. CHoM’s major financial support was scheduled to cease at the end of 2008, with the last of the funded programs to be delivered in March 2009.

Oak Tasmania made a successful submission to round 17 of the Tasmanian Community Fund which ensured the survival of Chance on Main up until June 30, 2009. However it was vital that recurrent funding was established to avoid the demise of the Program.

A submission was made to the Tasmanian Government’s 2009 – 2010 State Budget Process, with a view to securing recurrent, indexed funding for Chance on Main in Glenorchy. The submission also outlined Oak Tasmania’s strategic plan to expand the program state-wide into the Disability, Child, Youth and Family Services Area Boundaries (North-West, North, South-East and South-West Tasmania).

Chance on Main represented an extremely cost effective option in comparison to the costs the community bears in the form of crime, anti-social behaviour, under-achievement in education, unemployment and the resulting social issues then picked up in the wider health/welfare sector every year.

By way of example, it costs approximately $20,800 per month ($250,000 pa) to maintain a young person at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre (Youth Justice, September 2008), and an average of $6,700 per month ($80,400 pa) to maintain an adult in prison in Tasmania (Department of Justice Annual Report 2006-2007) In contrast it cost approximately $2,700.00 per participant to operate Chance on Main.

Despite the release of figures showing that a staggering two-thirds of all prisoners in Tasmania are repeat offenders; an average of 13% of Tasmanian high school students are missing from class on any given day; and young Tasmanians end up in custody at a higher rate than the national average; the survival of Chance on Main was hanging in the balance.

Despite Chance on Main’s excellent record of achievement and wide-spread community and political support, funding from the Tasmanian Government was not forthcoming and the program ceased to operate as of 17th July 2009.

Oak Tasmania is actively working with organisational committee members (many from the original CHoM Steering Committee) and with other stakeholders to develop a service to support disadvantaged and ‘at risk’ Tasmanian youth. The Department of Health and Human Services provided funding to Oak Tasmania for a Consultancy to develop a ‘sustainable service model’ that may attract future State Government funding.

The resulting report, ‘Development of an appropriate future model for Service Delivery for Young People ‘at risk’ in the City of Glenorchy’ was completed in December 2009 by the well-known and respected company JLD Restorative Practices.

The Report’s findings emphasise the urgent need for the development of a sustainable youth at risk program in Glenorchy. Furthermore, a key finding recommends the immediate establishment of a youth at risk program based at the original site where Chance on Main had operated from for four successful years.

The Report identified that there are 300 at risk youth in Glenorchy, and the most at risk cohort are educationally disengaged young people, many of whom are likely to be clients of Youth Justice Services and / or Child Protection Services.

Oak Tasmania has submitted a project plan to the Department of Health and Human Services outlining how a new youth program can be established immediately – using non-recurrent seed funding of $100,000 promised by the Department.

Oak Tasmania has also submitted an expression of interest in the hope of securing funding from the Federal Government under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2009 – administered by the Attorney General’s Department who twice previously funded Chance on Main.

In the lead up to the Tasmanian State Election in March 2010, the Tasmanian Liberals have promised $1.5m to immediately restore Chance on Main and locate the service in Glenorchy.