Melbourne is helping the homeless with a cup of coffee

Have you heard of the STREAT programme? It is a Melbourne based organisation, which focuses on helping young people who live on the streets, to give them a way of learning a trade and making some money along the way.

As applauded in local online news, STREAT is working extra-hard over the Christmas period serving up coffee to the crowds. However, the reason that this event got a mention in the local news is for another reason too: the Youth Affairs minister in the area, Ryan Smith, also paid a visit to the coffee team of STREAT and he arrived with glad tidings for the festive season.

Apparently, deserving young organisations such as STREAT, have something extra- special to look forward to. What is it? There is a pot of funding which is available to over 100 such organisations which help youngsters to become engaged with society and start to climb the employment ladder. The sum of this funding pot is not to be sneezed at either – it is some $21.3 million, according to reports.

STREAT especially focuses on helping homeless youngsters off the streets and into the hospitality industry. As such, there is a focus on street cafes in the area where the participants can learn the skills of the catering industry. The vibe of the food focuses on 'street hawker' foods. The organisation also has a food and coffee cart in the University area. A deserving cause indeed.