Spotlight on: Veritas House Youth Crisis and Transitional Housing Project

In Bathurst and Orange, young people continue to face some of the tightest housing conditions in regional NSW. Long social housing wait times low rental vacancy rates together with limited transitional options leave many young people cycling between crisis accommodation, overcrowded homes or unsafe arrangements. This project responds directly to this challenge by creating stable housing options that help young people move beyond crisis.

Delivered in partnership with Veritas House and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), the project will provide 12 self‑contained homes, accommodating up to 28 young people at any one time. Each dwelling includes a private kitchen, bathroom, laundry and living spaces, supporting dignity, privacy and stability. Homes will be used flexibly to meet both crisis and transitional accommodation needs. The dwellings will prioritise young people experiencing the highest levels of disadvantage, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, those exiting out‑of‑home care, young people experiencing family and domestic violence, and those with involvement in the youth justice system.

By securing and repurposing these properties, the project will deliver immediate impact in the Central West, where young people face significant barriers to independence. Stable housing is critical to enabling engagement in education, training and employment, and to prevent homelessness from becoming entrenched. 

Veritas House is the largest youth‑focused Specialist Homelessness Service in the Central West and, as an integrated Community Housing Provider, supports more than 1,000 young people each year. Its trauma‑informed, housing‑first approach combines safe, secure housing with tailored wraparound supports that build life skills, resilience and pathways to independence.

Both the Bathurst and Orange properties have been carefully selected for proximity to essential services and local amenity. The dwellings are close to schools, training providers, health services, childcare, public transport, employment opportunities and retail centres, maintaining the residents’ connection to their communities. The proximity of the project to existing Veritas House offices ensures consistent, on‑the‑ground support.

The project demonstrates how targeted funding can deliver tangible, place‑based outcomes, while providing safe, well‑located homes for young people at critical moments in their lives. In doing so, it supports stability, independence and stronger futures for individuals, families and communities across the Bathurst and Orange regions.