In the spotlight: Emma van Wijk
In this edition, we spoke with passionate advocate for ending youth homelessness, Emma Van Wijk. Emma started her career on the frontlines with Melbourne City Mission (MCM) before heading into manage operations for their first-of-its-kind Youth Housing Initiative.
Today, Emma leads a dedicated team supporting young people to permanently exit homelessness and create safe and stable futures.
“What motivates me is seeing young people thrive. It’s really rewarding at the end of the day to see young people achieve the goals they set for themselves, to see them smiling and having a good time.”
Emma says many of the young people entering the program have experienced significant and often compounded traumas alongside mental health challenges, family violence, substance use and housing instability.
“These are young people who haven’t always had the support they need alongside stable housing. Our job is to support them through their journey. By providing both housing and wraparound support, we’re helping them build the foundations to thrive in their future.”
Her advice to any young person struggling is simple:
“It’s okay to ask for help. There are people who want to support you, and programs like ours exist to make sure young people have every opportunity to build the best life possible.”
MCM’s Youth Housing Initiative is an Australian-first pilot supporting young people 18–25 to permanently exit homelessness.