Streetwork’s origin story

AS A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER WITH AN INNATE PASSION FOR STUDENT WELFARE, A YOUNG MAN CALLED PETER HOBBS DECIDED HE COULD DO MORE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE HE KEPT SEEING SLEEPING ROUGH AROUND ARTARMON STATION IN SYDNEY’S NORTH. IN 1980, HE ESTABLISHED THE STREETWORK YOUTH SERVICES TEAM, FOR WHICH PIONEERING WORK HE WAS LATTERLY AWARDEd AN ORDER OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL IN 2023.

“When I first started Streetwork, I witnessed a gap in services to youth-at-risk who, in increasing numbers were ending up homeless, addicted, or committing youth crime and sentenced to time in juvenile detention or prison. When what was actually needed was on the ground support at a time when young people were first showing even the smallest signs of disconnection.” Peter Hobbs OAM

Eventually, after a tireless decade of emotional investment in Streetwork, Peter handed the reins across to his successor and returned to the Department to teach ESL. In 2007, Peter resumed his journey of support for at-risk young people when he joined the Granville Behaviour Team - a regional resource supporting schools, staff and students dealing with student behavioural issues. When this team fell victim to a government funding shortfall in 2012, Peter jumped across to Birrong Boys High School as Student Welfare, Engagement and Community Coordinator.

Peter's belief that youth mentors should be openly accessible to young people remains as true to Streetwork’s fundamental ethos today as it did back when Peter first established the charity. Building on this is the context that the best youth case workers are trained and able to meet the young people where they are at: not in offices, but outside, in cafes and skate-parks, on basketball courts or beaches…on the streets.' Hence the name street work: an origin of which we are proud and a founder of whom we are even more proud.