About Yes
Yes Unlimited is a not-for-profit, community-based organisation that has been delivering a range of services and supports in Albury and surrounding areas for more than 40 years. We have a particular focus on working with young people, people experiencing homelessness and women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
Yes Unlimited is a Company Limited by Guarantee, and proud to be locally governed by our Board of Directors who bring a mix of skills, experience and community perspectives to the strategic direction of our organisation. Our team of over 50 staff are passionate about our community and believe that everyone should have access to the resources, knowledge and supports they need to thrive.
At Yes Unlimited being values-led isn’t just something we say, it’s something we believe in our heart and aspire to live every day.
Our Purpose
Investing in people; building thriving communities.
Our Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Future generations without homelessness by 2050.
Our Values
Here’s what we think is most important at Yes Unlimited:
Clients First
- We are deeply on our client’s side
- We are eternally optimistic and don’t give up
- We actively support client’s autonomy
Doing it Together
- We partner for impact
- We capitalise on diversity
- We build dynamic teams
Leaders in Practice
- We are brutally honest with ourselves about what’s working and what is not
- We are creative, innovative and purposeful in our practice
- We are always learning
Our Core Competencies
There’s a few things we think we do particularly well at YES Unlimited:
Driving Change
We don’t think that good, is good enough, and believe we have an obligation to be part of positive change at an individual, community and societal level.
Bending the rules
Sometimes the ‘rules’ don’t work for everyone and if Yes Unlimited is truly going to put Clients First then we need to be agile enough to bend around the client. That’s why we always encourage people to call if they have a situation they are not sure fits. Who knows what we can come up if we talk it out.
Creating environments of trust
At the heart of all good and respectful relationships is trust. We are committed to building an environment where trust is at the centre, with our teams, our clients and the broader community.
Yes Unlimited’s Model of Practice
Yes Unlimited has developed an evidence-based Model of Practice that broadly outlines the things that are most important to us as an organisation, the knowledge we draw on and most importantly the way we think about our work with clients, the community and each other. The Model is centered around three core areas of knowledge and theoretical thinking:
The Five Foundations for Ending Homelessness
The Five Foundations shape the scope of our work, the structural elements of our focus and assist in defining the problem or issues we are addressing in terms of a holistic understanding of what wellbeing encompasses. While there are clear and present expectations for practice associated with the model, it will also remain aspirational, recognizing that good is never good enough.
Trauma Informed Practice
Trauma Informed Practice provides us with a deeper understanding of human behaviour and the impacts of cumulative trauma, the importance of healthy attachment and relationships, and the critical need for both worker and organisational self-awareness.
Strengths Based, Asset and Talent Focused
The Strength Based/Open Talent Philosophies are an expression of our organisational values and our core belief about people; that they are experts in their own lives, that they have the capacity to grow and change and that people should not be defined by their problems.
Ultimately our goal as an organisation is to foster an emotionally intelligent workforce that is highly attuned to the nuances of what is complex work, and positioned to respond in a thoughtful, empathic and informed manner.
Importantly, the ‘way of thinking’ presented through the model is applicable to all elements of the organisation, be it direct practice, management, governance program design, or administration.
The Model’s value is only realised in how it is ‘lived’ by the organisation and the people within it. Its primary intention is for all of us to personally internalise this way of thinking, positioning us to respond more compassionately and effectively to the people and community we are here to serve.
The History of Yes Unlimited
1978
First Youth Refuge
The first youth refuge, Broughton House, was established in Albury. In true grassroots style, a group of concerned community members got together and decided to do something about the growing issue of youth homelessness, employing one person to run the refuge.
1982
Funding Expanded
Funding expanded to include 4 workers at Broughton House.
1983
YES Registered
Albury Wodonga Youth Emergency Services Ltd (YES) was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
1985
Counselling Service
Lobbying and submission writing resulted in the formation of the Adolescent Family Counselling Service.
1986
Book Keeper
YES was funded to employ a part time book keeper.
1989
Burdekin Report
‘Our Homeless Children’, also known as ‘The Burdekin Report’, put the spotlight on youth homelessness at a national level and YES was granted funding for additional administration to coordinate service delivery.
1996
Administrator Appointed
An Administrator was appointed to oversee legal and financial responsibilities, as well as providing a central contact point for the increasing number of services provided.
1998
Executive Officer
An Executive Officer was appointed, providing the organizational structure and professionalisation required for the developing community sector.
2002
Name Change
YES changes its name to Yes Youth and Family Services to reflect its growing scope and focus on integration.
Continual Evolution
Yes Youth and Family Services continued to evolve over subsequent years, delivering programs for young people involved in the juvenile justice system, foster care, mentoring programs, working in local schools, and further integrating our case management, therapeutic and accommodation services.
2008
Hub Co-Location Project
The Hub Co-location project is launched bringing a range of partner services in our central office on Macauley street, creating a one-stop-shop for homelessness services.
2014
Lead Agent
In the wake of the NSW reform of Specialist Homelessness Services in 2014, Yes Unlimited was successful in its tender to become the lead agent for all homelessness services in Southern Murrumbidgee, partnering with Vinnies Services, Homes Out West and Verto Tenants Advice. This new role saw other grassroots services, Betty’s Place Women’s Refuge, Albury Supported Accommodation Service and The Place Youth Centre join the family, expanding both our capacity and client group.
2015
Launched System
Our innovative Centralised Intake, Assessment and Brief system is launched in Albury, aimed at simplifying access to homelessness services.
2016
Rebrand
Yes Youth and Family Services rebrands to Yes Unlimited, expanding our focus on young people to include a wider vision of ‘Future Generations without Homelessness’.
2017
The Hive
The Hive Youth Resource Centre (formerly known as The Place) has its Grand Opening in its new site in the former Lavington Library.
2018
The Albury Project
The Albury Project early intervention partnership between local schools and services is launched.
2019
Additional Funding
Additional funding was secured for the ‘Staying Home Leaving Violence’ and ‘Sustaining Tenancies in Social Housing’ programs, positioning the organisation to take more of a focus on domestic and family violence and early intervention.
2023
New Women’s Refuge
Yes Unlimited and partner organisation Housing Plus are successful in our bid to build a brand new Core and Cluster Women’s Refuge for Albury.
Our People
Board of Directors
Executive Team
Our Partners
We can’t create a future without homelessness on our own. We partner with a range of services in working towards this goal:
The Hub Co-location
Verto Tenants Advice, Argyle Community Housing, Linking Communities Network: Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service, Aboriginal Community Housing.
The Albury Project
Headspace Albury-Wodonga, Albury City Council, Child Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS), Department of Communities and Justice, Upstream Australia and the three Albury public high schools James Fallon, Murray, and Albury.
Homelessness
Vinnies Services and Homes Out West.
Peak bodies
Homelessness NSW, Yfoundations and Domestic Violence NSW.
Domestic and Family Violence
Albury-Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service, Women’s Centre for Health and Wellbeing (Albury Wodonga) Inc, Linking Communities Network: Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service, Housing Plus.
Policy and Systems Work
Yes Unlimited has a particular passion for partnerships, locally driven reform and systems change. Well-designed systems make the most of our collective resources, position us for earlier intervention and ensure services are coordinated.
By working together, we have the best chance of making a real impact. While much of our work is direct service provision, without a solid system in place, even the best programs can struggle to deliver their intended outcomes.
Here’s a range of resources and articles we’ve either created ourselves or think are relevant to the work of Yes Unlimited.
Annual Reports
If you would like access to historical annual reports, please contact us.
