{"id":37352,"date":"2026-02-12T02:31:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=37352"},"modified":"2026-02-12T02:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:31:51","slug":"over-13-million-invested-to-ease-education-costs-for-social-housing-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/over-13-million-invested-to-ease-education-costs-for-social-housing-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Over $13 million invested to ease education costs for social housing students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Applications are open for the&nbsp;NSW Government\u2019s&nbsp;Youth Development Scholarship program,&nbsp;offering&nbsp;1500&nbsp;high school and tertiary students living in&nbsp;social&nbsp;housing $1000 grants to help&nbsp;cover&nbsp;their&nbsp;education&nbsp;expenses.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now in its tenth year, the program reflects the Minns Labor Government\u2019s commitment to supporting the&nbsp;academic&nbsp;and career aspirations of young&nbsp;people&nbsp;living across&nbsp;public, community or Aboriginal&nbsp;housing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2017, the Youth Development Scholarship program has invested more than $13 million to support over 5,700 students, easing&nbsp;the costs associated with education and&nbsp;helping young people to thrive in school, complete their studies and move confidently into the workforce.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The grants are available to high school students in years 10 to 12, students at TAFE&nbsp;NSW&nbsp;or university, as well as those completing an apprenticeship or traineeship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, 1,500 scholarships are on offer and will be awarded to 1,000 new students and 500 returning&nbsp;students.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be eligible, applicants must be&nbsp;either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Receiving a private rental subsidy from the Department of Communities and Justice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Living in community housing\/Aboriginal community housing\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Living in housing provided by a Local Aboriginal Land Council\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Living in supported, crisis or temporary accommodation\u202f<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Living in statutory, supported, or voluntary out-of-home care.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The $1000 grants can be used&nbsp;to fund&nbsp;study-related expenses such as laptops, textbooks, and internet access.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;Minns Labor&nbsp;Government&nbsp;is building a fairer New South Wales where young people from all backgrounds&nbsp;have access to&nbsp;education and the&nbsp;resources they need to&nbsp;succeed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applications for high school students will close at 5pm on Friday, 13&nbsp;February 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applications for tertiary students will close at 5pm on Friday, 6&nbsp;March 2026.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More information on how to apply can be found at:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsw.gov.au\/housing-and-construction\/social-affordable\/public-housing-tenants\/jobseekers-and-students\/youth-development-scholarships\">https:\/\/dcjnsw.info\/scholarships<\/a>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith the cost of living continuing to bite, back-to-school expenses are placing real pressure on family budgets across NSW, especially for families in social housing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo young person should have to choose between buying a textbook and putting food on the table, or between the tools they need for an apprenticeship and paying the rent.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA $1,000 scholarship can be the difference between falling behind and getting ahead,&nbsp;helping students pay for textbooks, laptops, internet&nbsp;access&nbsp;and other essentials they need to succeed at school,&nbsp;TAFE&nbsp;or university.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis program is about fairness and opportunity,&nbsp;making sure young people in social housing have the support they need to stay engaged in education, reach their potential and build a better future.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe already know that over the next ten years, around 92% of our jobs will require&nbsp;post-school training or study. Thanks to this program, 1,500 young people across the state will have the extra support they need to continue their education or apprenticeship, giving students a leg up while boosting a critical workforce for NSW.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor students learning at TAFE NSW or our universities, the cost of study can be a real barrier. These scholarships help cover essentials like laptops and equipment so young people can focus on building practical skills that lead directly to jobs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTAFE NSW is a powerful pathway into secure work, and we want more young people&nbsp;to be able to access it. This support helps students stay enrolled, complete their&nbsp;training&nbsp;and take the next step into the workforce.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Youth Development Scholarship&nbsp;recipient, Caitlyn Laws&nbsp;said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGrowing up in a single-parent household in a low socioeconomic area presented ongoing financial and social challenges that could have limited my educational opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Homes Youth Development Scholarship provided essential academic, financial, and mentoring support throughout High School and my Bachelor of Nursing, enabling me to remain focused, engaged, and resilient in my studies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis support played a pivotal role in my academic success and in fostering my commitment to pursuing higher education and professional achievement.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Applications are open for the&nbsp;NSW Government\u2019s&nbsp;Youth Development Scholarship program,&nbsp;offering&nbsp;1500&nbsp;high school and tertiary students living in&nbsp;social&nbsp;housing $1000 grants to help&nbsp;cover&nbsp;their&nbsp;education&nbsp;expenses.&nbsp;&nbsp; Now in its tenth year, the program reflects the Minns Labor Government\u2019s commitment to supporting the&nbsp;academic&nbsp;and career aspirations of young&nbsp;people&nbsp;living across&nbsp;public, community or Aboriginal&nbsp;housing.&nbsp;&nbsp; Since 2017, the Youth Development Scholarship program has invested more than $13 &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/over-13-million-invested-to-ease-education-costs-for-social-housing-students\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Over $13 million invested to ease education costs for social housing students&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37353,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37352\/revisions\/37353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}