Caretakers Cottage

About

Caretakers Cottage is an Australian non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Sydney assisting children and young adults facing homelessness. Caretakers Cottage is funded by the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice to provide services for young people across Sydney's South-Eastern district. Services include short-term, emergency accommodation, semi-independent living options, case support and early intervention for young people at risk of homelessness.

The early formation of the organisation began in 1972 with the establishment of a teen drop-in centre. The refuge began informally accommodating young people from 1975, and Caretakers Cottage was formally established in 1977 as the Paddington Woollahra Youth Service (PWYS), making it one of the first youth refuges in New South Wales. The organisation has assisted thousands of young people from across Sydney, including many from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, and an estimated one third of young people assisted are of Aboriginal heritage.