A Logan staple almost as old as the city itself – that protects those most vulnerable through emergency and crisis care – is this month turning 40 years old.
YFS, once known as Youth and Family Services, has served the city tirelessly for four decades now.
Whether it is through providing financial support, legal advice, or domestic violence crisis support, the YFS team has impacted thousands of lives.
“From our earliest days, YFS had been an organisation from the community and for the community,” YFS’ CEO Christopher John said.
“Listening to Logan residents is in our DNA.”
Over the years, YFS has grown, evolved and helped shape the city.
“For 40 years we have been supporting people in the Logan community. As housing and living costs increase and residents risk displacement, we are committed to equipping and assisting people to stay in the community they call home,” Mr John said.
Inklings of what is now known as YFS were born in 1983 – two years after Logan was declared a city – when the Christian Brothers collaborated with local residents to establish a community-based secular organisation in Kingston.
Similar to YFS today, the organisation supported “at risk” young people and their families with accommodation, unemployment and children’s court matters.
In the years leading to June 1985, when Youth and Family Services held its first general meeting, the organisation was developing its juvenile justice work and truancy programs.
“In the early 1980s, the Christian Brothers identified Logan as an area experiencing disadvantage,” Mr John said.
“Several Brothers moved here and began meeting with the families of young people who had contact with the justice system.
“Together, they made plans to support the community — and YFS began to form.”
Over the next decade, YFS held a play, released a report on the state of child homelessness, fought to end youth unemployment and created juvenile advocacy services.
In 1993, the organisation sponsored a ‘health bus’ that offered contraception and conception counselling, and STI and HIV screening and counselling.
The following year, YFS and its women’s anti-violence support service separated so that YFS could “focus on working with male perpetrators”.
In 1996, the team developed a post-school program to help young people living with multiple disabilities, and two years later had a support worker working in local high schools.
After the turn of the century, YFS hired unemployed people to develop the Eagleby Wetlands, became a registered training organisation, and launched a drug diversion program that was an “alternative to prison”.
In 2002, Cath Bartolo became CEO – a position she held until her retirement in 2023.
Ms Bartolo attended her first YFS annual general meeting in 1989, the same year she moved to Woodridge.
Her two decades of leadership steered the organisation through some challenging and impressive times.
By 2009, the city’s population had reached 260,000 and spanned more than 160 cultures.
That year, YFS supported more than 5000 people across 40-plus programs.
And it employed more than 130 staff.
Ms Bartolo led the organisation through the GFC and through Covid-19.
She said she was proud YFS kept its doors open during the pandemic.
“… although we did have to do things differently. Every day, we would have pandemic meetings and sort out logistics,” Ms Bartolo said.
“At one point our meeting room was being used for food distribution, before supermarkets started delivering groceries. It wasn’t something YFS would traditionally do, but we were responding to an urgent need.”
In 2022, Ms Bartolo was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to the Logan community.
Both the former and current CEOs agreed on some of YFS’ latest, greatest milestones.
“Working with the Logan Elders, First Nations’ staff, and other community members to develop our First Nations Cultural Framework was a key milestone for YFS,” Mr John said.
“As an organisation we are committed to backing First Nations people and communities to thrive and achieve their aspirations.
“Another highlight has been supporting Substation33 from its beginnings in 2012 to where it is now – a self-supporting social enterprise, which, last financial year, employed around 100 people and diverted approximately 100,000 kilograms of e-waste from landfill.”
