'austraLasia' #47

SALESIAN GIVEN NATIONAL HONOUR

Julian Fox

SYDNEY: 9th February -- Australian Salesian Fr. Chris Riley of Sydney

has received an Australia Day Council Achievers Award for his work with

street kids. The Australia Day Awards are the country's highest form of

recognition of its citizens. Nearly ten years ago Chris founded an

agency called Youth Off the Streets. It is one of the biggest agencies

involved in this work, with eight different services for street kids.

These are integrated to serve what he describes as "our most

marginalised youth - the chronically homeless". One of the services

Chris works with is the St. Vincent de Paul's Society's Sydney youth

refuge - Vinnies for Youth. He also provides 2,266 hot meals monthly on

the streets, has Better Homes Farm for long-stay youth, including State

wards, and a substance abuse programme.