STREAT research and case studies

• Scott, R., Edelmaier, G. and Barrelle, K. (2019). Social Enterprise: A Case Study for Government. STREAT, Melbourne.

RMIT conducted an in-depth cost analysis for STREAT based on current figures from the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. This analysis underpins a case study presented by STREAT to government. From RMIT: Nadia Mecoli, Stephen Melita, Michelle Farrugia, Ciannon Cazaly, Iain Lockie, Jessica Lee-Ack, Tom Bentley. From STREAT: Kate Barrelle, Greg Edelmaier, Bec Scott and Will Kirk.

In summary, there are many young people in our community who battle every day just to survive. To get by they need a wide range of government-funded services including health, housing and welfare. The personal cost of their situation is unimaginable. 

The government costs are also really high. Each young person at STREAT costs our governments an average of $50,476 pa. Some of these costs are borne by the state government, others by the commonwealth. STREAT works to ensure that these young people thrive and have a healthy sense of self, home and work. STREAT has a holistic approach, providing a range of supports and opportunities tailored to each young person. STREAT’s work provides savings and exceptional value for governments.

STREAT offers a one-off intensive 6-month intervention that costs STREAT $18,196 per young person. This work saves $32,495 of the government costs (64%). STREAT generates the majority of its revenue through its own businesses (71%). Just a fraction comes from government (0.7%). Since its inception a decade ago, STREAT has saved Australian government a total of $16 million.

2019_a_case_study_in_creating_value_for_government_a3.pdf

• Scott, Rebecca. (2019). What the hell happened to STREAT Enterprises? (and other key questions you might be wondering about STREAT’s impact investments). STREAT, Melbourne.

See here for report:  2019_what_the_hell_happened_to_streat_entreprises.pdf

(2019) STREAT Enterprises Pty Ltd – A Case Study relating to 2012 investment

• Professor Libby Ward-Christie and Dr Michael Moran
• Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, Swinburne University of Technology

Note that although this report was published in 2019 it relates to the social investment structures involved in STREAT Limited’s 2012 purchase of Social Roasting Company, on advice from Donkey Wheel Foundation and Social Ventures Australia. There will be an academic paper published in a peer review journal in 2020.

Even though this paper reviews the architecture and processes involved in an investment deal some 7 years ago, it drew strong interest at the time and potentially now because of the perennial challenge facing not for profit social enterprises who want to access adequate development capital.
This case study provides an investigation into a highly innovative investment structure (a subsidiary, for-profit structure to raise equity capital). 10 important lessons are identified, all of which have been adopted by industry partners and STREAT since, noting that these events occurred almost a decade ago when STREAT was nascent, as was impact investment and intermediary bodies in Australia. The organisations, structures and resources that the sector benefits from nowadays, simply did not exist in 2012, and no-body had any experience of this type. STREAT remains
committed to openly sharing our successes and challenges with others to bring about greater good and learning. Indeed, this is why STREAT requested this case study to be undertaken by independent researchers. The 10 lessons are well articulated and this report will be used by Swinburne’s Centre for Social Impact to develop training materials for university courses.

An updated snapshot of STREAT is also provided in this report which reflects strong operational and social impact since 2012.

2019_streat_enterprises_pty_ltd_case_study_of_2012_intevestment.pdf

• Professor Josephine Barraket (CSI Swinburne), Professor Jane Farmer (Swinburne Social Innovation Research Institute), Associate Professor Gemma Carey (CSI UNSW), Dr Andrew Joyce (CSI S), Dr Chris Mason (CSI S), Dr Roksolana Suchowerska (CSI S), Aurora Elmes (CSI S).
• The study is led by the Centre for Social Impact (Swinburne and UNSW), in partnership with VicHealth, Social Traders, and the Foundation for Young Australians.
• This study is currently underway and the findings will be published in 2020.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if and how social enterprises affect the social determinants of health equity for young people. Recognising that social enterprises are organisations that involve different types of people and have relationships with customers, suppliers
and funders, CSI will take a holistic approach to this investigation so they can understand the wellbeing effects
for different stakeholder groups in the organisation, and understand how social enterprises as a whole improve health equities for communities as well as individuals. Four social enterprises that are located in Victoria or NSW, will be recruited to participate in this study. STREAT is one of the case studies. This research has involved trainees, staff, partners, customers, Executive and Board members.

Report to be finalised 2020.

(2018) Social capital and enterprise in the modern state: No one wakes up wanting to be homeless – A case study in applied creative writing

• Rendle-Short F., Scott R., Taylor S., Aung Thin M., Ellis M. (2018). No One Wakes Up Wanting to Be Homeless: A Case Study in Applied Creative Writing. In: Ní Shé É., Burton L., Danaher P. (eds) Social Capital and Enterprise in the Modern State. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

“I’m not me without you”. “Thank you, human for being human”. “No one wakes up wanting to be homeless”. These are some of the poignant lines written in just one part of a multi-faceted and multi-modal experiment in social creative writing that was a partnership between RMIT’s Francesca
Rendle-Short’s team and STREAT staff and trainees, led by STREAT’s co-founder and CEO, Bec Scott. Vividly illustrating belonging and connectedness, as well as isolation and disconnection across the streets and buildings of Melbourne CBD, this is a fascinating paper. It maps (literally) young people taking charge of their own narrative and helps bring to life STREATs goal for young people to feel they belong and can thrive with a healthy sense of self, work and home/place.

STREAT_no_one_wakes_up_wanting_to_be_homeless.pdf

(2015) STREAT: Providing a Fork in the Road for Young People

• Scott, Rebecca. (2015). STREAT: Providing a fork in the road for young people. Parity, Vol. 28, No. 10, Dec 2015: 22-23.

This 2015 article provides a succinct summary of STREAT’s history, model and programs. Based on 5 years of programs, and some research by Social Ventures Australia, the following social outcomes are confirmed: social inclusion, increased resilience, confidence in abilities, increased income, improved social skills, reduction in unlawful behaviours as well as reduced drug and alcohol use, improved mental health and improved stability of housing. This overall improvement in trainees’ capacity for independent living reflects STREAT’s program goals of stable self, job and home. This was 2015, and since then STREAT’s Theory of Change has evolved to include a sense of belonging, with a goal that all young people feel they belong and can thrive with a healthy self, work and home. 

Key learnings when working with complex young people include: Prevent and intervene early, join up services, focus on strengths, offer a pathway, be highly flexible, provide intensive workplace support, integrate internally, offer a wide range of skills and opportunities, ensure transitions are
smooth, and create a culture of inclusion. These learnings have stood the test of time and are equally relevant in 2019.

(2014) Issues in Labour Force Participation – Youth at Risk and Lower Skilled Mature-age People

• Couldrey, M. (2014). Issues in labour force participation: youth at risk and lower skilled mature-age people. AWPA, Canberra.

STREAT features as a case study in this 2014 research commissioned by the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency. Early intervention, supported transition, and holistic, individual wrap-around services are affirmed as critical to employment outcomes for young people aged 15-24.
STREAT’s youth model has always incorporated all these features. STREAT was highlighted as a case study to illustrate the value of social enterprises in building employability skills and work readiness by offering realistic and quality work experience placements (p33). The imminent development of STREAT’s training academy at Cromwell Manor is mentioned, as is the 2013 Social Innovation Enterprise Award from the Australian Government. A key recommendation of the report is that social enterprises can/should be used as a platform to provide supported employment and work placements as a bridge to employment. STREAT exists to provide such opportunities, and strives to and create outcomes for trainees, as well as goodness for the environment and our broader community.

2014_issues_in_labour_force_participation_-_youth_at_risk_and_lower_skilled_mature-age_people.pdf

(2010) On the Upside

• Vindis, Nada. On the Upside. Parity, Vol. 23, No. 8, Oct 2010: 40-41.

STREAT is a hybrid social enterprise that has been designed to respond to young people who are homeless or experiencing homelessness to participate in a traineeship that can lead them into future long-term employment options. STREAT's first intake of trainees graduated in September 2010. STREAT is a good example of integrated response to address homelessness by training and providing gainful employment, wherein the business component is merged with the social support component adding value to the homelessness service system. This brief article in the journal of Homelessness Australia is an excellent summary of STREAT’s early youth programs model, and gives some insight to our first class of trainees.