GCFC Chairman John Witheriff today underlined the club’s long term commitment to Gold Coast’s homeless when he addressed attendees at an Evandale event marking Youth Homeless Matters Day.

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke and representatives from the Gold Coast Youth Service and the Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth also spoke.

Youth Homeless Matters Day helps raise awareness of youth homelessness on the Gold Coast. It takes place once a year as part of National Youth Week.

Today’s event included the unveiling of a symbolic display of 750 balloons, one for every young Gold Coaster who has no place to live.

“I’m staggered to learn that there are 750 young people who are homeless each night on the Gold Coast,” Witheriff said.

“The club’s role is for our players to be role models and mentors who will give hope and inspire these young people to break out of the cycle of homelessness they find themselves in.”

When GCFC presented its licence submission to the AFL, the club made a clear commitment to ongoing involvement in the local Gold Coast community. As part of its commitment, the club worked closely with Gold Coast City Council to determine the most challenging social issues in the region. One of those issues is youth homelessness. GCFC remains determined to raise awareness of the problem, to help create solutions to it, and to work with service providers and council to establish partnerships and activities that address the issue.