Taking home the title of Hornsby’s 2024 Westfield Hero is Sian Gordon.
Winning the Westfield Hero Award allowed Sian to secure a grant of $20,000 for the youth homelessness organisation she works for, The Burdekin Association.
Having lived and worked with young people in the United Kingdom, with foundations that housed youth with mental health and behavioural issues, Sian has directed her career to the betterment of young people.
After completing a counselling diploma on the back of her social work diploma from the UK, Sian secured a placement with Burdekin five years ago, and has been with the organisation since.
‘I always wanted to work with young people and I know I’ve got that ability to connect with young people,’ says Sian. ‘I’ve got the ability to connect with them and I really enjoy seeing young people work hard at Burdekin, use all the support they can get and then go on into independence.’
Sian is a Team Leader, overseeing case managers who work face-to-face with young people. Her work involves applying for social housing, finding employment, supporting young people through study and apprenticeships, and keeping the team motivated.
‘I supervise the team individually, making sure everyone is okay, because a lot of the time the work is exhausting, it can be quite challenging,’ says Sian.
The Burdekin Association receive about 240 referrals a year, and have housed 50 young people this year with their 33 beds. Many of the people coming to Burdekin are sleeping rough, and almost all have had total relationship breakdowns within their families.
‘It doesn’t matter where you are from, who you are,’ says Sian. ‘It is down to mental health, but I think 99% of our young people are all from broken families.’
The Burdekin Association receive Specialist Homelessness Services funding, but the Westfield Hero grant is a welcome hand.
‘I won and it was a shock to be honest,’ explains Sian appreciatively. ‘We are doing driving lessons, money going towards formals. We’ve got one young lady going into hospital soon with severe endometriosis… we can pay her rent for a month. I was so pleased, it was such a huge boost for us.’
