The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Hostel in Perth opened around 1954. In 1971, the hostel was described by Wilson and Robinson as an independently-run Aboriginal Education and Employment Hostel. It also provided accommodation for girls nominated by the Native Welfare Department to have holidays in Perth. The YWCA appears to have received a subsidy from the Department of Native Welfare for some time leading up to, and possibly beyond, 1971. In 1974, the YWCA ceased operating the hostel, and the building was leased to the state government.
Sources used to compile this entry: Gregory, Jenny and Jan Gothard [editors], Historical Encyclopedia of Western Australia, University of Western Australia Press, Crawley, W.A., 2009. Gothard, Jan, 'Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)', pp 962-3.; Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, 2004, https://signposts.communities.wa.gov.au//pdf/pdf.aspx; Holiday Homes and Camps for Children, State Records Office of Western Australia Series 2030 - Files - Aborigines Departments; Cons: 1733 Item: 1966/1593.
Prepared by: Anna Trengove and Leanne Howard
Created: 15 March 2011, Last modified: 10 August 2022