Originally named The Wayside Foundation, Noffs Foundation was founded in 1970 by the great Australian humanitarian, Reverend Ted Noffs and his wife Margaret Noffs.
During their remarkable careers of pioneering initiatives for young people, the Noffs established Sydney’s first crisis centre in 1968, set up the first Drug Referral Centre in Sydney in 1967, co-founded the Aboriginal Affairs Foundation in 1962 and was involved in the creation of what would eventually become Lifeline in 1963.
The primary focus of Noffs services is socially disadvantaged and disconnected young people and those from the Indigenous community, as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Our particular expertise is in the treatment of young people with drug and alcohol problems and in particular those with co-morbid mental health issues.
While focused on young people, Noffs involves the entire community by organising and promoting events to create shared experiences, open pathways for communication and enhance the sense of social inclusion.
Services Offered
All Ted Noffs Foundation facilities offer general drug and alcohol and mental health counselling services to young people and their families.
Our Queensland (aka Street University QLD) service provides counselling and case management in south eastern Queensland for young people aged 12-25 years. Clients are offered evidence based treatments that cater for drug, alcohol and mental health issues. The primary focus of the clinicians of the Queensland Service is to comprehensively assess all clients referred to the service, develop an individual treatment plan and provide brief intervention (6-8 sessions) to support clients achieving their goals.
The service is available across south eastern Queensland, from the Gold Coast to the Sunshine Coast and in between.
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
