Homeless young people will have access to healthy meals if the Ballarat public gets behind an online poll this week.
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A project run by UnitingCare Ballarat and supported by other organisations, the idea would allow homeless people between the ages of 13 and 19 to go into participating cafes and eat a healthy meal for three dollars.
Grampians Region Homeless Network Coordinator Jax Roan said it would be a major leg-up for more than 200 homeless youth in Ballarat.
"When you're homeless, 80 per cent of your income goes to crisis accommodation, so eating healthily is tough," she said.
"These places don't usually have a kitchen, and you can't really have a healthy meal with a microwave, kettle and 30 cent budget."
Café Meals runs in Geelong, and Ms Roan said it had had the added effect of teaching young people about food, because junk food is not an option, and getting them into social situations.
"In Geelong, There was a young woman with depression and anxiety, basically housebound, who is now an apprentice chef because the program got her out of the house and interested in food," she said.
Steven Jones from UnitingCare said winning the grant - out of 33 propositions around the country and only five in Victoria - would allow them to employ someone to work solely on getting Café Meals up and running.
You can vote to fund Café Meals Ballarat HERE.
Voting closes on December 5.