 and Salesian priest Fr Chris Riley AM has passed away aged 70.){kind=link}
Founder of non-profit youth services organisation Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) and Salesian priest Fr Chris Riley AM has passed away aged 70.
His death was announced via the organisation’s Instagram page on 1 August, with YOTS chairperson Anne Fitzgerald paying tribute to his relentless desire to help New South Wales and Queensland children overcome their living situations.
“[Fr Riley] was a tireless advocate for homeless and disadvantaged youth, and he inspired and changed thousands of young lives,” she said.
“Fr Riley will be remembered for his compassion, tenacity and unwavering belief that every young person deserves the chance to reach their full potential.”
Fr Riley established YOTS in 1991, beginning with a single food van delivering meals to young homeless people on the streets of Kings Cross.
The charity expanded into Queensland in 2013, with YOTS now providing around 1600 homeless youth with housing and around 1200 First Nations Australians with support each year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Fr Riley had “a heart as big as the country he served.”
“He gave hope to young people doing it tough, and never gave up on anyone,” he said.
“He was a good friend and his legacy will live on in the lives he changed.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns expressed “profound sadness” at the loss of the “visionary” Fr Riley.
“Fr Riley turned a single food van in Kings Cross into a lifesaving network of crisis accommodation, counselling and other wrap around support services,” he said.
“Fr Riley believed there is no child born bad, only circumstances to overcome, and he spent over three decades proving that with compassion and opportunity, young lives can be transformed.”
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman also released a statement, saying NSW had lost “a quiet giant,” and someone who provided, “tens and thousands of young people… a sanctuary and a second chance.”
“Fr Chris Riley didn’t just serve the young and vulnerable, he gave them back their future. Where others saw brokenness, he saw potential. Where others walked away, he leaned in,” he said.
“May he rest peacefully, knowing the light he gave this world will never dim.”
In 2020 Fr Riley stepped down from his role as YOTS CEO after nearly 30 years serving in the role.
In an interview with The Catholic Weekly, not long after suffering near-death complications from diabetes, Fr Riley expressed his desire to continue to help kids living on the streets.
“I was dying, my body was shutting down, and everybody was sure I was going to die,” he said.
“But I was born for this, and my life without helping the kids doesn’t really mean that much to me to be honest.
“As long as I have the kids, I am incredibly rich, they’re all I need to keep going.”
Born Christopher Keith Riley on 24 November 1954 in Echuca, Victoria, by the age of 14, he had decided to dedicate his life to working with disadvantaged young people.
As a teenager he was inspired by the 1938 movie Boys’ Town, based on the life of the Salesian Fr Edward Flanagan and his work with a group of underprivileged boys, to become a Salesian. He was ordained a priest on 8 May 1982.
In 2006, Fr Riley was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to disadvantaged young people. That year he also received the Human Rights Medal from the then Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
In April 2010, Fr Riley was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Western Sydney in recognition of his work. In 2012, Fr Riley was named NSW Australian of the Year for his work with disadvantaged young people.
He is the subject of the bestselling biography Mean Streets, Kind Heart (2003) by Sue Williams. He also co-authored two books with Sue Williams, World Beyond Tears (2005) and Growing Great Kids (2015).