By Callum Ludwig
Wednesday 19 April marks Youth Homelessness Matters Day, spotlighting the plight of young people who don’t have a safe or secure home.
Data from the 2021 census found that more than 122,000 Australians were experiencing homelessness, with 15 per cent of that figure being children aged 12 and under.
Founder and CEO of Yarra Ranges-based homelessness support service Holy Fools Neal Taylor said people don’t see homelessness as being a problem locally, because it’s not visible as much as it is in the city.
“We only see the very small percentage of people who sleep rough and even that’s hidden here in the Yarra Ranges. From not only our research but in talking to some of the other people who have been homeless, young people tend to avoid rough sleeping side as much as possible, they tend to do more couch surfing and staying temporarily with friends and family,” he said.
“Or maybe they just left their parents for the night or have gone out onto the streets for the first time, we have found people sleeping in playground equipment to take shelter from the wind and rain, so we know they are out there.”
The Lilydale Youth Hub which closed in late 2022 due to a lack of funding was often a place where young people experiencing homelessness came and were out to ask for help from other young people, often getting support and well as helping to formulate a plan to better their circumstances
Mr Taylor said he would love to see funding to employ youth workers again in the area or to provide some independent to visit schools.
“I’ve had students who have been doing the Youth Work course through Box Hill TAFE who I’ve had on placement with me and they’ve been fantastic, I would love to have one or two of them on a part-time basis to talk to some of these kids because I just know that they would connect,” he said.
“We need people who young people can trust, who aren’t going to judge them, who are going to go out there and do what they can to care for these people and let them know they are on their side.”
An estimate from the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria estimates predicts there are about 6,000 homeless young people in Victoria.
Child psychologist and the CEO of youth homelessness charity Lighthouse Foundation Dr Eamonn McCarthy said it is pretty hard to understate the importance of Youth Homelessness Matters Day.
“The sad reality is that it is a long-term ingrained problem but in the grand scheme of things it really does help to remind people that despite all the new and concerning issues around us, homelessness is constantly there,” he said.
“Approximately 98 per cent of youth homelessness statistics in Victoria over the last couple of years are not necessarily what we would consider rough sleeping, it could be youth hanging out at a local library, or a uni student studying extra late because they don’t have anywhere to sleep or your son’s friend staying on the couch until they finish their course.”
In the last year, the Lighthouse Foundation has provided care for 71 young people, children, and babies, serving 77,000 meals and hosting 3,285 nights in safe beds for children in foster care.
Dr McCarthy said it is important to keep an eye out for key indicators and just check in or tap into local support services if you notice them.
“It’s been a fairly long-held view that family violence, substance abuse and unexpected changes to circumstances have always been disproportionately present in young people entering homelessness and now mental health, while in of itself not a cause of homelessness, is being found more prior and after homelessness,” he said.
“It’s about being aware of some of those indicators of it and to step in before the crisis line of homelessness and just thinking to check in, many of us have families around us, and we know they go through tough times and it can be important to turn your mind to what these times might mean for their accommodation circumstances.”
