Things I care about..

Child and Youth Homelessness in Australia 2023

A Youth Worker's Perspective

By Maureen Rodgers

This week I attended the National Children and Youth Homelessness Conference in Melbourne, where I was honoured to meet real-life superhero and Human Rights advocate Professor Brian Burdekin (Pictured Below).!When I first studied the BA Community Development in 1998, I wrote one of my first essays about youth homelessness in Australia. I remember quoting Professor Brian Burdekin’s 1989 inquiry, which estimated that there could be up to 25,000 children and young people experiencing homelessness in Australia at the time (Burdekin, 1989). So, what has changed in just over 30 years for our most vulnerable young people? Not much. Shamefully it is evident that homelessness in Australia is much worse now. In fact, it has nearly doubled.

“The number of young Australians identified as homeless increased by 2,500 to 46,000 between the 2016 and 2021 Census.” (Thom, 2023)

Housing advocacy groups estimate youth homelessness in City of Frankston has almost doubled since 2020 (Paul, 2022). As a youth worker in this region, I have seen this first-hand. From my experience working in South East Melbourne, the demand for emergency housing is huge and safe places are often not available. The few times young people have been “lucky” enough to secure a spot in an emergency youth refuge, I have had to transport them to the city to access safety. There are no local emergency accommodation options in our community. This means they have had to leave the comfort of being in their local community and support networks.

There have been times when young people have chosen to couch surf or sleep rough because they didn’t want to leave their community. It always broke my heart, knowing they were leaving our services knowing they were not safe. No young person should have to cook their dinner on a public park BBQ. I have seen housing services provide young people with swags to sleep in. How does this happen in such a privileged first-world country that is in a 20 billion dollar economic surplus (Jackson, 23)?

I started my career in youth work working with homeless young women in a residential unit that housed some of the most at-risk young women in Victoria. At the time it became clear that the system I was working with was doing more harm to these children than good. Their experiences in state care were harmful and traumatic. These young women were forced out of “care” at the age of 17, and they often faced ongoing homelessness. When I left this type of youth work, I vowed that I would never forget the young people I worked with and would always advocate for better outcomes for homeless young people.

As I achieved more experience in the youth sector it became evident that youth workers are at the forefront of our communities and understand first-hand the devastating impact of what happens when people are denied their fundamental human rights. According to the Charter of Human Rights that Australia is signatory to, housing (article 26) is a fundamental right that every human is entitled to. In my career, I have supported countless young people through their homelessness journey. The lack of options and supports for these children and young people stays with me.

It had been really uplifting to attend this conference, with so many people who care about youth housing and keeping youth homelessness on the agenda. I understand that there are a few advocacy groups working hard to improve the situation in our communities. We can do better and things must improve. So, I agree, it is time:

· For Australia to have a National Bill of Human Rights;

· To create a National Youth and Child Homelessness Strategy;

· To provide young people aged 12 – 15 with access to housing services;

· To employ more youth workers to provide early intervention and prevention;

· Increase funding to mental health and family services;

· Secure better outcomes for young people living in out-of-home care.

If you agree, please take the time to sign this petition to Develop a standalone national strategy to end child and youth homelessness - Yfoundations

References

Burdekin, B. (1989) Our Homeless Children. Available at: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/childrens-rights/publications/our-homeless-children (Accessed: 29 July 2023).

Jackson, L. (2023) Australia’s budget surplus set to be nearly five times higher than forecast. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/markets/australias-budget-surplus-set-be-nearly-five-times-higher-than-forecast-2023-07-24/ (Accessed: 29 July 2023).

Thom, G. (23AD) Report reveals almost 40 per cent of homeless are children or young people. Available at: https://communitydirectors.com.au/articles/youth-homeless-crisis?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Community%20Advocate%2026%20July&utm_content=Community%20Advocate%2026%20July+CID_8d843f555821bb584f4eb7390dedb733&utm_source=CampaignMonitor&utm_term=Report%20reveals%20almost%2040%20per%20cent%20of%20homeless%20are%20children%20or%20young%20people (Accessed: 29 July 2023).