It’s estimated that as many as 44,000 young people are homeless on any given night across Australia.
A national report released today by Mission Australia shows we’ve been underestimating the extent of youth homelessness, with many young people staying off the ‘streets’ by couch surfing or bunking with mates in overcrowded dwellings.
They surveyed 19,000 young Queenslanders aged 15 to 19, and discovered a whopping one in seven had left their family home at some point over the past three years.
The report isn’t referring to staying at your mates for one weekend because your dad is getting your goat. The study reveals over a quarter of those surveyed had left over ten times, with domestic and family violence, as well as severely crowded conditions the main drivers for youth leaving home.
What’s worse is that young people who find themselves without a steady place to live are more likely to suffer disrupted schooling, higher unemployment rates, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness and higher reports of attempted suicide – creating a cycle of adversity.
QLD Director of the organisation, Darren Young, says the figures are significant because they demonstrate what makes young people vulnerable to sleeping rough.
“Largely family relationship breakdowns and instances of abuse in the family contribute to a young person going ‘I have to get out of here’,” Mr Young said.
“Alongside that there are some reasons children decide to leave quickly, one in 12 young people have experienced some sort of physical abuse and or witnessed family violence.”
“Having to leave the family home because they felt they couldn’t go back … coupled with a background of poor family relationships means these people are very vulnerable to homelessness,” he said.
Back in July 2015, the Federal Government committed $230 million over two years to fund services. But as CEO of Mission Australia Catherine Yeomans points out, they need a longer term plan to curb the issue. “Providers like [Mission] don’t know from one budget year to the next, necessarily, whether funding is going to continue to support the programs which we know work,” she said.
Mission Australia wants immediate action, including guaranteed funding for their Reconnect program, which offers counselling, mediation and other support.
Yeomans reckons funding is one step forward, adding “Investing money in early intervention in our young people will pay dividends for society in the future.”
Source: ABC.
Photo: Mission Australia.
