Sign Our Petition
Sign the petition
Petition to: The Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services, and The Hon. Julie Collins MP, Minister for Homelessness
We need 15,000 signatures
Sign Our Petition
To develop a standalone national strategy to end child and youth homelessness
Why this petition matters
Homelessness continues to worsen for children and young people in Australia and there is no overarching strategy to tackle this impending crisis coming our way.
We need to ensure that our children and young people are safe, supported and given every opportunity to thrive. Ending child and youth homelessness will only be a reality if a clear, targeted and developmentally appropriate standalone Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy is created.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2016 Census data showed a 26% increase in homelessness over a 10-year period for 12 to 24-year-olds. This number is estimated to increase in the 2021 Census data following the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and cost of living pressures. The most recent Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) data indicates that almost 40,000 children and young people aged 15 to 24 years presented alone to an SHS in 2021–22, representing the third largest client group. We are also seeing children as young as 12 years old coming into youth homelessness services on their own.
Children and young people experience multiple pathways into homelessness and the breadth of their issues and vulnerabilities are complex and distinct from those of adults. They also experience some of the most insidious, hidden, and dangerous forms of homelessness. Almost one-third of young people presenting alone to a homelessness service were couch surfing at the start of their support. Couch surfing leaves young people vulnerable to servitude, exploitation and abuse. Moreover, around a third of young people presenting alone have experienced domestic and family violence, and many are experiencing it in their own intimate relationships. They are turning up to youth homelessness services when they have no safe accommodation but are often being turned away because these services are at capacity.
We must act now to ensure there are safe and supported options for children and young people before they face dire and dangerous situations. We are calling on the Australian Government to ensure there is a standalone Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy.
Children and young people do not have the same coping strategies and resources generally attributed to adults and thus require a range of accommodation and support models depending on their age and development, independence and presenting issues. This includes specialist youth crisis accommodation, transitional accommodation, medium-term accommodation, specialist domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) support and accommodation, family reunification services, Youth Foyers, youth social housing and affordable private rentals. Currently, there is a serious lack of options across their continuum of need.
Yfoundations has reviewed current state homelessness and housing strategies and identified that actions relating to children and young people were largely in the context of early intervention, Youth Foyers and supporting young people leaving out of home care (OOHC). While these are important commitments, they only scratch the surface to respond to the breadth of issues and vulnerabilities of children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, particularly those facing it on their own.
The private and social housing market fails to help young people. Private rentals are unaffordable, inaccessible, and unattainable. Anglicare’s 2022 Rental Snapshot shows there was only ONE rental property in all of Australia for someone on the youth allowance payment. Young people also face barriers obtaining a social housing property due to long wait times and a lack of policy requiring housing providers to quarantine a percentage of their portfolio for this cohort. Combined with woefully low income support, young people are now facing homelessness and a future of trauma and vulnerability which we have the opportunity to change now if the Australian Government commits to a standalone National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy.
It will take a whole of government and community approach to end child and youth homelessness in Australia. This is why we are calling on YOU to sign the petition. Demand that the Australian Government agrees to develop a National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy today and be a part of the change.
For more detail on child and youth homelessness and the case for a national strategy, read our recent article in Parity magazine here.
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Alison Evans signed 2024-04-19 07:25:52 +1000Dire need for assisting these 15-24year olds. Drain on the economy without this large cohort of people working and functioning as assets to the economy
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Peta Shea signed 2024-04-19 07:24:42 +1000
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Johanna Bullin signed 2024-04-19 06:48:35 +1000
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Alexandra Cordukes signed 2024-04-19 05:53:05 +1000
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Tonia Bachetti signed 2024-04-19 05:12:29 +1000
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Annette Celar signed 2024-04-19 04:24:43 +1000We need to work together to end this.
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Avery Benbow signed 2024-04-18 22:14:40 +1000
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Rosemary Hutchings signed 2024-04-18 21:53:33 +1000
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Barbara Mills signed 2024-04-18 21:46:33 +1000
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Lois Cassidy signed 2024-04-18 21:39:16 +1000
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Maree Lamb signed 2024-04-18 21:09:00 +1000Genuinely worried about the homeless and the future of our children whom should be allowed within society to grow into adulthood and make a life long contribution to society and be proud of themselves.
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kerry kable signed 2024-04-18 20:28:16 +1000
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Rosemary Clarke signed 2024-04-18 20:17:50 +1000Everyone deserves a safe place to live
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Jennifer Gilgen signed 2024-04-18 19:46:33 +1000
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Brook Ellis signed 2024-04-18 19:43:22 +1000I am signing due to my lived experience of youth homelessness, having fallen through the cracks due to limited resources, funding and education, which led to me sleeping rough from the age of 16 to 18.
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Leah Wright signed 2024-04-18 19:42:15 +1000Youth homelessness is a critical issue and unfortunately is increasing rapidly. The reasons are specific to YP and their challenges need to be addressed differently to those of adults.
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Sheree Bell signed 2024-04-18 19:14:54 +1000
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Danielle Bennett signed 2024-04-18 18:51:25 +1000
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Miriam Glennie signed 2024-04-18 18:42:42 +1000
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Carlos Frias signed 2024-04-18 18:18:26 +1000
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Jiaojiao Wang signed 2024-04-18 18:06:50 +1000Children is a country’s hope and future. The government should invest in money that help shelter and protect these children to ensure their success.
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Support this initiative
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Pauline O'Donnell signed 2024-04-18 17:49:43 +1000
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Mihiret Richards signed 2024-04-18 17:21:22 +1000
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Moragh Frances Gillen signed 2024-04-18 17:08:52 +1000I work in homelessness and there is a massive gap in housing for youth!
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Louise Grant signed 2024-04-18 16:52:29 +1000
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Kylie Starr signed 2024-04-18 16:36:32 +1000
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Mackenzie Moores signed 2024-04-18 16:28:22 +1000
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Supporting children being off the street
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Martene Blay signed 2024-04-18 15:39:50 +1000I work in support of homeless youth so understand the many challenges and barriers the need addressing.