Youth Homelessness Matters Day is the third Wednesday of April every year
Did you know that almost 40,000 young people aged 15–24 years presented alone to a homelessness service in 2021–22? Of these young people, almost half experienced mental ill-health and over one third experienced domestic and family violence.
The majority of these young people were in need of short or long-term accommodation and most were turned away due to a lack of capacity. These statistics only scratch the surface of issues that young people experiencing homelessness face.
Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD) is a national day that was conceived in 1990 to raise awareness and public discussion about child and youth homelessness.
Over the years, it has grown into a national celebration of young people’s resilience and an important day of advocacy for sustainable and innovative solutions to support the needs of children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Yfoundations thanks everyone across the country and beyond who organised and participated in YHMD2023 activities on 19 April this year, and who featured information, posts and pics on their socials and other media. We are encouraged by your generosity of spirit and concern in raising awareness about youth homelessness and ensuring the issues and realities of young people experiencing and at risk of homelessness are high on the public agenda.
Our call for the development of a standalone National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy continues and we encourage everyone to sign our petition.
You can also donate to make a difference.
And if you missed YHMD this year, don't worry – it's not too late. You can still use our YHMD2023 campaign resources to highlight the issues. After all, youth homelessness matters every day!
