A group of Federal Parliamentarians have called on the Albanese Government to act urgently on national data showing that children and young people experiencing homelessness are becoming trapped in homelessness and are at a significantly increased risk of suicide and death.
New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed that over the past decade, 520 unaccompanied children aged 12-17 died in the period after seeking homelessness assistance, with suicide as the most common cause. On average, this is one child death per week.
New AIHW data has also exposed the housing and support gaps that trap children and young people in homelessness, with 2,863 unaccompanied homeless children needing medium-term housing and 3,351 needing long-term housing, unable to be provided with the housing they needed.
AIHW data reinforces the findings from earlier landmark research by Melbourne City Mission (MCM), which showed that every four days, one Victorian aged 15-24 dies while homeless, with the leading cause being suicide.
MCM's work has also demonstrated the enormous risks and harm experienced by children and young people while they are homeless.
A survey of homeless children and young people revealed that around 80% had lost their homes due to family violence, most had experienced further violence after becoming homeless, more than 50% had been admitted to an emergency department for a mental health crisis, and around 75% were completely disconnected from school, education and employment pathways.
The Home Time campaign, an alliance of housing and homelessness organisations, is calling for the Federal Government to fix Australia's housing and social services systems by delivering 15,000 dedicated tenancies with support for young people, removing the youth housing penalty from the social services system, and prioritising 16-24 year-olds in the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and other investments.
Home Time and Melbourne City Mission Spokesperson Shorna Moore said the Home Time Youth Housing Coalition has spent the week meeting with ministers, assistant ministers and other parliamentarians around their action plan to fix Australia's youth housing system.
"Frontline services like ours see every day how a child's trauma is exacerbated when services can't provide a pathway to the safe home that they need. One child death a week is one too many."
"These statistics are gut-wrenching, and should make decision makers sit up and invest in dedicated support and housing for children so no child in this country is trapped in homelessness."
Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said the Federal Government was yet to fully recognise unaccompanied children and young people as a vulnerable group requiring a dedicated national focus.
"Most children who are homeless without a parent or guardian are fleeing homes where they have experienced violence, abandonment or neglect. They go from danger of one kind into danger of another."
"The reality is that there are very few dedicated homes with age-appropriate support for adolescent children and young people. The data reveals the magnitude and urgency of a problem that our current system cannot adequately address. If nothing changes, we will see more children and young people harmed - and dying - as a result."
Australian Community Housing Interim CEO Alex Raphael said that community housing organisations want to be in a position to provide homes to a lot more young people.
"Community housing providers want to help reduce the number of children and young people dying in our homelessness system. This requires changes to housing and social services policies that currently lock out people on youth payments by applying a youth housing penalty to individuals and providers.
"Reform options include targeted subsidies to equalise rents with older tenants, increased Commonwealth Rent Assistance for young people experiencing homelessness, and factoring in lower rental income when housing proposals are considered by the Federal Government."
"We also need to see more targeted youth funding rounds like the National Housing Infrastructure Facility and the inclusion of young people as a dedicated stream in the HAFF and other investments."
About us:
About the Home Time Youth Housing Coalition
Home Time is supported by over 170 organisations, including Homelessness Australia, Australian Community Housing, National Shelter, Melbourne City Mission, Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, ACOSS, The Salvation Army, Anglicare Australia, Brisbane Youth Service, Mission Australia, Foyer Foundation, YFoundations and the Australian Services Union.
