Almost One In 20 Young People Became Homeless For The First Time During COVID
"All young people should have a safe place to call home."
Almost one in 20 teenagers experienced homelessness for the first time during the pandemic.
A new report by Mission Australia ‘Without a home‘ surveyed over 20,000 people between April and August 2021, and found an increase in youth homeless rates since 2017; when nearly one in 25 young people had been pushed into first-time homelessness.
Girls were also twice as likely as boys to have gone without a safe home during the pandemic. While the report didn’t delve into LGBTIQ intersectionality, it did highlight that more than 13 percent of participants experiencing homelessness were living with disability, and eight percent identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
The impacts of youth homelessness included high levels of psychological distress, negative impacts on wellbeing, family conflict and violence, discrimination, and pressures on relationships and employment within the bracket ages of 15 to 19-year-olds.
“It’s clear that for young people, homelessness can often be incredibly isolating, destabilising and traumatic. This can have a ripple effect on their lives without access to the right intervention,” said Mission Australia CEO, Sharon Callister in a statement. “We cannot do nothing while young people are forced into homelessness at such a crucial time of their lives. Too many are missing out on important education and employment opportunities without the stability of a safe place to call home.”
‘Without a home’ found that the young Australians affected were either homeless with or without their families, had recently spent time without a fixed address, were living in a refuge or transitional accommodation, or had spent time away from home because they felt like they couldn’t go back.
The Albanese Government announced earlier this month it was pushing for a National Housing and Homelessness Plan, with state, territory, and federal ministers holding relevant portfolios meeting for the first time since 2017 to combat the pervasive issue.
Callister is calling for early intervention, targeted government support, and resourcing for schools and community services to prevent more young people slipping through the cracks. “All young people should have a safe place to call home,” she said.
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