MARKING Homelessness Week, a new report has found that 10 per cent of young Queenslanders aged 15 to 19 have experienced homelessness in the past 12 months.
Mission Australia’s The Unfair Divide youth homelessness report reveals the troubling reality for young people who have faced homelessness.
The results show they were more likely than their peers who hadn’t experienced homelessness to suffer from a mental health condition, face financial hardship, struggle with loneliness and fitting in socially, and have strained or poor family relationships.
They were also more likely to find it difficult to socialise and fit in (41 per cent compared with 26 per cent) and were six times more likely to have strained or poor family relationships (30 per cent compared with 5 per cent).
Additionally, close to two in five (39%) young people from Queensland who were recently homeless said they had a mental health condition, compared with 11 per cent of young people with stable homes.
Mission Australia Queensland state director Stephen Vines said the report’s findings highlighted the impact that homelessness could have on a young person’s wellbeing, and the need for early intervention to prevent young people from becoming homeless in the first place.
“It should be unacceptable for any young person on the cusp of adulthood to be forced to experience homelessness in Australia,” he said.
“Every young person deserves a safe, secure home as a launchpad into adulthood. Empowering young people to start their journey to adulthood on a solid footing can transform lives.
“Recent funding boosts for homelessness services and housing from the Federal and Queensland governments are welcome, but with youth homelessness remaining persistently high, we call on governments to work with the sector and invest in effective solutions.
“Together, we must create a future where every young person has a safe, secure place to call home.”
The plan includes a $500 million Homelessness Prevention Transformation Fund, delivering prevention programs and policy reform for groups of young people with elevated risk of homelessness and increasing options in social housing and private rental.
