Youth Homelessness Matters

MAKE IT MATTER

KEY MESSESAGES ABOUT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

• Every night, across Australia. 100,000 are homeless. Nearly half of these
are under the age of 25.

• We know that SAAP, the foundational program that responds to
homelessness, has the capacity to support about 15% of these young
people.

• You do not have to be houseless to be homeless. Homelessness does
not just mean sleeping rough on the streets, it is couch surfing, living in
overcrowded situations, in unstable situations with friends and extended
family or living in youth accommodation services.

• Whilst many are struggling paying off mortgages and high rents, imagine
the impact of those who don’t even rate a chance owning a home,
renting a property on finding somewhere to live.

• There is a one in two chance of getting a supported bed on any night,
however if all the estimated young homeless people attempted to get a
bed on any particular night. This ratio would be far worse.

• The pathways in and out of homelessness for a young person are not
straight forward and generic. Their needs are complex and require
specific adolescent supports. Simply getting a job is not always the
only answer

• Homelessness is not only in one particular area of Sydney or is it limited
to young people from a certain background. It is across the whole of
Australia.

• It only costs around $50 a day to accommodate a young person. The
costs to the community are far greater by not addressing and responding
to homelessness.

• Young People are more than just numbers, whilst we talk about the
statistics every experience of youth homelessness is unique and has a
‘real life story’ attached to it.