It’s Homelessness Week and this year’s theme is ‘Homelessness Action Now!’ Homelessness Australia hosts Homelessness Week annually to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness.
Care leavers face homelessness in high numbers
New research from the UniSA and Curtin University finds that up to 36% of young people leaving out-of-home care in Australia become homeless. This is compared to less than 10% of the general youth population.
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are particularly vulnerable to cost of living pressures due to increased barriers in relation to securing housing and gaining employment.
Housing insecurity and homelessness can affect young people’s safety, health, wellbeing and connections.
“Becoming homeless really affected my wellbeing as I didn't have that place of belonging. It created a stereotype in my head that I was a burden to other people and I didn't deserve to be cared for. That I wasn't worth anything.”
What can be done to take Homelessness Action Now
Based on what young people across the country have told CREATE about their experiences with housing insecurity and homelessness, we believe the following actions would make a big difference for supporting young people transitioning from care:
- Supported placements to 25 #MakeIt25
- Guaranteeing housing for children and young people transitioning from care
- Increasing the rate of TILA from $1,500 to $10,000 to better assist young people to enter the rental market
- Making transition packages consistent across jurisdictions at $16,000 per year
- Expanding social housing models such as Youth Foyers
- Financial support to roll out CREATE’s Sortli app across all jurisdictions and expanding the app to include more comprehensive rental skills advice.
CREATE’s advocacy for the above changes will continue long after Homelessness Week ends. We will keep calling for adequate support for care leavers until we no longer hear stories of young care leavers couch surfing or sleeping rough.
How you can get involved
Call on the Federal Government to fix the housing crisis by writing to your MP’s and signing the Everybody’s Home petition.
With elections coming up in NT, ACT and QLD, do your research on housing and homelessness policies and get out and vote!
Have your say through surveys and submissions, (pro tip: we share these in our monthly Advocacy Wrap Ups) and come along to our YAGs.
