General News
28 April, 2025
Youth homelessness matters
Wednesday April 16 marked national Youth Homelessness Matters Day with the Wimmera Homelessness Alliance hosting a drop-in and barbecue lunch at Wimmera Wellbeing Centre in Horsham.
The top three reasons for youth homelessness in the Wimmera are housing affordability stress, inadequate or unsafe living conditions, and family or relationship breakdown.
Statistics from Uniting Wimmera show that 20 per cent of young people supported by the organisation have experienced rough sleeping or stayed in short-term emergency accommodation.
There has been an 8.5 per cent increase in the number of young people Uniting has supported since the last financial year, including a 39 per cent rise in young couples with children seeking homelessness support.
It has also been found that 10 per cent of young people are also caring for a child.
Network co-ordinator Michelle Twigger said agencies were concerned with the lack of youth-specific accommodation.
"Recently there was national funding announced for opportunities for social housing to be built in a youth space and the Wimmera was not identified as a priority area," Ms Twigger said.
"There is a complete absence of any youth-specific accommodation with the wraparound support."
Support services can get young people back into vocational activities such as completing school or getting a job and support them to gain financial budgeting experience and give them a rental history so that they can join the rental market.
The current fortnightly youth allowance payment is $663.30 and the median weekly rent in the Wimmera is $310.
"We can support young people if they are still at home and things are challenging (there); we can support families to work together to find ways for that young person to stay," Ms Twigger said.
"The priority is that person doesn't become homeless and the supports to be put in place.
"If somebody's at risk of homelessness or once they are homeless, we can support them and make sure they're not on the street.
"If you're couch surfing and you don't have a home, somewhere to call your room or your own home, then you're at risk of being homeless."