Youth Homelessness

Young people under the age of 25 are the single largest group of people requiring crisis accommodation. Children accompanying parents who are homeless as a result of domestic violence are another large group who experience homelessness. Together children and young people are among the most vulnerable in the homeless population, and make up close to half of all homeless people in Australia (46%), with those aged 12-18 years making up 26% of all homeless people.

Young people have the lowest incomes, are most likely to have casual or part time work, have the highest unemployment rates. Young people are particularly disadvantaged in the private rental market. There is a dire shortage of exit points from crisis accommodation services, and a need for alternate models of long term accommodation for those who have not yet developed the skills essential to living independently in rental accommodation. 

Homelessness in Australia:

On census night 2001, 99,900 people were homeless, including at least 14,200 people 'sleeping rough'.

Home provides most Australians not just with shelter from the elements, but with facilities for cooking and self-care, privacy, and a secure base from which to establish routines of living. Homelessness, then, is not a straightforward concept, as it can suggest a lack in any of these areas.

A broad definition of a homeless person, used in Australia, is someone who has inadequate access to safe and secure housing.

While those 'sleeping rough' are the most publicly recognised homeless people, other groups are also of concern. These include people staying in shelters and refuges; people staying temporarily with family and friends to deal with a housing crisis; and some of those people renting in caravan parks and boarding houses. Highly transient people moving between such temporary solutions have been termed 'the hidden homeless'.

Homeless people are among the most marginalised people in Australia and their profile has been changing in recent years from predominantly older, lone men to include more women, youth, and families. Factors ranging from increased family breakdown to changes in the labour market have been identified as influencing these changes

The Numbers of Homeless:

On census night 2001, an estimated 14,200 people were in the most extreme situation - 'sleeping rough' (i.e. in improvised dwellings or tents, or in streets, parks, cars or derelict buildings).

A similar number of people (14,300) were staying in emergency or transitional housing, principally in the network of refuges or shelters in the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP).

A further, large group were defined as homeless because they were staying with another household and had no usual residence (48,600).

Finally, 22,900 people living in boarding houses were included in the homeless count. In total, 99,900 people were estimated to be homeless on census night 2001.

For every 10,000 people in Australia in 2001, there were 53 homeless people.

There were 7,586 homeless people in South Australia on census night. Over 800 were sleeping rough.

While there is a complex set of factors leading to homelessness, the following issues are often present for young people who require emergency accommodation in Adelaide:

• Lack of access to safe, affordable and appropriate housing
• History of family violence / abuse
• Lack of adult support / family breakdown
• Low income and poverty
• Health problems, including mental health issues
• Lack of access to community services and support
• Exclusion from education system
• Unemployment

To break out of the no home – no job – low income – homelessness cycle young people need access to secure accommodation, ongoing support, and educational and work experience opportunities.

Numbers sourced from The Australian Bureau of Statistics