Homelessness Action Now

Every night in Australia, more than 122,000 people are without a home and over a third of them are under 25. That’s not just a statistic. It’s a national crisis.

And it’s getting worse.

Young people are being pushed to the edge by a housing system that no longer works for them. With rising rents, low vacancy rates and the cost of living at a record high, it takes just one setback like a job loss, illness, or family breakdown for a young person to lose the roof over their head.

At St John’s Youth Services, we see the human side of these numbers every day. We work with young people aged 16 to 25 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, helping them to move from crisis to independence. This #HomelessnessWeek, we’re joining the national call for Homelessness Action Now because young people can’t wait for change.

The Bigger Picture

Homelessness is not inevitable. It’s the result of decades of underinvestment in social housing, a broken rental market that leaves young people behind, and overstretched support systems that can’t meet the scale of need.

• In 2023–24, more than 280,000 people sought help from homelessness services, but more than 123,000 were turned away due to lack of resources.
• Every day, an average of 208 people were denied support.
• Young people aged 0–24 make up 37% of people experiencing homelessness.

We know the demand. Now we need the funding to meet it.

Local solutions that work

At St John’s Youth Services, we provide real solutions tailored to young people’s needs:

• Youth110: 30 self-contained apartments in the heart of Adelaide, with 24/7 on-site support to help young people stabilise and plan their next steps.
• Foyer Port Adelaide: medium-term housing for young people engaged in education, training or employment, with support to build life skills and independence.
• Keeping my Place: an early intervention program helping young people hold on to private rentals and avoid homelessness altogether.

Over the past year alone, over 80% of young people supported by Foyer Port Adelaide moved on from the service into safe housing. These results are proof that targeted support works.

The time for action is now

We already know the solutions. We just need the community support and political will to implement them.

• Fund homelessness services so no one is turned away
• Build more social and affordable housing
• Invest in early intervention and mental health support
• Raise income support to keep young people housed and safe

This Homelessness Week, help us advocate for the change young people deserve.

How to help

• Share our message
• Support the No One Turned Away campaign
• Contact your local MP
• Donate to St John’s Youth Services
• Visit Homelessness Australia to learn more.