- 18 Apr 2024
Youth Homelessness Matters Day
Watch the latest update from our CEO, Nicole Chaplin, where she talks about Youth Homelessness Matters Day and encourages us all to take action to help end youth homelessness. One simple action you can take is to sign the petition calling for a national strategy to end youth homelessness.
✏️ Video Transcript
Hello, I’m Nicole Chaplin, CEO of St John’s Youth Services.
I’m sure you have seen from all the traffic on social media this week acknowledging that youth homelessness in Australia through Youth Homelessness Matters Day.
Youth Homelessness Matters Day was established in 1990 to put the spotlight on young people experiencing homelessness in Australia.
Earlier this week I hosted an event for our private sponsors and supporters and asked the question, I wonder what it looked like in 1990. And being the curious kind of person I am I went and had a look to see what has changed in the last three decades.
In 1989 we didn’t count young people, we had no idea who was homeless in 1989. In 1990 when Youth Homelessness Matters Day was established, Commissioner Burdekin made mention that it was between 15 and 20,000 young people experiencing homelessness in Australia. Again, probably not great counting. It might have been a bit more and it might have been a bit less.
Today in 2024 we have 40,000 young people experiencing homelessness across Australia, so conservatively the problem has doubled in three decades.
I would like you all to think deeply about how we can support young people experiencing homelessness on an individual level, but maybe more importantly, at a system level. What can we do, what can you do? Can you write to your MP? Can you write a letter to the local newspaper or post something on social media about supporting young people in their journey, to eliminate homelessness as much as we can for young people.
Young people are our future and we need to support them to meet their goals and their dreams.
Thank you.
