14 April 2015 Media release Tackling youth homelessness the key to stopping a life on the streets, says peak On the eve of Youth Homelessness Matters Day, the peak body for homelessness in Victoria says preventing homelessness for young people is one of the keys to ending rough sleeping. “Becoming homeless in your teens is a fast track to a lifetime of homelessness,” said the CEO of Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), Jenny Smith. “The younger you are when you become homeless, the harder it is to break the cycle, and the longer you’ll remain without a home.” Recent research involving a group of rough sleepers in Melbourne found that half of them had first become homeless before the age of 18. These people then went on to spend an average of 29 years homeless. Rough sleepers who became homeless after the age of 18 had far shorter experiences of homelessness. “Last financial year over 20,100 Victorian youth sought help from homelessness agencies, up from 17,600 in the 2011-2 financial year,” said Ms Smith. CHP says that early intervention targeting those most at risk is the key to turning the tide and in its pre-budget submission proposes focusing on kids who are in state care, who research shows are most likely to become homeless upon exiting state care. A recent report from Swinburne University revealed that 63% of young people experiencing homelessness had been in kinship, residential or foster care. CHP’s pre-Budget submission calls on the State Government to provide a guaranteed housing fund for young people leaving state care. The Leaving Care Housing fund would provide $4,160 per year for each young person leaving care to subsidise rent, or pay for bond and other housing costs. Under the proposal, each young person leaving care would also have a support worker to help navigate their move to independence. “Although this may sound like a lot of money, research has shown that the lifetime costs of homelessness can be over $700,000 and into the millions due to the added burden on emergency services, the justice system and mental health services,” said Ms Smith. “Investment in this vulnerable group of people now would save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars down the track.’’ Media enquiries: Lanie Harris, Council to Homeless Persons, 0418 552 377 To coincide with Youth Homelessness Matters Day 2015, CHP and Melbourne City Mission are holding a symposium with the authors of ‘The Costs of Youth Homelessness’ report Date: Wednesday 15 April Time: 11am Venue: Melbourne City Mission, 24 Tope St, South Melbourne Speakers: Professor Paul Flatau, Director of the Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia Dr Monica Thielking, Swinburne University of Technology Professor Shelley Mallett, General Manager, Brotherhood of St Laurence Associate Professor Philip Mendes, Department of Social Work at Monash University Click here for CHP’s 2015-16 Pre-Budget Submission Click here for ‘The Cost of Youth Homelessness in Australia Report’ by Swinburne University 1