Last week, a friend of mine who works at a TAFE told me about the increasing number of young people she sees who are not just homeless—but hungry. She’s taking action by helping to set up a food pantry at the TAFE. But what struck me most was the scale of what she’s witnessing: a growing crisis in youth homelessness that’s playing out in education settings, on our streets, and behind closed doors.
Young people often don’t fit the stereotype of what homelessness “looks like.” Yet since 2006, the biggest increase in homelessness by age group has been among those aged 19 to 24. Back then, 75 out of every 10,000 young people were homeless. By the 2021 Census, that figure had risen to 91—a 20% increase over 15 years.
“Ending homelessness requires deep, sustained collaboration—between sectors, services, and governments. It’s not something any one organisation can solve alone.”
Kate MillsCEO of the Property Industry Foundation
So what’s going on?
There’s no single cause. Youth homelessness is the result of market pressures, policy decisions, and social assumptions that combine to create one of the hardest housing challenges we face.
- In the rental market, young people—who typically have less income, limited savings, and no rental history—are forced to compete with older, more financially secure adults.
- In government policy, young people often receive less support. For example, Youth Allowance is lower than JobSeeker, and access to Commonwealth Rent Assistance is more limited—creating what’s often called a “youth housing penalty.”
- And socially, there’s a persistent belief that young people can rely on their parents. That may be true for some, but not for all. Each year, more than 4,000 young people exit the care system—most without any parental safety net. Around 30% experience homelessness in their first year out of care. And of those, over a third remain homeless for more than six months.
This is the context in which I recently joined the board of Homelessness NSW. At the Foundation, we focus on youth homelessness, but I believe strongly that we must never pit homelessness cohorts against each other. Everyone experiencing homelessness—regardless of age, background, or circumstance—deserves support, dignity, and a path to safe, secure housing.
Ending homelessness requires deep, sustained collaboration—between sectors, services, and governments. It’s not something any one organisation can solve alone. That’s why I’m looking forward to working with Dom Rowe, CEO of Homelessness NSW, and the rest of the board to help drive systemic change.
There’s a lot to be done. But together, I believe we can make real progress—because everyone deserves a place to call home.
