Young people accessing youth support services participated in Youth Homelessness Matters Day today, with the aim to break common stereotypes of homelessness and raise awareness of a very real issue, said Minister for Housing, Shane Rattenbury.
“In the ACT, almost half of those who access homelessness services are under the age of 25,” said Mr Rattenbury.
“It is not a common view to picture homelessness as a young person living in emergency accommodation, or couch surfing with friends, not knowing where they will sleep from night to night, but it is a real one,” said Minister Rattenbury.
The theme for Youth Homelessness Matters Day this year is ‘Like. Share. Act’.
“The spirit of this theme is fitting and it makes a distinction between passively supporting a cause, and actively participating to affect change.
“The campaign goals include breaking common stereotypes associated with youth homelessness; and engaging government and corporate sectors to increase support and resources available to young people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.
The 2014 Report on Government Services shows that in 2012-13, the ACT recorded the second highest number of young people undertaking formal study or training after receiving support from homelessness services, at over 80 per cent.
“The ACT Government is working hard to ensure the safety of young people at risk of homelessness in our community, while enabling them to move along the continuum of support to stable long term accommodation,” said Mr Rattenbury.
The current development of a Human Services Blueprint will assist with service integration into the future, to ensure that people experiencing homelessness will receive a more holistic response to address their needs.
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