Mackay child advocates say homeless youth are forced to commit survival crimes

Young Queensland teens are prostituting themselves for money to survive and children under nine years old are crying for help from specialist homeless services, but neither are eligible for the support. SPECIAL REPORT

Queensland’s homeless youth are being forced into committing “survival” crimes for basic life needs after three decades of underfunding.

Young teens are prostituting themselves for money to survive and children under nine years old are crying for help from specialist homeless services, but neither are eligible for the support because of their age.

The most recent data released in 2016 indicated there were about 4500 homeless youths across the state.

Queensland Youth Housing Coalition executive director Lorraine Dupree said they believed that figure would have tripled in the 2021 data, which is yet to be released.

QYHC research revealed that except for the implementation of awards in the late 1990s, pay equity funding in 2008 and “occasional ad hoc increases in specific services”, there had been no additional investment in specialist youth housing and homelessness services in about 30 years.

“We seem to, in modern times, accept that young people are on the streets and homeless,” she said.

“Our responsibility as a community is to make sure young people have their needs met and we are falling short of that responsibility.

“Those young people are going to commit crimes, obviously often petty crimes or survival crimes … most of them are not violent crimes.”

This decrepit old building in the Mackay city centre is now a shelter for the region's homeless youth. Picture: Janessa Ekert

‘THEY TAKE SUBSTANCES TO KEEP AWAKE’

A decrepit old building in the Mackay CBD that was once a Commonwealth Bank now acts as a shelter for homeless youths.

YIRS Mackay service manger Dee Chapman said figures collated over the past 12 months revealed huge increases in homelessness, as well as mental health issues and education disengagement.

“They’re on the street, and then they’re not safe, then they take substances to keep awake, then they’re stealing to get their needs met,” she said.

In 2022 there were 454 homeless youth in Mackay and another 50 presented in January 2023 – and there was only a single emergency housing for the whole district that could please four boys and four girls.

YIRS One Stop Youth Shop Dee Chapman. Picture: Heidi Petith

“It’s dramatic,” Ms Chapman said, adding she was applying for funding daily “just to keep the doors open”.

“I have 15 year olds prostituting themselves to meet their needs, they’re not entitled to Centrelink benefits.”

Her work in child advocacy paints a harrowing picture for disadvantaged youths.

“A 16 year old being withdrawn from school because her parents cannot pay the fees or cannot afford just the basic stuff to attend school, let alone have lunch … or uniforms,” Ms Chapman said.

“She’s living in a car with her mother now.”

A decrepit old building in the Mackay city centre, that was one the Commonwealth Bank, now acts as a shelter for the region's homeless youth. Picture: Janessa Ekert

‘SEXUAL FAVOURS OR HIT WITH $150 A NIGHT’

Fourteen-year-olds, who are bullied at school, suffering from mental health issues and acting out, are kicked out of home and on the street using substances and stealing cars, she said.

“But in saying that it was an adult (who) gave them the substance to go and steal the vehicle and take it to a specific location,” she said.

“They’re definitely taken advantage of, extorted (for) sexual favours, $150 a night, I’ll have your phone.”

Ms Chapman said there needed to be better crossover between government and non-government agencies, and while a lot of organisation did work together “we’re still finding cracks and we’re losing young people through them”.

She said there needed to be more support for at-risk youths and their families during their time in the criminal justice process and before it reached that point.

But youth social workers were getting crushed under the ever-increasing numbers.

“Building more juvies (youth detention centres) isn’t going to help, that’s only encouraging it more,” she said.

1 in 5 NEEDING HOUSING UNDER 9

Queensland Council of Social Services chief executive officer Aimee McVeigh said 37 per cent of people seeking support from specialist homeless services were aged under 20.

“And particularly troubling, we know that about 20 per cent of the people seeking support from specialist homeless services are under the age of nine,” Ms McVeigh said.

“We don’t have solutions for kids who are turning up at specialist homeless services or community services who are under the age of 16.”

Ms McVeigh said the state’s youth shelters were not meant to provide shelter for kids under the age of 16.

Child advocates say homeless youth are being forced into committing survival crimes.

“There are young kids without a housing solution because nothing has been funded,” she said.

“We are in a housing crisis and we do not currently have a plan that will in any way get us out of this mess.

“We know that we have so many young people in our community who don’t have access to the basics, to housing, to support to be in education, to healthcare, to food, to disability supports.”

Ms McVeigh said these factors were often the underlying causes behind children entering the criminal justice system.

QLD HOUSING SPEND SHAME

As it stands Queensland spends the least on social housing of any state or territory and at $130.33 per capita it is well below the national average of $178.76.

Youth homelessness. Picture: Istock.

Ms Dupree said youth homelessness was one of the most underfunded areas across Australia “and certainly in Queensland”.

“Instead we just leave them to languish and then what are they going to do,” Ms Dupree said.

QYHC was “in the throes of preparing a call to action” to all Queensland MPs for Youth Homeless Matters Day on April 19.

Ms Dupree said they wanted an immediate funding increase of at least 25 per cent – which equates to about $15m – at least 400 homes by 2024 and for 25 per cent of available housing earmarked for young people, who make up 25 to 30 per cent of the state’s homeless population.

$1B INCREASE PLEDGE

Housing and Communities Minister Leeanne Enoch said in 2022 the government boosted its signature Housing Investment Fund by $1bn, taking its investment in social and affordable housing “to a historic $3.9 billion, delivering 13,000 new social and affordable homes by 2027”.

She said it also launched a framework designed by young people, the QYHC and backed by almost $30m in funding to address the issue.

“We know that addressing youth homelessness is about more than just a roof over someone’s head,” she said, adding the funding had gone towards a number of things including better information to promote earlier access to service, a new Brisbane housing program with onsite support and 38 new units.

She said the funding also went towards various housing programs including flexible financial housing assistance and new specialist housing workers.

“The Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs is Queensland’s lead child protection agency,” she said.

“If a child is experiencing or at risk of harm, including homelessness and the Department is not yet aware of their circumstances, the Child Safety After Hours Service Centre can be contacted on 1800 177 135. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”