Tackling youth homelessness ‘critical’ to long-term solution

Targeted intervention at the start of a young person’s homelessness cycle is critical to tackle youth homelessness.

Jenny Smith, CEO of Council to Homeless Persons. Picture: AAP

Focusing policy and funding on solving rough sleeping while failing to tackle youth homelessness is doomed to failure because many of those young people will slip through the cracks without targeted support, a leading inter­national expert has warned.

“A recent Canadian survey found that more than 50 per cent of chronically homeless adults had their first experience of homelessness before they were 25, and 22 per cent had their first experience between the ages of 13 and 17,” said Canadian expert Melanie Redman, who will address a Melbourne conference on Monday.

“If you prioritise stopping young people becoming homeless, you will make a huge dent in chronic homelessness down the road … this can take away the need for a lifetime of paid support.”

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Jenny Smith said swift, targeted intervention at the start of a young person’s homelessness cycle was critical. “Young people are more likely to be in hidden forms of homelessness such as couch surfing, so they’re easier to ignore. But they are frequently far more vulnerable than adults … Simply housing them is not a ­silver bullet,” she said.