YHMD - We all share responsibility!

When a young person has nowhere to go, we all share responsibility

As a community, too often we treat youth homelessness and its associated challenges as someone else’s problem.

How many times have you heard, or even said, things like?

• “The government isn’t doing enough to address youth homelessness.”

• “Charities are doing amazing work, but they are underfunded.”

• “I want to help but the problem is too complex.”

Every young person deserves a place where they feel safe. A place where they can sleep without fear, finish school, dream about the future, and know someone is in their corner.

For too many young Tasmanians, that place doesn’t exist.

Across Australia, tens of thousands of children and young people aged 12-24 experience homelessness each year. Many are navigating it alone, without the support of a parent or guardian.

In Tasmania, nearly 600 young people were recorded as homeless on Census night, and that number has likely grown since. Young Tasmanians experience homelessness at one of the highest rates in the country. Many were alone, without the support of a parent or guardian.

Behind these numbers are young people sleeping on couches, moving from house to house, or navigating dangerous situations simply to have somewhere to stay. Youth homelessness is often hidden but its impact is profound.

And yet, when we talk about youth homelessness, the conversation often turns to blame.

• “Why did they leave home?”

• “Why can’t they just get a job?”

• “Why don’t they make better choices?”

Well-meaning hand-wringing and outright blame are rooted in the same belief that fault and responsibility rests with somebody else.

The reality of youth homelessness is complex, but complexity doesn’t absolve us of responsibility.

“Most young people experiencing homelessness are not there because they want independence or adventure. They are there because home was unsafe. Family violence, conflict, trauma and poverty are among the most common drivers.”

When a young person leaves home under those circumstances, homelessness is not a lifestyle choice. It is a survival strategy. It is the safest option they had.

The real questions we should be asking ourselves are these:

• Do we want to be a community where young people have nowhere safe to go?

• Do we turn away because their situation is complicated, because they’ve made mistakes, because helping feels too hard?

• Or do we recognise something fundamental – that caring for young people is a shared responsibility?

On Youth Homelessness Matters Day, the answer should be clear.

When young people experience homelessness, the impacts ripple through the rest of their lives. Without stable housing, staying in school becomes incredibly difficult. Holding down a job becomes almost impossible. Research shows that homelessness during adolescence can sever connections to education and employment that are essential for independence later in life.

But the story does not have to end there. We know what works.

When young people are given stable housing and the right support, their futures change dramatically. Youth-specific housing models across Australia have helped more than 70 per cent of participants move into stable housing, while many reconnect with education, training and employment.

In other words, when we invest in young people, they succeed.

Solving youth homelessness is not just the responsibility of governments or specialist services. It requires something broader: a community that refuses to give up on young people.

Young people who have experienced trauma often show it in messy ways. They might struggle with school, with trust, or with behaviour that pushes people away.

But those moments are exactly when they need adults and communities to lean in, not step back.

It means investing in early intervention, so family conflict doesn’t escalate into homelessness. It means building youth-specific housing and support services and it means ensuring all young people, even those who seem the hardest to help, have someone willing to stand beside them.

Youth homelessness is not inevitable. It is something we can prevent, if we choose to.

Every young person deserves a safe place to sleep, someone who believes in them, and the chance to build a life free from trauma and danger.

On Youth Homelessness Matters Day, the message is simple:

If a young person has nowhere safe to go, that’s not just their problem, it’s all of ours.

Written by Dianne Underwood, CEO of Home Base.