Released 13/04/2016
Today I joined with the team at the Ainslie YEAN (Youth Emergency Accommodation Network) and members of the housing and youth sectors to launch Youth Homelessness Matters Day, part of National Youth Week.
It’s great to be able to lead local efforts to raise awareness of this issue.
The focus of today’s launch is a number of the artworks created by young people experiencing homelessness in the ACT – the result of a series of workshops on the theme of ‘safe and healthy homes’.
A Facebook page - Youth Homelessness Matters Day 2016 has also been launched to promote activities around the country and I encourage young people to share their experiences online.
We know that homelessness confronts a number of young people in Canberra which is why the ACT Government is investing $4.6 million this year in services such as the YEAN so that young people have somewhere to turn.
Along with domestic and family violence, youth homelessness is singled out as the key priority area of the current National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness and state and territory housing ministers have recently made a unanimous call to have this federal funding partnership renewed.
The ACT Government funds a range of services that assist young people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness – nine programs across seven services in 2015-16.
These include both accommodation and outreach services. At any given time the ACT has 124 accommodation places available for young people and 84 intensive outreach support places.
In 2014-15, a total of 1,383 young people aged between 15 and 24 accessed ACT specialist homelessness services.
Importantly, the proportion of young people among those who are homeless has declined by nearly 20% since 2007-08, but it is important we keep working to reduce these numbers.
In the ACT, the main reasons young people sought assistance from homelessness services were relationship/family breakdown and domestic and family violence.
The ACT’s youth homelessness services form an important part of a response to the needs of young people experiencing domestic violence in the home.
Young people are also able to call Domestic Violence Crisis Service on 6280 0900 for support.
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases
Media Contacts
| Name | Phone | Mobile | |
|---|---|---|---|