Young people in care at risk of homelessness
Increasing numbers of young people leaving state care end up homeless or living in sub-standard accommodation, according to a study released today.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) researcher Dr Guy Johnson said young care leavers were struggling to find a home because of rising rents and a lack of public housing.
Dr Johnson found that 73 per cent of young people exiting state care spent some time living on the streets and 27 per cent became homeless immediately. Just six percent moved into public or private housing while 25 per cent moved into temporary accommodation.
Dr Johnson’s findings are the result of more than 70 interviews with young people who had recently left state care in Victoria and Western Australia. They had spent an average of four years in care and a quarter had been involved with the youth justice system. More than half reported a substance abuse problem and 43 per cent reported mental health problems at some stage in their lives.
More than 2000 young people aged 15–17 years exit the care system in Australia each year.
'Fundamentally, the young people in this study struggle in the current housing market. Its marginalising structures - competitive private rental market, limited public housing, the high cost of purchasing - are well established,' Dr Johnson said.
'The reliance on government financial support means that these young people often struggle financially. And, like other young people who are beginning to live independently from their parents, they cannot present evidence of a history as good tenants,' he said.
'This research confirms that pre-care and in-care experiences exert a strong influence on the housing and social stability of care leavers. The way these experiences mediate housing outcomes draws attention to the fact that while most people have stable relationships with others, for many care leavers their lives are characterised by the exact opposite—they often have little, if any, continuity and stability, experience frequent movement, have limited social networks and few people to rely on.'
'Without on-going, reliable relationships, care leavers often end up isolated and disconnected from their local community. A consequence is that many struggle to access and maintain their accommodation.'
Dr Johnson said his findings suggested that better integrated services for care-leavers were needed.
'To improve care leavers’ housing outcomes does not simply require the provision of more housing alone—it requires better integration between child protection and housing providers as well as other service responses, such as mental health and substance abuse services to name but two.'
'If rates of homelessness and housing instability among care leavers are to be reduced and if the Federal Government is to achieve its goal of reducing the numbers of young people who exit care into homelessness and if care leavers are to have the same opportunity as their peers to participate in education and employment, governments need to invest in a range of integrated services designed around care leavers’ varying needs,' Dr Johnson said.
Dr Johnson’s research was presented at a seminar in Canberra today.
Additional information
Media contact: Laurie Nowell - 0467 073 132.
Website Design Melbourne Australia, Web Hosting, Web Development, by DDSN Interactive.