Youth Homelessness In Australia

Introduction

Homelessness is a social problem in Australia. Youth homelessness in Australia has been on the increase due to several factors, and it is assumed that these factors may assist in the intervention and prevention of youth homelessness. The only way to decrease youth homelessness is to address the structural factors that cause it. This paper will begin by defining homelessness according to the Supported Accommodation Assistance Act 1994 and by other prominent authors of youth homelessness. Structural factors will be then discussed, including unemployment and lack of affordable housing, as prominent causes for the increase in youth homelessness. It will be argued that the Australian 'nuclear' family has changed since the 1970's and
7) argue that the way in which homelessness is defined affects the way research is carried out and what policies are pursued. What is homelessness? Homelessness is defined in terms of the character of a person's housing situation and adequacy (Crane & Brannock, 1996, p. 6). This definition is backed up by the Supported Accommodations Assistance Act 1994 that states that a 'person is homeless if, and only if, he or she has inadequate access to safe and secure housing' (S. 4.1 ). There are a variety of factors that contribute to the cause of homelessness amongst young people. Various studies have been initiated to investigate these factors to develop prevention and intervention strategies for youth homelessness. The most prominent of these studies was Our Homeless Children, conducted by Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commissioner Brian Burdekin, commonly known as the Burdekin
11). SAAP works on an early intervention method and the goal is to provide transitional accommodation and related support services as well as resolve crisis and re-establish family links where appropriate (FACS, 2003). The SAAP is Australia's national primary response to homelessness in Australia and is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State governments. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2004) the services mostly provided for clients are housing and accommodation (75%) that provides assistance in obtaining independent or short-term accommodation and general support or advocacy (75%) that provides assistance with legal advice, retrieval of belongings, living skills and other advice. The third most common service provided is basic support and services (65%) which also includes meals, recreation, transport and laundry/shower facilities. However, only 7% of people under the age of 25 sought SAAP for employment or training assistance, leaving 93% of SAAP clients unemployed. It is clear that SAAP specialise in acquiring accommodation services for young people at risk of becoming, or are already,