Housing and Material Needs
Young people make up 21 percent of single people accessing homelessness services in Victoria. Every night 7,600 young people in Victoria are homeless.
Prisons have become the default housing alternative to ensuring secure housing in the community.
According to a 2020 Youth Affairs Council of Victoria report, the reasons behind this homelessness include in order of prevalence: family violence and abuse; mental ill-health; relationship breakdown; alcohol and other drug dependence; exiting youth justice and out-of-home care; and unsafe accommodation.
Next Steps
To end over-representation in the criminal justice system, we are asking the government to act:
Ask thirty-three
Expand transitional housing programs to offer 24/7 wrap around supports to young people up to and including 25-year-olds exiting prison to enable them to thrive and remain in the community.
Ask thirty-four
DFFH, DJCS, DE, Transport, DJPR, DJCS, VicPol and DH, in conjunction with community service providers, establishes a justice intervention and child protection reinvestment framework (building on the Early Investment Framework, Partnerships in Disadvantage, Empowering Communities and Better Connected Care) that authorises investment in, and support for affected communities to identify local need, design common agendas and deliver solutions addressing localised youth under-representation and criminalisation.
Ask thirty-five
Fund the development of a Youth Homelessness Strategy, co-designed with young people. This would incorporate supports best suited to young people, and encourage better coordination between youth homelessness services and other support systems.
Ask thirty-six
Deliver 5,000 new social housing properties for young people over four years.