Young people aged between 15-24 presenting alone represent 14% of people turning to specialist homelessness services across Australia. Over a third of this cohort are First Nations people. However, the social and affordable housing system is not set up to deliver safe homes and appropriate support. Essentially the problems are (1) dedicated youth tenancies are not built into our housing investment programs, (2) young people do not have access to the supports that allow them to establish themselves in a new home and (3) young people’s incomes are lower and thus the rent they can pay is lower, making it more difficult to finance new homes and maintain existing ones.  

On this last point its worth highlighting that a person on youth allowance receives almost $150 less per fortnight than someone on Jobseeker. The rent they can afford to pay is often too little to allow them to claim Commonwealth Rental Assistance, meaning the housing provider receives abut 70-75% of the rent they would get if the tenant was on Jobseeker.

The framework was launched at the Parliamentary Friends of Housing last Wednesday. It does not promote particular housing models but sets out the different options and types of circumstances in which they will be appropriate. The key demands are for the Federal government to develop 15,000 dedicated youth tenancies for unaccompanied young people, work with the states and territories to develop more flexible and appropriate support options for young people and address the rental gap to remove disincentives to housing young people.

Thank you to the MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum who took time to meet with us during the week. We realise this is just the first step in making the changes necessary and more advocacy is planned in the New Year.