Creating Pathways, Not Just Places: Why Support Matters

Last week Marist180 welcomed the NSW Government’s $130 million commitment to expand crisis accommodation, calling it a vital step toward safety and dignity for people with nowhere else to turn. 

But as a frontline service provider, supporting homeless young people, Marist180 can see that beds alone won’t break the cycle of homelessness. 

“A bed is the first step—but it’s not the solution,” said Peter Monaghan, CEO of Marist180. Homelessness is rarely just about housing. For young people, it often stems from family breakdown, trauma, mental health challenges, and systemic disadvantage. “Young people need wraparound support to address the reasons they became homeless in the first place and to rebuild their futures”. Without service funding, this investment risks creating a cycle where people move from one temporary bed to another without ever reaching stability. 

Nearly one in three people accessing Specialist Homelessness Services in NSW are under 18, and half of the young people who seek a crisis bed are turned away because services simply don’t have the funded capacity to support them.  

To make this investment work, we need service funding that matches infrastructure funding. That’s why Marist180 joins sector partners in calling for a 50% uplift to base Specialist Homelessness Service funding in the forthcoming State Budget, alongside investment in long-term supported housing for young people. 

When we fund both housing and services, we create pathways out of crisis—not just temporary shelter, but lasting stability and dignity. This is how we turn a record investment into real change. 

“Housing is more than a roof—it’s the foundation for stability, health, and opportunity,” Monaghan said. “When we fund both housing and services, we create pathways out of crisis—not just temporary shelter, but lasting dignity and hope.”