Youth Homelessness Matters Day: A Crisis We Can’t Keep Ignoring

Wednesday marked Youth Homelessness Matters Day, a national day of awareness and action for the tens of thousands of young Australians who don't have a safe place to call home.

It’s a crisis that rarely makes headlines, but the numbers are impossible to ignore. In just one year, more than 38,000 young people aged 15–24 turned to homelessness services across the country. Many came alone. Nearly half were dealing with mental ill-health. A third were fleeing domestic or family violence. Thousands were turned away, not because they didn’t need help, but because there was no help left to give.

This is not just a housing issue, it’s a justice issue. Young people aren’t just losing their homes. They’re losing safety, privacy, stability, and the chance to build a future.

The Roots Run Deep

Youth homelessness doesn’t appear overnight. It’s the result of compounding failures, family violence, poverty, mental illness, a lack of affordable housing and systemic gaps in support. Short-term fixes won’t cut it. We need long-term solutions that meet young people where they are and help them get where they need to be.

At Marist180, we support young people aged 16–24 with crisis and transitional housing in communities like Mount Druitt, Hebersham, and Marayong. These aren’t just places to sleep, they’re spaces of healing and hope, where young people can learn life skills, reconnect with education, and begin to believe in their future again. But our services, and others like us, are stretched thin.

Marist180 Specialist Homelessness Services team at the Youth Homelessness Matters Day event hosted by Marist180 in partnership with Yfoundations, at Mount Druitt Community Hall

What We Need Now: A National Plan

That’s why Marist180 stands with Yfoundations and others in the sector to call for a National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Action Plan. A plan that recognises the complexity of youth homelessness and invests in integrated solutions: from housing and mental health to education and family support.

We know what works. What we need is the political will to scale it.

Listen to Young People

Young people know what they need. They’ve been telling us for years: safety, consistency, someone to walk alongside them. This YHMD, let’s start listening and acting.

That message came through clearly from Gaige Evans, a young person in our transitional accommodation program, who shared this reflection at our Youth Homelessness Matters Day event:

“My case worker sat with me, and she listened to everything, and she would say, ‘Do you want me to listen to you or do you want a solution?’ I reckon you should say that to young people.”

The impact of truly listening is best expressed by those who’ve lived it. Sophy Boylen, a young resident in one of our transitional homes in Western Sydney, shares:

“I’ve been with Marist since February 27th, 2024 just over a year now, and in that time, my life has completely transformed. When I first arrived, I was experiencing homelessness and struggling to find a sense of safety and stability. Marist gave me a lifeline, a place in a refuge where I had my own bedroom, meals provided, and most importantly, a safe space to begin healing. I completed both Year 11 and 12 through TAFE, and from there, I worked hard and was accepted into university, something I once thought was out of reach.”

Zoë Robinson, NSW Advocate for Children and Young People, in conversation with young people from our transitional accommodation program

It’s Not Inevitable. It’s Preventable.

As Marist180 CEO Peter Monaghan says, “Homelessness is not inevitable, it’s preventable.” That prevention starts with policy. It starts with resources. And it starts with recognising that a society that lets its young people fall through the cracks is a society failing itself.

This is a solvable crisis. But we need to act together. You can support the work of Marist180 on the NYHD website here.