Raikes Foundation’s Post

It's easy to take for granted having a safe and cozy place to go home to every night, especially as the harsh winter season looms. People experiencing homelessness are often easily judged. Many assume they just "made bad choices" that put them in the position they’re in. At Guild, we now that each person’s experience is far more complicated than that, and that there are many variables that lead a person to homelessness. Visit the Guild blog to learn more about some of the common misconceptions about homelessness — and how you can help people experiencing homelessness in your community: https://bit.ly/3MUrV2I

Our new youth homelessness report demonstrates the harrowing impact of homelessness on young lives, revealing nearly one in ten Youth Survey 2023 participants experienced homelessness in the past year.   Whether enduring the harsh realities of sleeping rough, seeking refuge in crisis or transitional accommodation, or couch surfing, our Youth Survey confirms the experience of homelessness for young people can be distressing and scarring.   Every young person deserves a safe, secure home as a launchpad into adulthood. Empowering young people to start their journey to adulthood on a solid footing can transform lives.

📢 New Report Released: Youth Survey Homelessness Report 2024 - The Unfair Divide 📢 Mission Australia has just released the Youth Survey Homelessness Report 2024: The Unfair Divide. Using data from nearly 20,000 responses, this report compares the experiences of young people who have experienced homelessness in the past year with those who have not. Key findings include:    📢Close to 1 in 10 Youth Survey respondents experienced homelessness in the previous year.   📢Almost half experienced loneliness all or most of the time (47% compared to 18% with stable housing).  📢2 in 5 identified as having a mental health condition (41% compared to 13%).  📢Close to half found it hard to fit in and socialise with other people (46% compared to 26%).  📢Experience of strained or poor family relationships was seven times higher (34% compared to 5%).  📢2 in 5 sought financial help or could not afford essentials like food, housing, school or transport (42% compared to 10%).    Some findings highlighted the resilience of young people with experience of homelessness:    📢Both groups had a similar level of participation in extracurricular activities and groups (>80%).  📢There was a high level of engagement in education for both cohorts (close to 90%). Recommendations detailed in the report include:    📢Instigate a $500 million Homelessness Prevention Transformation Fund, delivering targeted prevention programs and policy reform for groups of young people with elevated or immediate risk of homelessness.   📢Increase youth housing options in social housing and private rental, including:   📢Develop and maintain a national pool of at least 15,000 dedicated social housing youth tenancies;   📢Construct ten 40-unit Youth Foyers over the next three years.  📢Support youth tenancies through early intervention tenancy support programs.   📢Increase income support and improve rental subsidies, including:   📢Increase JobSeeker and Youth Allowance to $80/day;   📢Increase the maximum threshold of Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 60% and review it together with other rental subsidies, including specific new measures to address the rental gap to remove disincentives for landlords to grow youth-specific housing.   📢Screen early for homelessness risk through schools.  Rebuild family relationships and households if safe, including by expanding the Reconnect program.  📢Implement more crisis support and accommodation responses for young people that are adequately-funded, person-centred and located according to demand. Read the full report below. JOIN US TODAY #LegislatetoEndChildPoverty #ValuingChildrenInitiative #Nochildinpoverty

This new report reveals the troubling reality that 1 in 10 young people (aged 15 to 19) in Queensland who responded to Mission Australia's Youth Survey experienced homelessness in the previous 12 months. It highlights the profound impact that homelessness can have on a young person's wellbeing. They were more likely than their peers to suffer from a mental health condition, face financial hardship, struggle with loneliness and six times more likely to have strained or poor family relationships. The report includes a range of recommendations for proactively addressing youth homelessness and supporting young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The recommendations include calls for more youth foyers to be built to provide secure housing with wrap-around on-site supports for young people and for investment by government into a Homelessness Prevention Transformation Fund. #homelessness #youthfoyers #youthhomelessness

We must break down misconceptions and demand change from our policymakers to help those experiencing homelessness. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eX7WkXdQ #ECFimpact #servecompassionately

If you're interested in learning more about how our youth are facing homelessness, what it looks like, and what can be done to help, join Mission Australia's free webinar on August 6th, where we will review findings from our new youth survey. https://lnkd.in/g2PxXAJY

When young people experience homelessness, it makes everything harder. Our new Youth Survey report ‘The unfair divide: Disadvantage faced by young people who are homeless’ shines a light on the challenges these young people face, across multiple areas of their life, compared to those with stable housing. Ending homelessness for young people will require a range of approaches to make sure that experiences of homelessness are rare, brief and non-recurring. Learn more about the experiences of youth homelessness and solutions in our report. Download your copy today and register for our webinar on Tuesday 6 August. Register for the webinar: https://lnkd.in/g2PxXAJY

Is there a teenager in your life? Remember back to when you were a teenager? Now: can you imagine what their/your life would have been like with nowhere safe and stable to call home? 🙋♂️ 🙋🏾♀️ Our Youth Survey report on youth homelessness shows that life can be very grim indeed, for the 1 in 10 teenagers (aged 15-19) who experienced homelessness. Those young people had significantly higher levels of loneliness, mental ill-health and barriers to education than their peers living in safe stable homes. 😥 The good news is that - despite these challenges - most young people experiencing homelessness are still keen to study and get ahead. Mission Australia works with many homeless teenagers whose resilience, strength and potential is an inspiration 🌟 And the other good news is that we know what works to END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS: * support young people in family conflict so they can stay at home if that's safe and ok; * build youth-appropriate housing for the kids who can't stay at home; * provide the caring support they need to grow into independent adults; * raise the rate of youth welfare payments, so they can afford the rent and cover the essentials; * invest in prevention, so that youth homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring. 🏡 🏡 🏡 🏡 🏡 Find out more: read the report https://lnkd.in/gmyEd6vH and/or come along to the webinar next week https://lnkd.in/gwub9Fiq.

We do NOT have to take homelessness into our future. And...we are working right now to solve for a better future. If we can stay on the path toward housing for all and use that phrase as an action, we will ensure everyone has a place to thrive. Check out TheCaseMade's tips on changing the conversation. We have a moment, let's make the most of it! #housingforall #abundanceforall #reimaginehowjusticewins

What if homelessness wasn't just a statistic but a face—a story—a friend? This eye-opening trailer for No Address dives into the harsh realities of homelessness in America. Through the voices of real people, we uncover the startling truths: 💔 40% of homeless individuals aged 50+ became homeless after 50. 🎒 1.5 million children experiencing homelessness in public schools. 💵 Billions spent, yet the crisis worsens. 💊 Deadly drugs like fentanyl turning neighborhoods into battlegrounds. From tragic policy failures to stories of resilience, No Address asks: Are we past the tipping point? This is more than an issue. It’s a call to action. How did we get here? And more importantly, how do we change? Watch the trailer. Join the conversation. Be the difference. #NoAddressMovie #EndHomelessness #HousingForAll #SocialJustice #HomelessnessAwareness #PolicyChangeNeeded