An opportunity for the Queensland Government to create pathways to thriving, independent futures for young people at risk of and experiencing homelessness.
We are asking the Queensland Government to invest in at least six new Youth Foyers in Queensland to enable young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to transition to independent, thriving futures.
There is a strong pipeline of Youth Foyers projects in Queensland, with at least six sites – Cairns, Mango Hill, Caboolture, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba and Brisbane ready for development within three years.
We are asking the Queensland Government to:
● Invest $120 million in new upfront capital funding from 2024 to 2027 to build six new Youth Foyers. This will deliver 240 new homes for young people.
● Invest $120 million in operational funding for six new Youth Foyers over ten years. This will enable an additional 2,000 young people at risk of/or experiencing homelessness to transition to independent, thriving futures.
Return on investment
There is both a moral and an economic case for investing in six Queensland-based Youth Foyers.
● This investment will deliver governments an economic return of $6 for every additional $1 invested.
● This investment will save the Queensland Government $178 million over 10 years.
4,827 children and young people aged 12 to 24 are sleeping rough, couch surfing, or living in improvised or severely crowded dwellings in Queensland. With increasing housing stress, the intensification of the housing rental crisis and the potential for rising unemployment the number of homeless young people is expected to increase.
The current lifetime cost of a young person in the Specialist Homelessness Support system is $371,7839. According to the Foyer Foundation’s Under One Roof Report, Accenture Economic Insights found that Youth Foyer programs produce $178,200 in government savings per person. This saving can be attributed to reductions in housing, health, welfare, and justice costs throughout a young person’s life.
These figures capture the fiscal benefits only. The figures don’t reflect the value to society and the young person when their life outcomes are improved as a result of living in a Foyer. In short, the total benefits are higher than those captured in fiscal figures alone.