More than 13,000 young people presented alone to specialist homelessness services in New South Wales (NSW) in 2023-24. With no access to “the bank of mum and dad”, these young people are competing in a rental market that is failing adults on double incomes. Housing affordability is at record lows, and about 2 in 3 young people requesting medium-term specialist housing support are being turned away due to lack of options.
Young people in this situation are forced to bounce between crisis accommodation, couch surfing, sleeping in cars, on the streets and in overcrowded dwellings.
Youth Foyers provide 16-24 year olds with a safe and stable home, integrated with education, employment and life skills support, all under one roof. These wraparound supports are critical to breaking the cycle of youth homelessness. There are 27 Youth Foyers in Australia (16 existing Accredited Youth Foyers, and 11 under construction). Despite having some of the highest numbers of youth homelessness in local communities, NSW has just two Youth Foyers.
This pre-budget submission to the SA State Government outlines the need for ten more Foyers in NSW to unlock positive housing, employment and education outcomes for more than 3,000 young people, including up to 1,000 First Nations young people, over the next decade.
