This Youth Homelessness Matters Day, Brophy is standing with young people and calling for urgent, coordinated action to end homelessness — not just for youth, but for everyone experiencing housing insecurity in our communities.
The theme for Youth Homelessness Matters Day 2025 is a call to move beyond awareness and into real, structural change. The numbers are staggering — and they demand a national conversation.
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1 in 4 people experiencing homelessness in Australia is aged 10–24.
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In 2023–24 alone, more than 43,000 children and young people under 25 presented on their own to specialist homelessness services.
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Across Australia, there are zero affordable rental properties for someone on Youth Allowance.
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Half of the young people who sought a bed in a crisis refuge were turned away because services were underfunded.
At Brophy, we see this reality every day — and we know that homelessness is not simply a housing issue. It’s a youth justice issue. A family violence issue. A mental health issue. And it’s a national equity issue.
Young people experiencing homelessness are often couch surfing, living in unsafe environments, or being forced to make impossible choices. They’re significantly more likely to experience:
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Mental health concerns
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Domestic and family violence
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Exploitation, abuse, and instability
And for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, the experience is even more acute — making up approximately one-third of all young people presenting alone to homelessness services.
What needs to change?
We are joining calls from across the sector urging federal and state governments to:
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Make ending youth homelessness a national priority
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Develop a targeted national plan
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Fund the services that are proven to work
We also need long-term strategies to improve housing affordability across the board — not just for young people, but for every Australian experiencing poverty, disadvantage, or housing instability.
Brophy’s role
We support young people and families across south-west Victoria through:
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Crisis accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness
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Family and youth support services
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Mental health care and therapeutic support (headspace Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland)
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Advocacy and connection to employment, education, and community
But we can’t solve this crisis alone.
Youth homelessness is preventable
With early intervention, stable housing, wraparound support, and culturally safe services, we can change the story.
Let’s build a future where no young person has to face homelessness alone.
Because youth homelessness matters — on April 16, and every day.