We’re still buzzing from all the ideas and energy brought to the Victorian Youth Homelessness Assembly. Here’s a quick wrap of some of the many, many highlights.
On 29-30 April, the specialist homelessness services (SHS) sector came together to begin co-designing a new youth homelessness strategy at the Victorian Youth Homelessness Assembly.
In a powerful opening to the event, MC Brea Dorsett shared her own experiences of navigating the homelessness services system, then facilitated a plenary panel of young lived experience advocates, who frankly and generously told the room what it was like to be homeless at a young age.
Arlo told us that while they found life-saving support, many other young people don’t.
“I found an incredible worker who taught me the skills to survive. She saved my life,” they said. “But it was all luck. There are incredible people working within this system that doesn’t work.”
Imogen, a peer worker at Melbourne City Mission (MCM), said she now helps other young people after she received crucial support when she needed it.
“I work in the same building that changed my life five years ago,” she said. “[Peer workers] saw me as a human being, not a statistic.”
Imogen added that, while young people should be listened to, the burden should not be put on them to fix the system.
Through the rest of the afternoon, the Assembly heard expert insights from frontline practitioners, researchers and sector leaders on key areas for reform.
The importance of investing in prevention and early intervention came through loud and clear throughout many sessions.
“We need to hold ourselves accountable for a reduction in homelessness in a particular place.”
On the panel ‘Prioritising Prevention: Turning off the Tap’, David McKenzie of Upstream Australia spoke of the success of place-based responses and how we need to build an ‘ecosystem’ of support around a young person.
“Because of a departmental system that is inherently siloed … cooperation works better on the ground,” he said. “We need to hold ourselves accountable for a reduction in homelessness in a particular place.”
Throughout the panel ‘Youth: the overlooked face of family violence’ we were reminded that family violence is the key driver of youth homelessness. We heard moving words from Ella, lived experience advocate at Bridgeit, about the complexities of experiencing family violence.
“I didn’t know that I was being abused … I thought it was normal,” she said.
She reminded of the reason we need to deliver a compassionate and human response.
“The only thing that makes me feel okay is laughter. [Sometimes people are] thinking like a practitioner instead of like a human.”
Other panels emphasised the need for increased collaboration, service-linking and data-sharing; discussed the restrictions of a competitive funding model; called attention to self-determined Aboriginal housing solutions; and highlighted the importance of trauma-informed accommodation.
“We need to build a system that’s not based on ‘luck’, but one that can give every single young person who comes to us the support they need.”
Rounding out a big first day, we gathered for the exhibition Through My Eyes, which platformed 20 works from a dozen young people with lived experience of homelessness. Spanning painting, photography, poetry, sculpture, and multimedia works, the exhibition directed 100% of profits of work sold back to the exhibiting artists.
It was fantastic to be able to share the event with several of the artists and their friends. Big thanks to Launch Housing and MCM for their assistance connecting us to the artists.
The baton passed to attendees on Day Two of the Assembly, with a morning of themed workshops at which participants outlined their visions for a successful youth homelessness response and the priorities to get us there.
Delivered by consultants Allen + Clarke, workshops mirrored the panel topics and were a lively discussion of what’s working, what’s not, and how the sector can coordinate a stronger response.
A thread through many workshops was the sense of system fragmentation and duplicated work, and how we can better bridge these gaps. We also heard of the strength of Foyer models, the need to address workforce burnout, and the importance of a multi-sectoral approach.
After a dynamic morning, we came together to draw the Assembly to a close, hearing from members of the Ministerial Homelessness Reform Advisory Group (MHRAG). The panel reiterated the need for increased investment in prevention strategies, as well as more consistent data interpretation, and the potential for a public-facing campaign to communicate beyond the sector.
Closing the Assembly alongside Brea Dorsett, CHP’s CEO Deborah Di Natale said the enthusiasm brought to the Assembly showed the strong appetite for collaboration across the sector – as well as highlighting the need to create a system that’s sustainable and supportive of all young people.
“The brilliant young people who spoke told us they felt ‘lucky’ to have found a compassionate support worker or the right service to help them,” said Di Natale.
“We need to build a system that’s not based on luck, but one that can instead give every single young person who comes to us the support they need and the opportunity to thrive.”
Huge thanks again to our premier partners MCM and Homes Victoria, for helping bring the Assembly to life in such spectacular fashion. Thank you also to all our other sponsors and exhibitors.
And, last but not least, a massive thank you to everyone who attended for making it such a lively, collaborative and energising event!
From here, CHP will distill the ideas put forward in the Assembly workshops into a framework which will be shared with attendees for comment. It will then be shared more broadly with the sector for consultation, later in the year. We are excited to keep you informed as this process takes shape.
Images by One Picture Photography.