Young people experience homelessness differently to adults. Young people need care and support, and are not usually developmentally ready to fully control the circumstances of their own health, safety and positive development.
The challenge of supporting young people without a home includes more than accessing a stable home. The question remains as to how a service system can meaningfully provide a substitute for the care and guidance so critical to positive adolescent development, where that influence is and/ or has been inconsistent in the home. Victoria is yet to fully grapple with this question.
This submission seeks to conceptualise a homelessness service system designed for young people, rather than an adult system with ad hoc youth appropriate elements. The submission doesn’t seek to comprehensively outline the various interventions required to meet the multiple needs of young people without homes, rather it seeks to envisage a structure in which young people can be supported to thrive.
Please note, this publication was published prior to CHP’s branding refresh in 2022.