Coordinated national action on housing for young people

On Thursday 23 May, Home Time coordinated letters to Federal Minister Collins as well as her state and territory counterparts calling for unaccompanied children and young people to be front and centre at the next Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council Meeting.

Thanks to the following organisations for being lead signatories: 

• Federal Government - Homelessness Australia, CHIA, Melbourne City Mission, ACOSS, The Salvation Army, Anglicare Australia, Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and National Shelter

• ACT - Youth Coalition of the ACT, ACT Shelter and ACTCOSS

• New South Wales - Homelessness NSW, Shelter NSW and YFoundations

• Northern Territory - Anglicare NT and CHIA NT

• Queensland - Queensland Youth Housing Coalition, Brisbane Youth Service, Homelessness Queensland and CHIA Queensland 

• South Australia - Shelter SA, CHIA South Australia and Anglicare South Australia

• Tasmania - Youth Network of Tasmania, Shelter Tasmania and TasCOSS

• Victoria - Council to Homeless Persons, Melbourne City Mission, CHIA Victoria and VCOSS

• Western Australia - YACWA, Shelter WA and WACOSS

This group, backed by other Home Time supporters, asked for measures in the new National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness and the National Housing and Homelessness Plan to facilitate:

1. Making unaccompanied children and young people a priority needs group

2. Establishing national, state and territory targets for dedicated tenancies for young people

3. Ensuring support services are linked to tenancies for young people

4. Addressing the rental gap for housing providers offering tenancies to people on youth payments

5. Reporting on social housing allocations to young people nationally

We also supported the call for an increase in Youth Allowance to lift young people out of
poverty.

Thanks to everyone who was part of this action.