Behind every statistic on youth homelessness is a young person whose childhood has been derailed by trauma. Family and domestic violence. Abuse. Homes that are unsafe or lack the capacity to support them. Communities that reject or cannot help them. Driven to leave unsafe environments, they often enter uncertain and unstable situations.
These are not abstract problems. They are children sleeping rough, couch-surfing, or living in cars. Young people missing school because they have nowhere stable to sleep. Adolescents disconnected from family. The social costs are profound and immediate.
Families Under Pressure, Communities Fractured
According to the 2025 Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Child Poverty Report, 103,900 children in WA (16.2%) live in poverty, with 30,300 in severe poverty. Rising housing costs compound the crisis - rents for three-bedroom homes have risen 43% in Perth since 2022. Families on the edge face impossible choices: overcrowding, forced relocation, or watching their children leave home too early.
In Parkerville's Moving On Moving Out (MOMO) outreach program, 100% of participants reported family and domestic violence as a factor in leaving home. 41% presented with acute mental health issues, including suicidal ideation - double the previous reporting period. These young people carry trauma that shapes their relationships, their sense of safety, and their ability to trust others for years to come.
Homelessness is emerging earlier. In Parkerville's Support and Counselling Service for children aged 4-14, common challenges include anxiety, school avoidance, developmental vulnerabilities, and shame over lacking basic resources. Communities lose the contributions these young people could make.
A System Struggling to Respond
The youth homelessness sector is clear: demand is outstripping service availability. Young people in crisis need immediate access to safe accommodation, yet crisis beds are insufficient to meet current need. The evidence for Housing First approaches - providing stable housing as a foundation for addressing other challenges - is compelling, yet implementation remains limited. Mental health waitlists stretch 6-24 months, meaning many young people disengage before support arrives.
Investment is needed across the continuum. Crisis services catch young people who fall. Housing First stabilises them. Early intervention and diversion services reduce the number falling in the first place. Without adequate crisis response, young people face dangerous situations while waiting for support. Without Housing First, they cycle through temporary accommodation without achieving stability. Without diversion services, the number entering crisis continues to grow.
The Economic Consequences We Cannot Ignore
These social costs become economic ones. Adolescents experiencing homelessness are less likely to complete school or secure stable employment. They face chronic health challenges, welfare reliance, and interaction with emergency and justice systems - representing billions in lifetime costs through lost workforce participation, escalating health expenditure, and higher justice system costs.
Every young person disconnected from education and work is a future skills gap and a strain on public services. Every family that fractures under housing pressure creates ripple effects across generations. WA cannot afford to lose this talent and potential.
Diversion and Prevention Trajectories
Parkerville's role is to prevent young people from entering homelessness and to redirect those at risk back towards stability. Our wraparound support shows what's possible:
- Ruby's youth homelessness diversion program provides accommodation to at-risk young people while working to repair family relationships. The aim is to restore young people back home by helping families create places that are safe, welcoming and responsive to their needs.
- The Young Women's Program supports young mothers, preventing two generations from entering the cycle.
- MOMO reconnects over half of participants with education or training.
- Child and Parent Centres and Kids Hub provide early childhood and culturally attuned mental health support.
- The Education, Employment and Training Program provides trauma-informed pathways to education. In 2026, the new CARE School will expand these opportunities.
Every young person kept connected to family, school, and community has a chance at the childhood and future they deserve.
Why Business Must Act
Government action alone isn't enough. WA businesses can influence outcomes:
1. Invest in scalable models across the continuum: Multi-year partnerships enable expansion of crisis services, Housing First, and prevention programmes.
2. Create employment pathways: Traineeships, apprenticeships, and mentoring provide stability and purpose.
3. Partner on integrated service models: Collaborations like Kids Hub leverage shared expertise.
4. Advocate for system investment: Support policies that fund adequate crisis response, Housing First implementation, and family stability.
Supporting Children Today Shapes WA's Future
If WA wants thriving communities and sustainable growth, we must invest in children and young people now - across crisis response, housing stability, and prevention. Every child kept connected to family, school, and community matters.
This Christmas, your support helps vulnerable children and young people find safety, stability, and pathways forward, breaking the cycle of homelessness.
Support Parkerville’s Christmas Appeal: www.parkerville.org.au/christmas
