Youth Homelessness isn't always what you think

You might not see youth homelessness. It doesn’t always look like someone sleeping rough. More often, it looks like a young person staying on a friend’s couch… then another… then another. It looks like sleeping in a car. Or going home to somewhere that doesn’t feel safe.

It’s quiet. It’s hidden. And it’s happening more than we realise.

Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that across Australia around 1 in 7 people accessing homelessness services are children and young people on their own, without a parent or carer ¹. For many, the issue isn’t just finding a bed for the night; it’s everything that comes with not having a stable place to call home.

Why young people become homeless

There’s rarely a single reason. For younger people, it’s often family conflict or breakdown, situations where staying at home is no longer safe or possible. For slightly older young people, it’s more likely to be a housing crisis, like being unable to afford rent, losing a tenancy or not being able to find a place to live at all.

Across all ages, common factors include:

• family and domestic violence
• mental health challenges
• disability
• poverty and social disadvantage.

These challenges don’t happen in isolation – they stack and escalate quickly.

What homelessness disrupts

When a young person loses stable housing, it doesn’t just affect where they sleep; it affects everything. 72% of young people ² accessing homelessness support nation-wide are not in education, training or employment at the time. That means missed school, lost opportunities and disconnection from their friends, community or support networks. Without the right support, a short period of instability can turn into long-term disadvantage.

What we know helps

Young people do best when they can access:

• safe, stable housing quickly
• support that wraps around them, not just housing, but help with school, work, health and relationships
• consistent people and services who stay alongside them as things become stable.

This isn’t about one service “fixing” the problem. It’s about a connected system - housing, health, education and community services working together to support young people early, before things get worse.

SA Youth support services

If you, or a young person you know, needs support, help is available:

• Homeless Connect SA – 1800 003 308 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
  A hotline for crisis accommodation and support and often the first point of contact.
• Toward Home Alliance – 1800 809 273 (Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm)
  A homelessness support phone service for people in the Adelaide, South and Hills regions.
• Ask Izzy
  An online directory of services including housing, meals, health and counselling based on your location.
• 13YARN – 13 92 76 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
  A crisis support helpline for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Kids Helpline - 1800 551 800 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
  A helpline providing phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25.
• SYC - The Foundry
  An organisation providing whole-of-life support to young people experiencing homelessness through programs such as RentRight SA – Youth Tenancy Advisors and Life Stuff.
• St John's Youth Services - 08 8359 2989
  An organisation providing immediate short-term housing and other accommodation-related support services for young people, such as the Foyer Port Adelaide.

The right support at the right time

Youth homelessness isn’t always visible, but it is there. So the earlier we respond, with the right support, at the right time, the more likely we can help change a young person’s path.

DHS funds and works alongside Specialist Homelessness Services, including alliance-based services such as the Toward Home Alliance, to help connect young people with housing, case management and the support they need to rebuild stability.

More broadly, the department also works to improve outcomes for young South Australians through its SA Youth Action Plan 2025–2028, which focusses on housing and cost of living, mental health and wellbeing, transition to adulthood, and better connection to services and information.