Homelessness Week 2024

I’m posting today to nark Homelessness Week in Australia and for St John’s Youth Services, to talk about SA.

I want to point out that there are plenty of events happening across the nation and in South Australia this week, together with plenty of calls to action and reports and research being released. I encourage you all to have a look, do some research of your own.

What does homelessness mean in our current environment of the housing crisis and the cost of living? Being in the crisis that we’re living in in Australia today, part of my thinking this week has been reflecting on St John’s Youth Services and the work we’ve done with and for young people over the last 42 years. And it’s made me think about the last 13 years when we have had the privilege of the South Australian government providing us with unique state of the art buildings that look very different than a 24/7 shelter. And in that, we’ve also developed amazing service models and unique practises to support young people to break the cycle of homelessness.

We’ve worked with thousands and thousands of young people over the last 42 years and really focus on young people’s aspirations, their potential supporting them to reach their dreams and breaking homelessness.

But today I wat to be a little bit more sombre. Today the team at St John’s Youth Services will gather in a small, very private ceremony to remember the young people who have passed away over the last 42 years. And look, I’m getting upset. But I think that’s actually real. Of all the thousands of young people we’ve supported, I am going to read out 35 names today of young people we know have passed away. There might be other young people who we haven’t heard of who have passed away. These young people have passed away while they were young. And we supported them. So I want you to think this is the real impact of homelessness for people across Australia, that their life expectancy reduces significantly when they experience homelessness.

So this is your call to action. No young person should pass away due to their homelessness. Please write to your local Minister. Sign the petition that is being promoted by Homelessness Week. And I encourage you to attend the memorial on Friday if you are based in Adelaide, at Victoria Square, to remember. All people that have passed away while homeless for homelessness week, that’s what that is about.

Sorry, I’ve got a bit emotional, but this is the reality of working with young people. We absolutely know young people achieve great things if we can support them to break that cycle of homelessness. Thank you.