Centric Community Projects

Youth Homelessness Matters

About Youth Homelessness Matters Day
Youth Homelessness Matters Day is the annual national awareness day for youth homelessness in Australia. It’s a day of celebration, learning and understanding.

Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD) has been an exciting campaign since its inception in 1990. Started by a group of social advocates who believed that too many young people were moving out of home with nowhere to go, the day has since grown into a national celebration of young people’s resilience.

The aim / goals of the campaign

The aim of this campaign is to break the common stereotypes that are associated with youth homelessness, and the young people who experience disadvantage. The stigma attached to homelessness often prevents many young people from seeking help. As such, Youth Homelessness Matters Day aims to raise awareness that youth homelessness stereotypes are not accurate, and instead there needs to be more focus on recognizing the signs of homelessness so there can be less shame and more productive help available.

Engage with government and businesses- The campaign also aims to engage government and corporate sectors to resource specialist youth homelessness services, also known as youth refuges or shelters, which provide young people with the help they need in order to get back on their feet.

Ensure that young people have the right access and support available to them- Young people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness need access to supportive and well-resourced services which work with them in establishing foundations on which they can build a stable future. These services can be tasked with the provision of ensuring health and wellbeing, safety and stability, re-engagement and participation with education and employment services.

A story closer to home from Centric……

A young girl that works along side Centric Community Projects shared her homeless experience with us.

She became homeless at the age of 15. She described herself as a tearaway teen. During her time being homeless she lived in 4 different hostels.

The good news is that she now has been living in a house of her own for 2 years now!

While speaking with her she explained how much Centric was her silver lining in the clouds because they supported her and guided her through being homeless, even now they continue to support and guide her. Centric helped her to budget her money and gave her the strength to believe that she is the best person in the world! They provided her with opportunities and a general experience of the world.

She now is very keen to give back to the world and community, and help others just how Centric helped her.

Story: Faye McVeigh