Yfoundations has taken this opportunity to reiterate and reaffirm our sustained and ongoing calls to the Australian Government to invest in age-appropriate approaches and responses, innovative housing models, and a stronger homelessness services system, to address child and youth homelessness in this country.

These calls are even more critical given the cost-of-living and affordable housing/rental crises that have locked young people out of the private rental market, increased the demand for support from specialist homelessness services (SHS), and reduced exit options for children and young people aged 15–24 years in crisis and transitional accommodation and support. Yfoundations also reiterates the urgent need for investment in responses for children and young people presenting alone to SHS who are experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence.

Homelessness, particularly child and youth homelessness, represents a violation of a wider set of fundamental rights than the right to adequate housing alone. The solution to child and youth homelessness requires a focus on a broader range of systemic issues and responses.

Appropriate funding of the specialist homelessness services sector and of targeted youth-specific appropriate responses and housing models for children and young people experiencing and at risk of homelessness are part of a broader response to child and youth homelessness. The Australian Government has the opportunity to lead the way in the development and implementation of a national action plan that provides a roadmap to address child and youth housing and homelessness as part of the forthcoming National Housing and Homelessness Plan.

To this end, Yfoundations makes the following recommendations:

Recommendation 1: Fund the design and delivery of a National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Action Plan.

Recommendation 2: Recognise and fund responses for children and young people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence on their own (without their mothers or caregivers) within Action Plans under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.

Recommendation 3: Review the method of indexation applied under the National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness to ensure homelessness funding keeps pace with the real costs of homelessness service delivery.

Recommendation 4: Raise youth allowance and Job Seeker to $88 a day (being the Henderson poverty line).

Recommendation 5: End unfair tax breaks that contribute to generational inequality and drive-up housing prices.