That is why Youth Off The Streets manager and Ashbury resident Karen Penning developed the Great Couch Sleepout initiative to raise awareness and funds through sponsors to help homeless youth.
The project kicked off coinciding with Youth Homelessness Matters Day last Wednesday, April 20, but you can take part in the initiative any time, spend a rough night and raise funds to help.
Karen said one of the challenges of youth homelessness was that it was largely hidden from view.
“That’s because young people are more likely to couch surf than sleep rough on the streets, and so they’re invisible to the community,” she said.
“But their experiences of homelessness are real and traumatic, affecting everything from their mental health, physical safety and ability to keep going to school or find a job.
“As a society, we can do so much better. Raising awareness through initiatives like the Great Couch Sleepout is an important step in advocating for our otherwise ‘invisible’ homeless young.”
To take part or find out more: youthoffthestreets.com.au.
Spend a night on couch to help reduce homelessness
CHELSEA was kicked out of home at just 13 after a family breakdown – shifting between people’s houses and various refuges for four years.
“The floor beneath me was constantly moving and I didn’t know when it might collapse,” she said.
“I had to dodge so many obstacles to survive. It should be simple but I had to think, ‘Do I have a roof over my head tonight?'”
Nearly 42,000 young people across Australia experienced or were at risk of homelessness last year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.