The struggle of youth homelessness is only growing, but remains off the radar for many

With Youth Homelessness Matters Day approaching, Linking Communities Network is trying to raise awareness of an issue that can often be invisible.

Deb Longhurst and Barb Smith from Linking Communities Network have been hard at work helping young people from Griffith and the surrounding areas find stability and accommodation, but the money just isn't there.

"We have three youth workers, equivalent full-time. All of them are at capacity so Barbara and I as managers have been taking on clients ... there's actually more homeless people than staff members and resources," said Ms Longhurst.

"There's no emergency accommodation. There's only the youth refuge and it's always at full capacity ... there's no pathway," Ms Smith added.

"We would call on state and federal governments to look at youth housing as a priority because, they're the last cab at the rank and they just never get anything. The only way to solve homelessness is housing."

A huge problem they're facing is the lack of centralisation across state and federal governments leading to issues creating long-term solutions.

"The bigger issue is that there's no whole governance approach. With housing, their policies are such that they don't want to put anyone under 18 in a motel so they expect us to be able to support that young person even though we don't have the resources," Ms Smith said.

"The policies are all working against each other."

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Ms Longhurst added that the recent budget had put money into crucially needed domestic violence services and mental health but that there was still very little for youth in general.

"There's never anything for young people. Most of the homelessness organisations that are funded to do what we do are women's refuges or 'all-comers'. They're joined together. What we see is a disconnect between funding amounts while we're all doing the same job."

"Our young people are last on the list. It's the same with everything - young people are seen as a 'Well, why don't they just go home?"

It's not all doom and gloom, with some successes recently. LCN recently partnered with Argyle Housing to rent 13 houses to young people at a subsidised cost to ensure at least some are able to find accommodation.

"One of the things we do well here is think outside the square," Ms Smith said.

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