Y Foundations

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has implemented a new definition of ‘homelessness’ as part of its efforts to increase the accuracy of its Census counting. This definition will not only be used as part of the 2011 Census, but has also been applied retrospectively to counts conducted by the ABS in 2001 and 2006. This has resulted in significantly reduced counts of the number of people experiencing homelessness, particularly young people.

The New South Wales fine system has a significant and disproportionate effect on people who experience homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness are vulnerable to incurring fines for activities that would not otherwise attract attention had they been done in a private home. Behaviour that would ordinarily be routine in the home can suddenly become unlawful when conducted in the public space. For example, sleeping, swearing and consuming alcohol can attract a penalty notice when in public.

Last Sunday marked the start of National Missing Persons week 2012, the annual awareness week hosted to bring light to the fact that every 15 minutes one Australian is reported missing, amounting to around 35,000 people per year. This year the week is themed around young people, since the majority of people reported missing are under the age of 18. Many young people are reported without even knowing they are considered missing and many return home within a number of hours or days. But sometimes, days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months.

Commissioned for Youth Homelessness Matters Day, Bee's Journey depicts a young woman's experience of homelessness and her resilience and path to finding stability, safety and support.

November was National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in the United States. During this month, the National Alliance to End Homelessness works to increase public awareness about youth homelessness and what can be done to end youth homelessness. This post is from their blog during this year's National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and reviews what federal programs currently serve young people experiencing homelessness in the United States. It was written by Samantha Batko, a Program & Policy Analyst at the Alliance.

This week in the midst of conference planning, we have decided to post a perspective from the United States about how advocates are working on ending youth homelessness in America. The post was written by Andre Wade, the National Alliance to End Homelessness' Policy and Programs Analyst, to detail the HighLow Project, run by a U.S Senator several weeks ago in Washington D.C to raise awareness for homeless and at risk youth. It was originally posted on the Alliance's blog, About Homelessness.

Last weekend, Kelsey Munro pointed out in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald that young people can become homeless from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and they typically deal with their homelessness by sleeping on the couches of friends and family. In effect, she emphasized that homeless youth are a very difficult group to visualize, they have no distinct look. In light of Munro's article, this week on the blog we've decided to show how one photographer in Minnesota, USA is capturing the matter. 

This week we're taking a backseat on the blog and promoting the story of Belinda, who is taking part in UnitingCare Burnside's because children matter... campaign.

One of the age-old questions in responding to youth homelessness is: what makes a house a home? People may wonder if it's family, material things, location or community. But researchers at UTS Sydney, have begun to question the assumption that what makes a house a home, isn't actually the physical structure itself. 

“The number of suspensions of more than four days handed out to NSW public school students has risen dramatically in the past five years, up by nearly 33 per cent,” wrote the Sydney Morning Herald Friday morning.

This morning, this cold, frigid winter morning in Sydney, I sat down with Jenni Iloski. Have you heard of Jenni Iloski? Maybe not, but she is definitely one young person worthy of a read.

Happy Mabo day! (That’s got a good ring to it.) Today at Yfoundation’s we are running around in our party hats, blowing noisemakers and celebrating one of Australia hidden heroes, Eddie Mabo, as a way to conclude Reconciliation Week

May has so far been a big month for children aging out of state care into homelessness. Across the globe (in perhaps a reflection of globalization at its finest) countries have been seeing the issue pop up on the national radar. On Monday, the Sydney Morning Herald ran a front page; above the fold story on the emotional hurt grown-up foster children endure from a system plagued with cracks.

What is the power of a good story?