Mission Australia
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Homeless youth on the rise in Tasmania |
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| Thursday, 07 August 2008 09:54 | ||||
 New figures show that of the 4,700 people who accessed homeless support services in Tasmania in 2006-07, 1,800 were aged under 25 – including 950 aged between 15-19 – both a slight increase on the previous year.*The growing number of young people needing help or at risk of homelessness can also be seen at Mission Australia’s Youth Beat outreach program, which has helped more than 10,000 young Tasmanians in the Glenorchy area since September 2007... As one of Australia’s leading community service and homeless organisations, Mission Australia said more and more Tasmanians were at risk of homelessness because of rising housing costs and other financial and family pressures. Mission Australia State Director Noel Mundy said the organisation was definitely seeing more people needing help. “At Mission Australia’s recently opened Chigwell House service, all of the 14 low cost one-bedroom units for people at risk of homelessness have been filled and there is already a long waiting list for a vacancy,” said Mr Mundy. “Mission Australia’s Youth Beat – which is a mobile after hours outreach van providing support, referrals and information to Glenorchy’s young people – sees around 300-350 young people each weekend. “The main issues for the young people we see are homelessness, no participation in education or employment, poor physical and mental health, family breakdown and lack of hygiene. “Alarmingly the youngest person requiring assistance from Youth Beat was only eight years old while the oldest was 78.” Mr Mundy said the timing of National Homeless Persons’ Week was important in light of the Federal Government’s current Green Paper review of its homeless strategy. “Mission Australia looks forward to the development of the Green Paper which will result in a final strategy – or White Paper – being released in September that will map out a response to homelessness in Australia until 2020,” he said. “The reality is that if we are serious about ending homelessness we will need to have a bi-partisan and long-term commitment to a shared plan, which is monitored against set targets, and which brings together all levels of government and the community and business sectors. “The great myth about homelessness is that it only happens to older transient males with an alcohol dependency – wrong. Homelessness can and does happen to anyone. “Another myth is that to be homeless you need to sleep on the street – wrong. Only 14% of homeless people are rough-sleepers, the vast majority of Tasmania’s homeless live temporarily on the floors and couches of friends and family or are in short-to-medium term accommodation shelters run by organisations like Mission Australia. “The portrait of a homeless Tasmanian flies in the face of the common perception that the average homeless person is an alcoholic male who sleeps in a park bench or in a doorway.” Mission Australia is one of the nation’s leading charities and helps disadvantaged Tasmanians by assisting families and children overcome hardship; supporting disadvantaged young people; delivering entry-level training; and helping unemployed people find permanent work. Media contact: Lucinda Bray, Beyond PR, 0438 280 486 
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