Data released by Tasmania’s Youth Network has revealed nearly 40% of Tasmania’s homeless population is aged under 25.
The staggering figure has prompted calls for governments to prioritise care and housing solutions for vulnerable young people.
Tania Hunt, CEO of the Youth Network of Tasmania (YNOT), said young people are being overlooked despite being among those most affected by homelessness.
“These are not just statistics — they are vulnerable children and young people, full of potential, falling through the cracks,” Hunt said.
Today marks Youth Homelessness Matters Day, which aims to highlight the often invisible plight of children and young people experiencing housing insecurity across Australia.
For 17-year-old Riley Knowles from Devonport, housing insecurity at age 14 severely impacted his education.
“I couldn’t focus on school because I didn’t know where we would end up. I felt isolated and had no one to talk to,” Knowles said.
He believes landlord discrimination contributes to the problem, calling for greater regulation in the private rental market.
“It took us around a year and a half to secure a place.”
Twenty-two-year-old Jonas Flanagan became homeless at 17 after his family relationship broke down.
“I started couch surfing when I was 17 and moved a dozen or more times over a short period – staying with friends and people I really didn’t know very well,” Flanagan said.
“Rather than being able to get on with my life, progress my chosen career and set up for the future, my day-to-day focus was keeping myself off the street.”
Tania Hunt said that while domestic violence and family breakdown remain the primary drivers of youth homelessness, the current housing crisis has put more young people at risk.
She says vulnerable youth need more than temporary shelter.
“They need care, wrap around support and youth housing solutions that meet their needs,” she said.
YNOT, TasCOSS and Shelter Tasmania are now urging governments to develop and fund a comprehensive plan to end youth homelessness, demanding immediate action to address the growing crisis.
