St Vincent de Paul Society Australia genetic logo

Donate

An image of the Vinnies good works logo in a blue colour.

Our Services

Emergency Assistance and Support

National Debt Helpline

Financial Counselling

Financial Coaching

Housing Plus

Homelessness Services

Passages Youth Engagement hub

Vinnies Tom Fisher House

Wandjoo Bidi

Case for Support - Youth Homelessness

Mental Health Services

Find help

Volunteering in WA

Become a Member in WA

Fundraise for Vinnies in WA

Partner with Vinnies in WA

Youth and Schools in WA

Bequests in WA

Donate Goods in WA

Events in WA

Careers in WA

Get involved

<h1>Vinnies Shops</h1>
Find our latest promotion and information about our WA shops.
Everything you buy or donate inspires change in your local community.

Vinnies WA Shops

Shops

Let's Build a Fairer Australia

Low income support

Housing and homelessness

Indigenous Australians

Refugees and migrants

Children and education

Energy

Advocacy

Our structure WA

Our history WA

WA strategic plan

Mission and vision WA

Publications WA

Policies WA

WA contacts

About us

Newsroom

WA news

Latest appeal for WA

Videos WA

Media enquiries for WA

| Vinnies

Home

ACT & surrounds

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

National Council

SVdP Housing Australia

A photo of a young woman crossing the road to get to the Passages Youth Engagement Hub building.

New data reveals youth homelessness in WA has surged to alarming levels, forcing children and young people to compete for help in an already overwhelmed system.

New data reveals rise in youth homelessness 

New data reveals worrying surge in youth homelessness

Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show 830 unaccompanied children and young people are seeking support from specialist homelessness services on any given day, which is a 17 per cent increase from last year.
WA also has the highest number of people who are turned away from homelessness services in the country, with an average of 96 unassisted requests every day.
Children and young people make up more than half (56 per cent) of unassisted requests, which is far higher than the national average of 44 per cent.
Off the back of this worrying data, a coalition of peak bodies, frontline services and young people is urging the State Government to prioritise ending youth homelessness.
The Youth Affairs Council of WA (YACWA), Youth Homelessness Advisory Council (YHAC), Shelter WA, WA Council of Social Services (WACOSS), &nbsp;WA Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH), Mission Australia WA, Vinnies WA, and Indigo Junction’s joint pre-budget submission calls for an urgent investment of $150 million in the WA State 2026-27 Budget.
Read the full Pre-Budget Submission <a href="https://www.yacwa.org.au/policy-and-advocacy/ending-child-youth-homelessness-2026-27-pre-budget-submission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Key facts:
<ul>
<li>830 young people are presenting alone to specialist homelessness services every day - up 17 per cent from last year and 21 per cent five years ago</li>
<li>1,400 children in families are being assisted daily by specialist homelessness services</li>
<li>WA has the highest daily average of unassisted requests at 96 - a 22 per cent increase since last year</li>
<li>Children and young people aged 0-24 make up 56% of unassisted requests in WA, compared to 44% nationally.</li>
</ul>

Key priorities from the pre-budget submission include:
<ul>
<li>Investing in a “Housing First for Youth” model which delivers a variety of accommodation and housing models for young people, including crisis accommodation, more Youth Foyers, and more social and affordable housing</li>
<li>Strengthening prevention and early intervention initiatives, such as Place-Based Youth Service Hubs</li>
<li>Building the capacity and coordination of the youth homelessness sector</li>
<li>Ensuring the voices of young people with lived experience are embedded in policy and service design.</li>
</ul>

Rich Text

<h3>More Vinnies News</h3>
<a href="/wa/newsroom/news" title="News" class="primary-button-blue">Back to News</a>

Spacer