A welcome home: youth homelessness and mental health

The burden of homelessness is one that falls disproportionately on young Australians. While people aged 12 to 24 years make up just under 20 per cent of the Australian population, they comprise 25 per cent of individuals experiencing homelessness.

This policy paper will examine the relationship between homelessness and mental health and the specific challenges that exist for young Australians aged 12 to 25 years who experience, or are at risk of, experiencing homelessness. The policy paper will then examine the evidence behind particular intervention and prevention mechanisms and outline available policy solutions.

A Welcome Home has been informed through engagement with stakeholders and a review of the available literature to understand youth homelessness and the interaction with mental health.

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