Youth homelessness is a system failure, not a personal one

Every week in Australia, a woman is killed by someone she knows. Every year, more than 30,000 young people under 25 face homelessness. 

After a decade working in youth homelessness, I know these crises don’t exist in silos. Most young people experiencing homelessness aren’t rough sleeping. They’re escaping violence, couch-surfing, staying in unsafe environments or unfit accommodation. And far too often, they’re met with waitlists and systemic barriers, not for lack of care, but because the services designed to support them are under-resourced.

If we’re serious about ending youth homelessness, we need to stop seeing it as a personal failing. It’s a systemic issue, one born of inequality, discrimination, and underfunded safety nets.

At HoMie, we support young people navigating this reality every day. As a social enterprise based in Melbourne, we use fashion and retail to create pathways out of homelessness. Our work is grounded in the belief that no young person is defined by their situation. That’s why we say “young people affected by homelessness”- because with the right support, that situation can change.

And yet, the numbers are stark. Young First Nations people, who make up less than 4% of the population, represent 1 in 5 of those without stable housing. That’s not a coincidence. It’s a reflection of ongoing structural neglect: colonisation, racism, and disinvestment that compounds across generations.

For those fleeing violence, leaving home is just the beginning. What comes next, navigating an overcrowded housing system, rising rents, and long waitlists, is often just as hard. Despite nearly 40,000 young people reaching out to homelessness services last year, a third couldn’t access emergency accommodation. The need is there. The resources aren’t.

We need to shift from short-term fixes to long-term thinking. And employment is a powerful, and overlooked, tools we have.

Employment as a Platform for Change

At HoMie, we don’t run family violence services, but many young people in our programs is recovering from its impact. That’s why our employment model goes beyond a job, it offers structure, trauma informed support, and a belief in what’s possible. Crucially, it meets young people where they’re at, rather than asking them to conform to a rigid idea of readiness.

Whether a young person is juggling short-term housing or beginning their journey toward long-term independence, we offer flexible program formats that meet them where they’re at, not where we assume they should be. From a 10-week immersive retail experience to an eight-month internship, our programs are tailored to match the goals and interest of each individual.

To truly support young people through systemic gaps, we must first recognise that the homelessness sector cannot solve homelessness alone. Relying on a single-track solution has led us in circles, repeating the same patterns while hoping for different results. A collaborative approach must remain central to our efforts. That means actively inviting others to join us, particularly mainstream brands and services, even if they are only at the beginning of their journey. You do not need all the answers to start; we are here to help you learn, grow, and take meaningful action together.

Our Pathway Alliance is one example of this in action. It is an eight-month paid internship that is trauma-informed, strengths-based, and supported by retail partners such as Sportsgirl, RPG (Nike), and Pigeonhole. These partners joined not as experts, but as committed allies willing to learn, listen, and evolve. We provide the support and training to support the retail partners do what they do best – be understanding, supportive employers

The results speak volumes. We have seen young people move from crisis to confidence, from supported accommodation into private rentals. This is not magic, it is what happens when systems are designed to uplift rather than exclude. 

Systems That Centre Safety, Not Stigma

Ending youth homelessness starts with seeing the full picture, and taking full responsibility. That means:

• Investing in the prevention of family violence, not just crisis response.
• Treating safe, stable housing as a human right, not a privilege for the few.
• Building systems that expect success, rather than bracing for failure.

Young people deserve to be seen for their potential, not their pain. They need support that meets them where they are, and employment pathways that recognise their value.

And importantly, it should never be remarkable for a young person to receive the support they need, it should be standard. If providing safety, opportunity and care is seen as extraordinary, then we’ve normalised the bare minimum. Young people have always had the potential. It’s the systems that need to catch up. Once we’re on the same page about that, we can start rewriting the story of youth homelessness.

Ellen Jacobsen is the Head of Impact at HoMie, a Melbourne-based streetwear social enterprise supporting young people affected by homelessness and hardship.