More than a quarter of people experiencing homelessness in Tasmania are under 18. Those at the frontline say the number of children and teenagers seeking help are growing and the state needs to rethink its approach to youth homelessness services.
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00:00Lydia has been experiencing housing insecurity since she was kicked out of home in August last year.
00:07After moving through several homeless shelters in her home state of Western Australia,
00:12she came to Tasmania for a fresh start. She's only 17.
00:16Mara House had free spots so I came here and life's just generally been better.
00:22She is one of seven girls living at Mara House in Hobart.
00:26A youth homeless shelter for young women aged 13 to 20 run by social enterprise Colony 47.
00:32The number of young people who are experiencing homelessness is disproportionately high in Hobart and across the state and it's rising.
00:42Last year there were more than 1700 instances of children and young people aged between 8 and 17
00:49presenting without a parent or guardian to specialist homelessness services in Tasmania
00:54and service providers are concerned the age of those needing support is getting younger.
00:59We've had an increase of young people aged 12 accessing with us
01:07due to the family unit experiencing homelessness.
01:12A new report released by Mission Australia backs the experiences of Colony 47
01:18finding 10% of Tasmanian young people surveyed aged between 15 and 19 have experienced homelessness within the last 12 months.
01:27The report also revealed more than half of those young people suffered poor mental health.
01:33While Colony 47 provides support across multiple programs and two youth shelters in Hobart, they often can't meet demand.
01:41My best friend might have to move because we're at capacity to the younger version of Mara.
01:47There definitely needs to be much more.
01:51In housing and school ways, in every way there needs to be a bit of an upgrade.
01:58Collaborative and clear and combined service and services would really benefit those that are experiencing homelessness.
02:11Tasmanian Housing Minister Felix Ellis says the government spends $8 million a year on short-term crisis and transitional accommodation for young people
02:20and takes an integrated approach to supporting them.
02:24A critical issue facing one of Tasmania's most vulnerable demographics.