Youth homelessness leaves 'huge hidden population' seeking safety at school

Caitlan was just 11 years old and in her last year of primary school when she became homeless.

It is almost impossible to comprehend, especially in a country like Australia — a child, homeless and preparing to begin high school.

"After losing my home, school was something that was like a stable place for me and a constant," the now 18-year-old said.

"That was really all I had."

The safety that school provided Caitlan soon disappeared, drowned out by the stress associated with not having access to basic amenities most take for granted.

"I was ashamed.

"Even there [school] as my only place of stability and the only place where I felt like I was safe or I belonged … I still didn't feel safe to tell anybody what was happening to me."

More young people need help

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, on any given day in 2025, 11,900 unaccompanied children and young people (between the age of 12-24) were assisted by specialist homelessness services across Australia.

In Western Australia, 830 children and young people receive support on any given day — a 17 per cent increase from the year before.

WA also has the highest number of people turned away from homelessness services in the country, with an average of 96 requests for assistance unable to be met on a daily basis.

For Caitlan, who has just finished her final year of high school and is a member of WA's Youth Homelessness Advisory Council, knowing there are hundreds of children and young people experiencing homelessness and trying to keep up with school is devastating.

"I experienced homelessness in Melbourne for four years, three of which I did not attend school," she said.

"I was very lucky that I was able to get support and stable housing [with family in WA].

"Seeing the numbers and seeing the reality of the crisis here in WA is not shocking because I know that there are gaps in the system that need to be fixed."

Coalition calls for action

A coalition of peak bodies, frontline services and young people is hoping to persuade the WA government to prioritise ending youth homelessness, calling for $150 million to be spent on the issue in the upcoming WA state budget.

"We shouldn't have a huge hidden population of hundreds of school students experiencing rough sleeping and homelessness in the wealthiest state in Australia," Youth Affairs Council of WA CEO Kylie Wallace said.

"For every crisis bed that becomes available each night [in Perth], 69 children and young people are competing for that one bed.

"Housing stability is foundational to education, wellbeing and future opportunity.

"[We're] calling on the state government to acknowledge this is a crisis and respond via a targeted investment in the upcoming state budget."

While Ms Wallace acknowledged the state government had boosted funding towards homelessness services, including a record investment into new social housing, she said there had been little investment directly targeted towards children and young people.

"Commitments made in the next state budget could solve it," she said.

Government backs strategy

WA's Minister for Homelessness Matthew Swinbourn said the state government had supported homelessness services like no other government had.

"We don't accept young people not being able to get a home or to be facing homelessness," he said.

"We're in the middle of the 10-year homelessness strategy and very soon I'll be releasing the next five-year action plan inside of that.

"What we find when young people experience homelessness, if we are able to get the supports around them, then typically they don't necessarily experience homelessness in later life."

That was a sentiment the government and those working in the sector agreed on.

"If we don't do this, WA's youth homelessness crisis will deepen," Ms Wallace said.