Recently Wesley Mission released a study that reported that for some children and young people, living on the streets is a much safer option for them compared to the unsafe environment that they experience at home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Too often, people misunderstand the reasons for homelessness and assume that it is the choice of the individual.
In my experience, homelessness is not something a person chooses. The young people living on the streets that I meet have suffered extreme adversity, they have fled from circumstances of severe. abuse and neglect; these are circumstances where they are not safe.
According to the report, Homelessness and the next generation, one in every five people who seek homelessness support from Wesley Mission identifies domestic violence as the main reason for their homelessness.
This horrifying statistic doesn’t stop just with their services, homelessness services across Australia are facing the reality that the most common factor for our children to be living on the streets is abuse in their own homes by people they look up to and trust.
I have met young people whose parents have injected them with drugs to make them addicts so that they will help to feed their parent’s drug habits.
There are others who have been sexually abused by family friends of members of their own family. Others have lived with violent and abusive adults.
These young people have suffered immense physical and psychological trauma. This is not always the situation, but it is appalling that there are kids in our lucky country, that are facing these lifestyles that have forced them to risk the dangers, stresses and psychological damage caused by living on the streets.
It is great that organisations, like Wesley Mission and Youth Off The Streets, are out there working to help young people in need who are homeless.
Our organisation is about assisting these young people to make the positive changes necessary for them to go on and lead a meaningful life, through a range of services that cater to their distinct needs.
However, the voices of many homeless young people in need of our support continue to go unheard in Australia.
It is time for society to take responsibility for our young. I have often said it takes a whole village to raise a child. It is our responsibility, as adults, to ensure the safety and security of our young people.
If you see a young person in distress, help them. If you know of a young person being abused or neglected, report it. If you have the opportunity to help an organisation that assists homeless people, support it. If you know a young person, support them, believe in them and always listen to them.
It is the very least we can do for our vulnerable children; our future generations.
Father Chris Riley is the founder and CEO of Youth Off The Streets.
For more information, contact info@youthoffthestreets.com.au or 4223 7555.
