00:02It's a problem hidden in plain sight and for those on the front line often misunderstood.
00:09Young people aren't just leaving their homes for no reason, leaving that safety. They are
00:14trying to survive and so that's what people need to understand. This is not their choice.
00:19Passages just one not-for-profit supporting children and young people sleeping rough across
00:24Perth and experiencing first-hand the heartbreak of turning people away.
00:30There's no words really for it, especially when you see a child, so a 15-year-old or a 12
00:35-year-old
00:35come in and you just have nowhere to go and you're trying to get the right people involved
00:40to make a safety plan.
00:43On August the 20th this year, 393 unaccompanied children and young people in Perth and Rockingham
00:49were listed as homeless. 114 of them were looking for accommodation but no crisis beds were available.
00:58We have a very significant child and youth homelessness problem issue in WA and we have some really
01:05clear pathways for preventing this, for addressing it and for keeping our children and young people safe.
01:12Service providers are calling for a range of options including more housing, early intervention
01:18and a statewide strategy to end youth homelessness.
01:22The Homelessness Minister says the government will work with providers with more than $20 million
01:28already invested in youth accommodation this year alone.
