Housing is an issue that people with mental health problems face and it is now more difficult than ever with the rental crisis. Three years after Victoria’s Royal Commission into Mental Health, homelessness groups say a recommendation to provide 500 supporting housing places for young people has not been met.
Trigger warning, very high rates of self-harm and suicide among Youth Homeless group
Melbourne City Mission’s Shorna Moore says the commitment of 500 new supported housing places for young people experiencing homelessness and living with mental health issues hasn’t been met.
“We’re seeing many homeless young people experiencing such a serious mental health crisis that they need care in emergency departments. And worse still, it’s often the case that they are discharged from the hospital and drop back at our Youth Homelessness Access Point front yard, Youth Services. These are children as young as 16 who are completely alone. And the cycling in and out of the emergency department and the homelessness access points is constant. And as a result, we are seeing very high rates of self-harm and suicide among this group, tragically.”
25 year old Tyler was homeless from the age of 21 until a few months ago.
“I showered at truck stops and then, you know, charged my phone. Sometimes at truck stops, sometimes at libraries. You know, healthy food, that just wasn’t an option. There is nowhere to cook. There is no way to eat healthy to sustain yourself. So it was lots of fast food, lots of, like, just getting by”, said Tyler.
“There was just nowhere for me to be safe. And if there’s nowhere for you to go to be safe, it feels like the only way out is to die.”
Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale says the 500 new places, should they be provided, would be filled instantly.
“What we’re asking for is 500 social houses. So 500 homes across Victoria. What we say around that is that is a really small ask, considering that in Victoria, around 11,200 young people are seeking support from a homelessness service.” says Deborah
“You need supports when you have got mental health challenges as a young person. And the best thing we can do to ensure that the trajectory for our young people gets better is to ensure that we get them housed.”
“If you want our young people, our most vulnerable people, to have a chance to be able to grow and to be OK in the way that we want for all of our children, you have to give them a safe place to land.” says Tyler.
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