Hundreds of school-aged children and young people are sleeping rough every night in WA, according to new data

Hundreds of school-aged children and young people are sleeping rough every night in WA, new figures reveal. As thousands of students return to class for the new school year, figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show 830 unaccompanied children and young people were being assisted by specialist homelessness services on any given day. That was a 17 per cent increase on the previous year’s data. “That’s equivalent to almost 40 classrooms of unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness here in WA”, Youth Affairs Council of WA chief executive Kylie Wallace said. WA also had the highest number of people turned away from homelessness services in the country, with an average of 96 unassisted requests every day. Children and young people made up 56 per cent of all unassisted requests, far higher than the national average of 44 per cent. “Behind these numbers are children and teenagers trying to stay focused on school while living in crisis, with a severe shortage of youth crisis accommodation and affordable rental homes, and a lack of critical prevention and accessible services driving the emergency,” Ms Wallace said. “While most children and young people are picking out what new lunch box they will be buying for the first day back at school, hundreds of children and young people are struggling to find a place where they can sleep safely for the night.” “For young people experiencing homelessness, the challenges of returning to school extend far beyond homework and exams. Without a stable home, maintaining school attendance, completing homework and building friendships becomes nearly impossible.” Youth Homelessness Advisory Council member Caitlan, who struggled with finding a safe place to sleep when she was at school, said it had been “humiliating”. “While my friends showed off new pencil cases and sports shoes, I wore the same dirty uniform for weeks at a time,” she said. “Without a home or an adult to rely on, school didn’t just become hard, it became impossible. “I had to leave (school), the only stability I had so I could focus on survival. No child should ever have to make that choice.” A coalition of peak bodies, frontline services and young people is urging the State Government to prioritise ending youth homelessness. It comes after the latest Child Poverty Australia report revealed one in six WA children was living in poverty.