They remain homeless but are either unemployed or not in the labourforce. Table 2.1 shows that 99 per cent of schools completed a census return (2,017 schools out of 2,025). The advantage of using averages calculated over five years is that they smooth out fluctuations in the data set and provides a better indicator of long-term trends. Two-thirds of the schools provided census figures that were confirmed during the field visits. The counsellor attempted to initiate family mediation but the mother did not want to be involved. Reconnect targets young people aged 12 to 18 in order to achieve: The program was implemented in phases and was not fully operational until 2003. Welfare staff were told to include these young people in their return if they: School welfare staff were asked to record the number of young people in each of the catagories listed above (see appendix 1). Some caution should be exercised in the case of the Northern Territory result because many Indigenous youth do not attend secondary school. Our fieldwork in schools indicated that most homeless students dropped out of school quickly (Mackenzie and Chamberlain 1995), and many of these homeless teenagers became long-term unemployed. Table 4.7 shows the number of homeless young people in different segments of the homeless population by state and territory. They included the school counsellor, his home group teacher and a youth worker from a local agency. I reported the students that I was working with. First, the number of homeless school students decreased from 12,227 in 2001 to 9,389 in 2006, using the service delivery definition of homelessness. The school reported that 'Louise continues to access support and counselling at school', but she attends regularly and her studies are on track. Another student had a friendship with the school counsellor and her art teacher. Counting The Homeless 2006 has been supported by peak bodies such as Homelessness Australia (HA), the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) and the National Youth Coalition for Housing (NYCH), as well as by officers in the various government departments responsible for homelessness programs. Homeless students often remain at school because they have supportive relationships with adults who become 'significant others' in their lives. Strand Foyer is a purpose built complex in a central location. SAAP services are not early intervention services, but the issue of early intervention was raised as a strategic issue during SAAP IV. Most 16 or 17 year old care leavers are not eligible for benefits. The proportion of school students in the ACT was 48.2 per cent, followed by Tasmania (37.5 per cent), Victoria (36.0 per cent), and South Australia (35.7 per cent). We draw on the fieldwork to help interpret the quantitative results. In Western Australia half (49 per cent) of the homeless students were Indigenous as were nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of the homeless students in the Northern Territory. By 2006, we can say that this 'Berlin Wall' is well and truly down. Chapter 3 presents the main findings from the census of homeless school students, using the service delivery definition. Foyers provide temporary hostel accommodation for young people, mostly aged 16-25, who are homeless or in housing need. The school 'made contact with her mother to let her know her daughter was OK' and the school contacted the local Reconnect service. Various people can initiate mediation including the student, the parent(s), a year coordinator or the school welfare person. Young people whose family support networks are weak are more vulnerable to homelessness, and this includes young people who have been taken into state care and protection. The first census of homeless school students found that 56 per cent of the students were female and 44 per cent were male. All 16 and 17 year olds who present to a Local Authority as homeless or at risk of homelessness are therefore entitled to an assessment to identify whether they are a “child in need” under Section 17 The Referral Pathway 6. There was a sharp drop in homelessness in Queensland where the number of homeless youth fell from 6,380 to 4,470 and the rate dropped from 18 cases per 1,000 to 11 cases per 1,000. The sharp increase in unemployment in the early 1990s undoubtedly exacerbated homelessness. Our method of estimating up has been refined at each census, so we begin by reviewing how we estimated up on previous occasions. Butterscotch. We are having counselling sessions ... and they are coming to the point where family mediation will be possible. However, the rate in the Northern Territory was between two and four times higher than in other states. Chapter 2 explains in broad terms the two-step methodology used to produce an estimate of the homeless youth population in the age group 12 to 18 years. There were 9,389 homeless students in census week compared with 12,227 in 2001. Young adults who may qualify include: Young adults 17-21 years old who are in custody of the child welfare system/aging out of the child welfare system Young adults 18-24 years old who are homeless The letter indicated that the ABS was implementing a special strategy to count homeless people at the 2006 census, and that the census of homeless school students was part of this strategy. Of the 25 permanent housing units, six are subsidized by the St. Paul Public Housing Authority as HUD housing and require verification of disability and chronic homelessness. A minority of schools reported homeless students. Chapter 4 presents the main findings using the cultural definition and estimates the overall homeless population aged 12 to 18. Family reconciliation did not occur, but 'throughout this turmoil the one constant in their lives has been school ... the boys know they are safe here and taken seriously'. Meet Basic Screening and Background Requirements LODGINGS Lodgings services across Bromley, Croydon, Royal Greenwich, Lewisham and Sutton provide a room in a family home and the unique support provided by our Householders. As explained previously, the census of homeless school students provides infomation on the number of homeless students using the cultural definition. Mediation requires that both parties are prepared to accept the ground rules of the mediation process and the impartiality of the mediator. There are clearly many issues about the adequacy of state care and protection and leaving care arrangements. Some homeless students are unwilling to return home because of what has happened in their family, but are committed to remaining at school because this is the one point of stability in their life. Permanent supportive housing is available to 18-24 year-olds and has varying eligibility requirements. However, if the parents present as 'reasonable' or if they insist that the young person can return home, then access to the allowance is often delayed until it is clear that reconciliation has failed. The time series point in time estimates are based on the cultural definition of homelessness. The relationship between these variables changed after 2001. Table 4.3 summarises three sets of figures. There are exceptions to this rule - the page on housing costs if you're under 35s explains these in more detail. Over the next four weeks she stayed with various friends. School is the only good thing in their lives (Assistant Principal, New South Wales). One possibility is that the number of homeless students has declined because many young people drop out of school soon after they become homeless. Residents of private boarding houses are homeless because they do not have a separate bedroom and living room; they do not have kitchen and bathroom facilities of their own; and their accommodation is not self-contained. Second, the number of homeless youth aged 12 to 18 decreased from 26,060 in 2001 to 21,940 in 2006, using the cultural definition of homelessness. Table 3.8 shows that one-quarter (25 per cent) of the young people were aged 14 or younger, 43 per cent were aged 15 or 16, and just over one-quarter (28 per cent) were 17 to 18. In both states, we suspect that Indigenous students were over-represented in the younger age groups. In 86,000 cases there was information on whether these young people were school students, TAFE students, unemployed (including not in the labour force), or in full- time work. The rate of homelessness decreased from 10 homeless school students per 1,000 of the school population in 2001 to seven homeless students per 1,000 in 2006. Overall, there has been a significant decrease in the number of homeless school students, although the extent of the decrease across the country is uneven. Chapter 5 also identifies the strategies that help young people to move to independent living if family reconciliation is not possible. Table 4.1 shows the number of homeless school students by state and territory using the cultural definition of homelessness. Such links were uncommon when we carried out the first census of homeless school students. A typical case was Jane, 16, who resented her new step-father and was 'hurt that her mother usually sided with him'. By 2003, there were 98 Reconnect services across the country, most having either two or three early intervention workers. The older brother had reported that 'their step-father was uncontrollably angry and was hitting them ... and that drug use was normal in the family'. Many schools where at-risk students are a relatively small group have a limited capacity to hold onto their most problematic students. Are you 16/17 years old and either Homeless or about to be Homeless? The analysis of the main Census data file will be undertaken within the framework of the Australian Census Analytic Program (ACAP), where researchers work closely with ABS staff. Following the precedent established in the first census (1994), we did not include non-Catholic private schools in the research. We begin by looking at strategies that can be employed to avoid homelessness, then we focus on strategies that are used with students on the different pathways. The Principal of a small high school in Tasmania said: It wasn't a guess. Most people from these backgrounds will not become homeless, but these social characteristics are often referred to as 'risk factors'. Youth Accommodation Support Services (YASS) Housing & homelessness. Chapter 4 provides estimates of the homeless population aged 12 to 18. It may be that there has to be a large drop in unemployment before there is a significant reduction in homelessness. Schools that are effective usually have the following characteristics: This is an idealised list of good practice characteristics. Young people who become Looked After under sect 20 8. Table 3.10 shows that only 15 per cent of the homeless students came from families where they were living with both biological parents. After the girl was kicked out of home following a dispute about curfew times, she went to live with another family. She reported 12 homeless students in census week, but she said: Of course there could have been others. I know every kid in my school. The first reliable estimate of youth homelessness was based on the 1994 national census of homeless school students (MacKenzie and Chamberlain 1995). However, she agreed for me to mediate between her and her father, which I conducted through phone calls and individual meetings and, finally, through a joint meeting with her and her father. The homeless youth population aged 12 to 18 includes school students, Tafe students, unemployed teenagers and a small number of young people who have full-time work. Our experience during the fieldwork in 2006 was different. However, the small decline in youth unemployment between 2001 and 2006 cannot explain most of the decrease in youth homelessness.