Boost for Youth Homelessness Support

Media Release

St Patrick’s Community Support Centre (St Pat’s) have been given $40,000 to bolster its support for young people experiencing homelessness in Fremantle.

The Fremantle Foundation made the generous donation to help St Pat’s create a Youth Relief Fund, which will allow the local homelessness support service and community housing provider to give young people personalised help, when they need it.

It will be delivered by St Pat’s Youth Place program, which is a partnership with Youth Futures and provides housing and support for people aged 15 to 25 experiencing homelessness in the south metropolitan region of Perth.

“In an ideal society parents or family should be the ones caring for you, but many young people don’t have that support,” St Pat’s Youth Housing Support Worker, Bryden, said.

“It’s not a choice, they’re not naughty kids. For many young people they’ve had to leave home because it’s not safe.”

The main driver of homelessness among children and young people is family and domestic violence, however funding for youth-specific support is limited and demand is high. Meanwhile, the number of children living in poverty in WA has increased by 21,000 since 2022, with an estimated 92,000 children living in poverty at the end of 2024.

Youth Case Worker Annie said young people often face extra challenges such as age discrimination when it comes to securing housing.

“There’s a lot of bias towards young people. There’s an expectation that even when you’re independent that your parents will act as a guarantor on any loans, for a car or house. And if you’ve got a young person going for a private rental, who’s got the income to meet repayments, and they’re up against a 30-40 year old then the landlord or agent is going to choose the older person instead.”

The Fremantle Foundation funding will help the Youth Place team provide homes for young people where they feel safe and comfortable, as well as support for them to access training courses and development opportunities.

“Fremantle Foundation is connected to this community,” Executive Officer of Fremantle Foundation, Stu MacLeod, said.

“We see the need for youth support every day. St Pat’s is an incredible organisation, with deep knowledge and understanding of the causal pathways to homelessness and the inter-generational effects it can have. We’re happy to be able to support their efforts through this grant.”

“Often what young people need is connection. You need a community, you need those informal supports,” Bryden added.

“Until someone finds a community, if I can be a kind person…give them support and help them for a little bit, then I’ve made a difference.”