Frontyard Youth Service

PRC attended the Youth Homelessness Awareness Program at Frontyard Youth Services which was an eye-opening experience that helped us understand how serious and often invisible youth homelessness is in Australia.

Our students learned that over 28,000 young people are homeless each night—many aren’t on the streets but are couch surfing or in unsafe temporary housing. The program highlighted the dangers of both, including violence, exploitation, and mental health struggles.

The presentation explored the reasons young people become homeless, such as family violence, poverty, mental illness, and a lack of support after leaving foster care or youth justice. These issues affect people our age in our own communities.

We were introduced to Frontyard Youth Services, which provides crisis support, food, health care, and help with education and employment. Their work focuses on long-term recovery, not just short-term solutions.

Our students were taken for a walking tour to the Yarra River, with some areas pointed out where young people have slept rough as safely as possible, highlighting how uncomfortable sleeping rough can be.

Michael Jakubowski

Team Leader - Student Wellbeing