I recently spoke to a major retailer about hiring young people affected by homelessness. I shared one of our proudest stories – three young people placed through our HoMie Pathway Alliance program at Nike Melbourne Central, now among the company’s top sales performers.
I shared how jobs can create life-long community impact and the immense value our talented young people can bring to a business. But before I could finish, the questions started.
“What about theft? What about our drug and alcohol policy? And our dress code? How can we be sure they’ll follow our respectful relationships policy?”
As a leader of a jobs-focused social enterprise, I’m constantly chatting with retailers, drumming up employment opportunities for the young people we exist to support. I’ve been met with varying levels of trepidation and questioning, and I’m used to a healthy amount of curiosity from employers.
But this was different. It was unashamedly blunt, surprisingly candid and most importantly – deeply rooted in stigma.
The leading cause of youth homelessness is family and domestic violence. The fastest growing cause of youth homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. It’s not about alcohol, drugs or crime.
After a decade in this industry, I thought I’d heard it all, but I was struck and perturbed by her brazenness. How could someone working in retail, the single biggest industry employer of young people in Australia, be so misguided?
I fumbled my way through the rest of the meeting, counting down the minutes until I could hit that big red hang up button and breathe a sigh of relief knowing I wasn’t about to throw our young people to the wolves like that.
Why a job isn’t enough
It was a stark reminder of the structural and systemic battles young people affected by homelessness are facing today. Young people are currently unemployed at twice the rate of the broader population. Rental vacancies are currently at one per cent – almost rock bottom. Of this one per cent, that are actually available, rents are more unaffordable than ever. If you’re unemployed, paying rent is close to impossible.
These factors are true for any young person across the board in Australia. When you layer in uniquely vulnerable cohorts, those facing further barriers to employment, or with complex needs, the challenges are insurmountable. No young person can realistically be expected to traverse this landscape without support.
It got me thinking about an uncomfortable truth I’ve come to see firsthand in my line of work: A job – just any job – isn’t the magic fix for homelessness. Employment only becomes a pathway out of homelessness when it comes with the right scaffolding around it.
Unsupported employment opportunities, in working environments that lack empathy and insight into the barriers young people are facing – can do a huge amount of damage.
What we really need is an urgent reimagining of work that puts dignity and development at the centre.
What makes employment meaningful, and safe for young people
We’ve seen time and time again at HoMie that meaningful employment, alongside wraparound support and genuine commitment from all parties to do the work, creates pathways out of homelessness.
So, what does doing the work look like?
Firstly – a genuine commitment to listening, learning, adapting, and accommodating. Employers need to be open to understanding the barriers that young people affected by homelessness are facing, and willing to interrogate their own misconceptions. Breaking down stigmas and stereotypes is so important to opening the doors of opportunity.
Wraparound support. Our in-house youth workers have decades of experience in supporting young people out of homelessness, and we know that taking the core tenants of youth work theory and applying them to a mainstream employment context works. Meeting young people where they’re at, assuming positive intent and approaching with curiosity can really change the game for young people facing barriers to employment. This kind of united, wraparound support – from employers, youth workers and case managers – can really provide the framework to set someone up for success.
Payment. This one seems obvious – but it’s true. There are a ton of unpaid work readiness programs out there, but expecting young people to work for free and be ‘grateful’ for an opportunity simply doesn’t pay the rent. Mainstream employers expect performance standards from all employees – as they should – and young people facing barriers to employment expect to be paid for their work, just like anyone else.
We think Australian businesses have an opportunity to do something really special, building compassionate, empathetic, teams, where any young person can thrive – regardless of their background or circumstances.
Hoodies for Homelessness is an annual campaign by Melbourne streetwear label and social enterprise HoMie, running from May 31 to July 14, 2025. For every limited-edition hoodie sold, another is donated to a young person affected by homelessness or hardship.