More than 28,000 Australian children sought help from a specialist homelessness service in June this year, with more than half under the age of 10.
The figures come from a new snapshot analysis of the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data released by Barnardos Australia.
It shows girls are significantly overrepresented among children seeking help from homelessness services without a parent or guardian.
In 2023-24, 13,300 unaccompanied children accessed specialist homelessness services in Australia. Of these children, 63 per cent were girls.
“This should be a massive wake up call for governments and communities,” said Barnardos frontline worker, Eliza Gibbs.
“Thousands of children, who are in many cases leaving unsafe home environments, are winding up homeless. Children are not bystanders to crises like homelessness and family violence, they are also victims-survivors, and we cannot stand for that as Australians.”
Barnardos is calling for reform to better support children, including recognising them as equal victims of domestic and family violence so they are able to receive trauma-informed support when they need it.
The organisation also says increased investment in social and affordable housing would help parents and guardians to provide a safe and secure home for children.
Lifting the rate of JobSeeker and increasing funding for specialist child support workers and trauma-informed counselling children into Barnardos Children’s Family Centres were other suggestions.
“If we are going to protect children, we need to ensure families have safe and secure housing, but we also need child-focused support and early intervention programs to protect children facing family violence and homelessness,” Eliza Gibbs said.
“Children who experience these unthinkable kinds of challenges early on in life, will be more likely to end up in a cycle of homelessness and poverty. We must break that cycle for our nation’s children.”
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800.