For Olivia, the Youth Team Coordinator at Anglicare’s Junction Youth Health Service, giving a young homeless person a swag for the night is an absolute last resort, but it does happen. “It’s better than nothing”, said Olivia, “but only just”.
This is the front-line of the cost of living crisis. The Junction sees, first-hand the strain that soaring rents and increased food costs are having on vulnerable young people.
“Without a support system it is really hard, and even with a place to stay, young people are still struggling”, said Kayla, another youth worker at the Junction. “I’ve been supporting Grace*, a 17-year old who until recently was couch surfing. She’d spend a few nights on one friend’s couch, then move on to another friend’s couch, never knowing how long she’d be welcome in one place.”
Grace comes to the Junction to charge her phone and chat with Kayla, but most of all she comes to get something to eat. And she is not alone. The food pantry at the Junction has seen a 76% increase in demand since this time last year. “It is looking pretty sad at the moment”, said Olivia “There is not a lot on the shelves”.
When you donate to Anglicare, you put food back on those shelves. Your donation helps fill the pantries at all of our Emergency Relief services. Your generosity feeds those who are experiencing hunger and crisis in our region—including young people like Grace.
Across Australia, young people, aged between 12-25, make up nearly a quarter of the homeless population. The Junction is one of few services that cater specifically to the needs of this unique and vulnerable demographic.
“Going into adult spaces as a young person can be really intimidating”, said Olivia. “Here they know it is just for young people. Even though there are other pantries around, a lot of our young people would only come here because this is one they feel safest at.”
Kayla agrees. “It is much easier for them to come in and ask us for help because we make it a comfortable space for them to do what they need. There is no shame around anything here.”
Michael*, a 20 year-old who has been living on couches and sleeping rough, came to the Junction following a family breakdown. “He came in just before a job interview”, explained Olivia. “He hadn’t showered in 4 days and he was really hungry. So I gave him food and he got new clothes out, had a shower, dressed up and went off to his interview.”
Feeling safe, and unjudged is essential for individuals accessing Emergency Relief services. By supporting Anglicare, you help provide care and understanding to those in need—regardless of their circumstances. Your financial assistance helps support our mission to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage.
For Michael, that may mean a hot meal and a hot shower that allows him to gain a stable job. For others, it may mean providing regular, reliable nutrition so they can continue to attend school.
“One amazing young person we support is couch surfing while finishing school at the same time”, said Olivia. Without stable housing, John* is never sure where he will be on any given night.
“His school has been supportive, they give him free breakfasts and lunch. They are okay with him being late because he could be sleeping anywhere in Canberra and needs to make his way into school.” John relies on the Junction food pantry for regular nutrition as he navigates this tricky phase of his young life.
“Young people generally end up homeless because of a family breakdown, because they are not safe at home or it is not safe for others in the home. Sometimes they are kicked out. Other times they choose to leave because it is just that bad”, explained Olivia. Roughly 37% of the youth homeless population in Australia have experienced domestic or family violence**.
For young people with unstable housing finding a suitable job and supporting themselves is a real challenge. “To get a job you need interview clothing, you need to have an address. How hard is it to go to school or work if you don’t know where you’re sleeping that night?” said Kayla. “They can’t afford nutritional food, which then impacts their health. We can at least help with that.”
Through your kindness, vulnerable young people like Grace, Michael and John won’t need to go without food this month. CLICK HERE to make a donation today.
The rental crisis is forcing young people to live in sub-standard share-house accommodations that lack essential facilities. “I helped a client recently that only had an oven”, said Olivia. “He didn’t have a stove, he didn’t have a fridge, he didn’t have a microwave. He didn’t even have a kettle. It was really hard to find nutritious food from the pantry that he could take home”.
Kayla and Olivia are used to considering the individual needs of those they help. “When someone doesn’t have a stable home, we can’t give them large food hampers because they have nowhere to store it”, said Olivia. “Many are living on their own for the first time and don’t know how to make a nutritious meal, so we created recipe kits that show how to make a healthy, tasty meal from the ingredients we give them at the pantry. It’s been very popular”, said Olivia. It can be small things like this that improve the situation for a young person experiencing disadvantage. Recently, Olivia met with a new client. “He had just had the worst day”, she said. “He couldn’t go home and he had nowhere else to go. He came in and we let him charge his phone so he could contact some friends. He had a shower and was able to get some new clothes. We gave him something to eat and made referrals to try and get him a place to stay. It didn’t feel like much, but afterwards he cried in our waiting room and said ‘It’s just the little things that make a big difference’. He was that grateful.”
While some of the services offered by the Junction, like access to medical care, are supported by government funding, emergency relief services across all our locations rely on donations from supporters like you.
Thank you for helping us provide food and support to the vulnerable and disadvantaged in our region. No young person deserves to feel overlooked or forgotten.
If you would like to make a donation to support our emergency relief services that provide support to people of all ages and stages of life, CLICK HERE.
* Client names have been changed to protect their identity.
** According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021) Homelessness and overcrowding, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 22 August 2023.
Pictured: Junction Youth Workers, Olivia and Kayla.
