Couch Surfing for Youth Homelessness

Anglicare NT held the annual Couch Surfing event in Darwin on Youth Homelessness Matters Day today, with the aim of raising awareness of the 26,000 young people across Australia who have no place to go.

In the Northern Territory, 52% of homeless people are under 24 years of age (Department of Housing and Community Development, NT Government, 2016). This equates to approximately 3,947 young Territorians aged between 12 – 24 years who are homeless (ABS, 2012). The majority of these young people are living in overcrowded accommodation or couch surfing. Couch surfing – staying temporarily in a series of other people’s homes – is the first and most common way young people experience homelessness.

Each year the annual Couch Surfing event gets bigger and bigger and 2017 was no exception. Over 20 teams of young people competed in this years race, including a team of young people who flew in from Gunbalanya in Arnhemland to take part in the event.  The Gunbalanya team will spend a week in Darwin with a schedule of activities facilitated by Anglicare NT’s Youth Diversion Program, West Arnhem Shire and Teamhealth.

Couch Surfing provides a great opportunity for local school and youth groups to participate in a positive team building activity while raising awareness of youth homelessness.  The competition between the 20 teams was fierce, with the Shak Youth Centre couch winning the speediest couch race in a nailbiting final with the Gwalwa Daraniki team. Local services provided information to young people at the event, and everyone was able to fuel up with free food and drinks.

Anglicare NT hopes to highlight three key messages in relation to youth homelessness through the Couch Surfing event:

  • Homelessness is not just rough sleeping, many young people experience couch surfing or living in severely overcrowded conditions.
  • Homeless young people don’t just need accommodation. They need assistance to address complex issues and needs to support them to break the cycle of homelessness.
  • Young people transitioning from Out of Home Care, young people involved in the youth justice system and young families have a right to access safe and affordable accommodation.

Read more here.


 

Photos from top to bottom – The Shak took out first prize with their couch decorated with Indigenous saltwater animals and handprints of the Shak team members; Numerous local youth services provided information at Couch Surfing; Anglicare NT CEO Dave Pugh, Minister Lauren Moss and Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim on the couch with the team from Gunbalanya; The Gunbalanya and Seda teams race to the finish line in the preliminary heats.