Solving homelessness among young people requires more than simply finding them a bed for the night, according to Bec l’Anson, the chief executive of the Albany Youth Support Association.

Homelessness Week runs from August 3-9, and she is using the national campaign to call for an approach which focuses on the young person and listens to their needs, rather than simply deciding what’s good for them.

“Safe accommodation is essential, but a roof alone does not address the experiences that led a young person to homelessness or help them build a pathway towards lasting independence,” Ms I’Anson said.

She said homelessness had many causes and that every individual has their own experiences which might include family conflict, domestic violence, mental health challenges or financial hardship.

“Every young person arrives with their own experiences, strengths, relationships and goals,” she said.

“A person-centred approach means listening to the young person, understanding what has happened in their life and working alongside them, not deciding on their behalf what their future should look like.”

In the year to June 2026 and through Albany Youth Outreach, AYSA provided intensive case management to 268 young people who had been assessed as being at risk or at extreme risk.

Ms I’Anson said that at Young House, 24-hour crisis accommodation is combined with support to help young people develop independent living skills.

“Young people do not need to reach breaking point before they deserve support,” she said, calling for more government investment in services for young people.

“Ending youth homelessness requires housing, but it also requires relationships, trust and support that responds to the whole person,” she said.

“Our role is not to take control of a young person’s life.

“It is to create safety, walk alongside them and help remove the barriers standing between them and the future they want.”