Mrs MAY (5:54 PM) —The lack of short-term crisis accommodation for young homeless people on the Gold Coast is at breaking point. We have a serious problem in our city, and the seriousness of that problem needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth, which commenced in 1984, will shortly take over the management of a new, purpose-built home that will house seven young people on a short-term basis with 24-hour on-site management. Some would say that a new, purpose-built home for homeless youth would be a reason for celebration, but there are only seven beds. That is the total number of beds we have in our city right now for homeless youth, and these new beds will replace the beds we have currently. The current facility will be closed down, so in fact we are not gaining any extra beds. The Gold Coast has a population of close to 450,000 people, yet we have only seven beds as short-term crisis accommodation to meet the growing demand of the homeless youth in our city.

In 2002 McLaughlin House provided 2,139 bed nights to young people in crisis. That figure sounds like a huge achievement, but the staff at McLaughlin House could only accommodate 16 per cent of the referrals and had to turn away 1,117 referrals. This was directly due to the lack of available beds. And where did those 1,117 referrals end up? We must remember that they are young homeless people, not just numbers. They are members of the Gold Coast community; they are our kids and our future.

Youth homelessness, adult homelessness and family homelessness are not just a product of the Gold Coast; they are a growing problem throughout Australian communities and they are a problem that we all need to take notice of. It is time to build partnerships with business, with local authorities within communities, and with government to put in place programs and infrastructure, resources and funding to meet the growing demands of a problem that will grow by epidemic proportions if we do not act now.

What are the statistics? How big is this problem in Australia? What is `youth homelessness'? How is it defined and measured? The Australian Bureau of Statistics recognises three types of homeless people: those without any form of shelter; those in temporary accommodation with no secure housing elsewhere; and long-term tenants of single rooms in boarding houses. In 1989 the Burdekin report identified three categories of homeless young people: those who leave home temporarily and then return; those who have left home and require temporary assistance to make the transition to independence; and those who become homeless in their mid- to late teens and who find it very difficult to break the cycle of homelessness. It is estimated that throughout Australia, 37,000 young people aged 12 to 24 are homeless at any one time and that approximately 100,000 young people aged 12 to 24 experience homelessness every year. Research shows youth homelessness has increased by eight per cent since 1994.

So what are the reasons for youth homelessness, and why are we seeing such a large increase in youth homelessness? The most common reason given by 80 per cent of homeless young people was family and/or relationship breakdown. Another reason is physical and sexual abuse. Some statistics indicate that at least 50 per cent of homeless youth have suffered physical or sexual abuse, usually from a family member. Teenage drug and alcohol abuse is a key cause of conflict within families and that also leads to young people leaving home. The Burdekin report also cites strong links between family poverty and youth homelessness. The report points out that poverty often contributes to drug and alcohol problems, social isolation and domestic violence, all of which may compel a young person to leave home. Many families are simply unable to support an adolescent. Unemployment and teenage pregnancy also indicate strong links to homelessness.

Contrary to the perception in communities that young people leave home because they cannot accept discipline, surveys show that most young people are desperately keen to be reunited with their families, and youth agencies on the Gold Coast certainly work towards that outcome. Some family environments are not the best, but young people have told me they have to choose between an unsuitable home and the risk of harm involved in living on the street.

If home is not an option, youth workers in my community try and find safe accommodation with extended family members or friends—somewhere that they are safe. With only seven beds for short-term crisis accommodation on the Gold Coast, more often than not there will not be a bed, and alternate safe housing must be found or the young person is left on the street. The lack of appropriate accommodation options on the Gold Coast is an ongoing frustration for both clients and workers.

But youth homelessness is not just about finding a bed. Each individual has support needs, and plans tailored to their individual goals must be identified by case workers. The most common support needs identified by clients at McLaughlin House during 2002 were in the areas of accommodation, education, employment and obtaining and maintaining Youth Allowance. Seventy per cent of young people accessing the service at McLaughlin House were unemployed and not at school. The McLaughlin House annual report of 2002 identifies that the majority of the clients are high-need and there is no suitable accommodation available for them. The report goes on to say that most have a wide range of often multiple issues ranging from mental health, aggression, crime, behavioural disorders, learning disorders and drug issues.

All these problems require specialised services. If these services are not available, what sort of impact do these issues have on youth homelessness? Many of these young people express feelings of low self-esteem, alienation, aloneness and abandonment and a sense of being trapped and used—and these feelings can lead them to be suicidal. In a survey conducted on homeless young people by the Howard government, suicide attempts had been made by 82 per cent of females and 61 per cent of males. More than 80 per cent of those surveyed felt that there was not much point in living and were bored with their lives.

There is no doubt that youth homelessness is a growing problem that is recognised by this government and many support agencies within our local communities. The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program—or SAAP, as it is known—is an initiative of this government, and one that is welcomed by local agencies meeting the challenges of this very complex problem. But the problem is not just about low-cost housing; it is about ongoing support for these young people. Short-term crisis accommodation is just that: short-term. But it is often the longer term effects of homelessness that need to be tackled on a long-term basis. There is a need to assist young people to make the transition from being dependent on assistance to being independent.

The Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth has identified a number of areas that need resourcing to assist in the long-term success of youth becoming independent. There is a need in many cases for assistance with living skills—to teach young people how to shop, how to budget their income and how to cook. In many cases, multiple forms of assistance are required, which could include counselling and emotional support as well as practical support. Through the Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth, a number of pilot programs have been launched where assistance is given through follow-up programs. I believe that follow-up programs are an extremely important part of empowering these young people to take responsibility for their own lives. Crisis accommodation for a few days or weeks does not always solve what can be very complex problems. These young people need the follow-up help to give them the best chance of turning their lives around. But these follow-up programs cannot be offered without resources. Governments at all levels and community leaders need to work together to find local solutions to local problems. The Gold Coast City is perceived as a wealthy well-to-do area. Scratch the surface and you will find a very different story.

So what needs to be done? What can government and, indeed, our communities do to address this growing problem? I am a great believer in early intervention to prevent the problem in the first place. Education programs are a must. These can be delivered through our schools, whether they be life skills programs or employment programs specifically targeted to those young people who leave school early. There needs to be increased levels of support for those agencies in our communities who are delivering services to these young people, through relationship counselling or programs that target drug and alcohol abuse. We need to reduce the level of domestic violence in our communities and we need to focus on low-cost accommodation and exit programs for those young people who have nowhere to go. I believe our community and business leaders on the Gold Coast need to lend their support to the growing problem we are facing in our city. We all need to take ownership of the problem, not push it under the carpet, and work together in partnership with government and local agencies to help provide those young homeless people in our city with the economic and social support they require to break the cycle of homelessness.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hawker)—Order! The time for the grievance debate has expired. The debate is interrupted and I put the question:

Question agreed to.