Horror story behind girl's smiling photo
Half of young homeless Australians asking for a place to sleep are being turned away, figures from a leading NSW not-for-profit show, with one woman who got lucky in a 'million-to-one' chance now pushing for change.
NSW organisation Yfoundations has taken to filming young homeless people as they search for a safe place to sleep, putting a face to the overwhelming demand for help.
'The popularity of shows like Survivor and Alone has turned survival into entertainment,' Yfoundations chief executive John Macmillan told NewsWire.
'This series confronts the raw reality too many young Australians face every day.
'Youth homelessness is not just a statistic; it's a human tragedy.'
The content series is called Young and Alone.
Organisation films young homeless people searching for safety
'We're fascinated by watching adults battle brutal conditions for fun, but survival isn't a social experiment for young people experiencing homelessness – it's a hard-hitting reality and the content series shines the light on this.'
Sydneysider Natasha Ransford was saved by a 'million-to-one' chance, a youth refuge centre saving a bed while she was on school camp.
Now nine years later, Ms Ransford, 25, is a youth worker at the very same refuge.
'No young person chooses to be homeless,' she told NewsWire.
'There are a lot of misconceptions that young people are just bad and that they get on drugs, or they don't want to listen to their parents, or they move out and that's why they become homeless. I want to challenge all those misconceptions.' Sydney woman Natasha Ransford works for the youth refuge organisation that took her in as a teenager. Supplied Credit: Supplied
From ages 14 to 16, Ms Ransford was bouncing between her sister and her dad's house, as her mother's 'severe' alcoholism up-ended the teenager's home life.
She found a home with Project Youth in Sydney's southwest. A scholarship from Toyota helped her finish year 12 while working part time, cooking and cleaning for herself after school.
'I had to grow up very quickly and it's been beneficial for me now,' Ms Ransford said.
'I've been paying rent since I was 16, I'm good with money and budgeting. I have a really strong work ethic.
'But to put that onto a 16 year old, it wasn't fair.'
In year 10, dropping out of school to go and work seemed like the best option.
Ms Ransford's mental health was in poor condition, and she had learnt to use alcohol as a coping mechanism.
With the help of Project Youth, support from school and health care, she now holds a Diploma of Community Services and a Certificate IV in Leadership and Management.
She was never forced to sleep rough, was able to go from the refuge to transitional housing, and now rents a place with friends. Across the country, there are estimated to be more than 43,000 young people experiencing or at risk of becoming homeless. NewsWire / Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia
Ms Ransford identifies a turning point in her life – when Project Youth held a bed so she could go on school camp.
'I was 16 … I went in one afternoon and told them basically what was going on at home.
'Surprisingly, they had a bedroom available that night, which normally is very, very rare.
'I had year 11 camp the next day.
'I asked them if they could hold the bed for me until after I got back from camp. They did, which they wouldn't be able to do now just because the need has grown so much.'
The youth refuge became her home, on a Saturday after school camp.
'The chances of that happening now would be like a million-to-one,' Ms Ransford said.
'I don't think any service can afford to hold a bed for three nights for someone.
'It's unfortunately the case of if you can get it that time, then you can. First in, first serve, but I quite often think that was a turning point in my life.'
Yfoundations has launched a petition calling on the federal and state governments to make ending youth homelessness a national priority, with the development of a targeted plan and funding.
'For too long, the specific and complex needs of children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have been assumed to be the same as those of adults and have not been explicitly addressed in government plans to address homelessness,' the petition reads.
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