Between three and five young people in Wyndham become homeless every week, according to support service Whitelion.
Outreach worker Roger Antochi said that in the past year there had been an increase in Wyndham young people between the ages of 15-25 with nowhere to live.
Many more young people in Wyndham without permanent homes were ‘‘couch surfing’’ and relying on the generosity of friends.
Mr Antochi said he had met a young man who had been couch surfing for a year but did not consider himself to be homeless.
He said that many young people who came to Whitelion’s Wyndham youth resource centre were victims of child abuse or domestic violence.
“When I first started, there were about two young people coming in each week,” he said. “Now, I’m seeing up to five.”
Mr Antochi said that while Whitelion was able to help young people get back on their feet, the lack of crisis accommodation in Wyndham made things more challenging.
Wyndham’s homeless young people are usually put up in a Footscray motel for a night before being transferred to suitable accommodation in Frankston or Melbourne’s CBD.
“It means that young people are being taken out of the area and away from the people who may have been supporting them,’’ Mr Antochi said.
He hopes that Whitelion’s major fund-raiser, the annual Bail Out, will raise enough money to help more Wyndham young people. The May 30 event gives people a first-hand look at what it’s like to be imprisoned.
“Inmates” are stripped of possessions, fingerprinted and photographed before being taken to court, where they are sentenced to cell time. They and their supporters must raise at least $1000 before they can be “bailed”.
“The Bail Out is a unique opportunity to support us in the work we do,” Mr Antochi said.
“You can help make a significant difference to a young person’s life.”
