Homeless youth

Page contents: Overview | Innovative Health Services for Homeless Youth Program (IHSHY) | IHSHY Statewide forum | History of IHSHY

Overview

Homelessness is a complex issue, resulting from a variety of personal and societal factors. Structural factors such as poverty, unemployment and an inadequate supply of affordable housing are major contributors to homelessness in Australia. Personal circumstances such as discrimination, poor physical or mental health, intellectual disability, drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, family and relationship breakdown, domestic violence, and physical and sexual abuse may increase a person's risk of becoming or remaining homeless.

This page provides information on a program for homeless youth conducted by both the Australian and State governments - the Innovative Health Services for Homeless Youth program - introduced in 1991. Information on other Department of Human Services youth programs can be found on the Youth Services Branch website.

Innovative Health Services for Homeless Youth Program (IHSHY)

IHSHY is a Commonwealth/State program that promotes health care for homeless and at risk young people. It is funded under a Special Purpose Payment (SPP), with state and territory governments matching the Commonwealth’s contribution.

Funds are provided for innovative health and related services for homeless and otherwise at-risk young people that respond to their complex health needs and improve their access to mainstream health services.

IHSHY provides a means of engaging young people who are homeless or marginalised and who may not otherwise access health services.

For more information see:

• IHSHY programs
• Resources

IHSHY Statewide forum

Over 45 staff from the 18 Victorian agencies involved in the Innovative Health Services for Homeless and at Risk Youth Program (IHSHY) met at the Department’s Lonsdale Street office on Monday 21 July.

The statewide forum included:

• A presentation from the Director Primary Health on the new national focus on homelessness following the release of the Which way home? Green Paper by the Commonwealth Government this year;
• A morning workshop covering issues around helping young people to access General Practice and;
• An afternoon session featuring several State Government homelessness assistance initiatives such as the Youth Homeless Action Plan and the Opening Doors Framework.

A feature of the general practice workshop was a 'market stall' at which IHSHY staff heard from four agencies that have had success in enhancing access to GP services for homeless and at risk young people.

IHSHY staff found the forum a valuable opportunity to network with fellow workers, share resources and approaches, and identify issues for the program.

Copies of the presentations from the forum are available below:

AM workshop - Access to General Practice for homeless and at risk young people

Access to general practice services for young people (912kb, pdf)

Introducing headspace (1,000kb, pdf)

PM workshops - Creating Connections - Peter Lake & Clair Wheeler

Creating Connections (205kb, pdf)

Opening Doors - Clodagh Walsh
Opening Doors is a new approach to providing people seeking assistance with improved access to homelessness and social housing services in Victoria. Further information on Opening Doors can be found on the Office of Housing website.

Opening doors: A framework for better access to homelessness and social housing services in Victoria (187kb, pdf)

History of IHSHY

The IHSHY program was introduced as a pilot program in 1991, in response to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s (1989) “Our Homeless Children” report. Findings concluded that marginalised and homeless young people experience chronic health problems but are reluctant to seek treatment through mainstream services which they regard as unsympathetic and judgemental to their needs and life circumstances.

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