00:00Young people are out there trying to survive and it's because of an unsafe environment that they've been put in that they've had to leave home.
00:07Forget the dream of home ownership, for tens of thousands of young Aussies, even affording rent or finding a safe place to sleep is out of reach.
00:18I had tried to live with both parents separately because I had divorced.
00:22I had tried to live with my sister, tried to live with my friend due to different circumstances, none of those were viable for a long period of time.
00:30So my life was very unstable and I just kind of became the norm of just moving around and trying to find some way that I could live.
00:37A new campaign has launched a fake survival show inspired by hits like Alone and Survivor that lays bare the harsh reality of youth homelessness.
00:48Where staying alive is not simply part of a game, but a daily struggle.
00:55Trying to find somewhere I can sleep through the night.
00:58My phone's about to die and the refuge hasn't called me back yet.
01:03I'll be fine.
01:04The release comes as new figures reveal more than 43,000 Australians under 25 are either experiencing homelessness or are at serious risk.
01:16Despite young people making up nearly 40% of the country's homeless population, half of those seeking crisis accommodation last financial year were turned away due to a lack of space.
01:29They're just the ones that know about services or are feeling mentally okay enough to go and ask for help.
01:35The number would be easily double that and what we don't see.
01:38And it is unfortunately such an invisible and hidden crisis as well because so many young people are cap surfing or they're sleeping on trains or on public transport.
01:47Natasha became a youth worker and returned to the refuge she entered at 16.
01:53She supports young people to ensure they don't fall through the cracks.
01:58I remember coming in here at 16 and asking for help.
02:01And now I'm someone who can help other young people.
02:05You get extra credibility from young people as well when you can say, okay, well, I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I've had a similar experience.
02:13And I've also lived in the refuge.
02:15I've come out the other side.
02:16For young Aussies, even securing a rental is a dangerous frontier, with skyrocketing rents, intense competition and stagnant wages creating a housing market that locks out many who are simply looking for a roof over their head.
02:32Unfortunately, so many young people are going between temporary accommodation in motels, in different houses and can be unsafe environments as well, with no supports around them,
02:43into crisis accommodation, which only lasts up to three months.
02:47And then in the hope of getting transitional accommodation, which sometimes they just can't get because there's no availability.
02:55Maybe they're not earning enough or there's different requirements that make them ineligible.
03:01I can't think.
03:04I can't deal with this anymore.
03:05If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, visit homelessnessaustralia.org.au to find your state or territory's services.
03:18On the weekends, I do find it hard to switch off.
03:20And I think about young people that I've helped.
03:22And I wonder how they are, if they're still in that temporary accommodation, where they would be tonight.
