Couch surfing for youth

Dark alleys, derelict houses and shopping trolleys mounted with scrappy belongings.

These are the visions that many associate with the homeless.

According to the Salvation Army Oasis Youth Support Network, youth homelessness has a different reality.

The Network’s Couch Project seeks to raise awareness of the invisible challenges of homeless youth in Sydney and debunk common misconceptions.

Director of Oasis, Major Robbin Moulds, said nearly half of the 32,000 homeless youth nationwide are crashing on odd couches every night.

“You very rarely find a young homeless person sleeping on the streets,” Ms Moulds said.

Living on a couch places the vulnerable in powerless situations.

“Many of the young people have spoken to us about having to do things and be involved in things they didn’t want to, but needed to do to stay. Some involved in drugs,” she said.

Bianca Orsini 23, is originally from Canberra and became homeless three years ago after moving to Sydney.

She said family breakdown can force youth to a life of unstable living conditions.

“I was living with a boyfriend and that relationship ended pretty badly. I had to leave as I didn’t feel safe.”

Ms Orsini said she wasn’t able to return to her home in Canberra as her mother had mental health issues and she didn’t want to add further strain on her family.

“My parents have split up. My dad wants nothing to do with my family, just due to the relationship with my mum and him,” she said.

Stranded, Ms Orsini lived on a friend’s couch where she struggled to keep housemates happy, whilst hiding her living situation from her then employer.

Ms Orsini said: “The answer to resolving homelessness isn’t just about giving someone a bed, it’s about support, stability, and someone there who will believe in you.”

“When you’re couch surfing, all you’re safe from is the elements. That’s it.”

“Everything else in your life is still just as dangerous, because you’re not connected to family, someone else has basically got control of your whole life,” she said.

She knows of other youth who have run away from abuse, a traumatic incident, or family breakdown which they carry with them from couch to couch.

“If you don’t deal with trauma properly what ends up happening is themes like drugs and alcohol enter a young persons life.

“They run away from home and feel so scared and not belonging to this world, that they self medicate.”

If we actually invest in young people, then real change can happen, she said.

The Couch Project aims to raise funds to continue increasing housing options and pathways to take young people out of homelessness.

Visit www.thecouchproject.com.au to register your involvement.

By Lynn Chinnock