Couch Surfing in Sydney? Will Santa Know where to look?

Read below.  I'm inspired to do what we can at Cranes Pharmacy to help this Christmas.

Focus on the hidden homeless Tuesday 06 August 2013
More and more young Australians are calling a couch at a mates house home as the frequency of homelessness in across the country continues to grow. The plight of Australia’s homeless will be highlighted this week during Homeless Person’ Week, coordinated by Homelessness Australia. This year’s theme is “The hidden homeless”.
Barnardos Australia works closely with young people in New South Wales to help reduce the risk of them becoming homeless due to an often complex set of personal circumstances. These can include drug and alcohol issues, cross culture conflict and family breakdown.
According to Homelessness Australia, more than 105,000 people in Australia experience homelessness on any given night, and just six per cent of them are sleeping rough. Young people staying temporarily with friends or families, or women and children bunking down with relatives, don’t always identify themselves as homeless.
A Barnardos Australia Program Manager agrees ‘couch surfing’ is increasingly common. “More and more young people are ‘couch surfing’ as a way of life. Kids feel they can’t go home due to volatile relationships and family breakdown. We are actually finding truancy is the first indicator of homelessness as these kids are missing school because they don’t have the resources necessary for school. They can then get involved in drugs and other potentially dangerous behaviour. We want to break the cycle of homelessness that often runs in families.” Through the early intervention “Reconnect” program Barnardos Australia also offers practical and personal support and assistance for youth (12 – 18 years old) and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Reconnect program in Canterbury and Marrickville local government areas is aimed at reconnecting teenagers to their families where possible, by helping to work out relationship breakdowns. Barnardos workers aim to teach young people resilience to cope in difficult situations and how to live together in a family when times are hard. If moving home is not an option Barnardos helps the young person find stable living arrangements while staying connected to their families.
There are currently 105,237 people in Australia who are homeless, 27% of which are under the age of 18.* Barnardos Australia relies on your support to continue this vital work.

Support Teenagers in need by coming into Cranes or Cremorne Pharmacy and buy a gift voucher to give them for Christmas.