248. A key finding pointed out by ABS is:
Homelessness is not just the result of too few houses. Its causes are many
and varied. Domestic violence, a shortage of affordable housing,
unemployment, mental illness, family breakdown and drug and alcohol
abuse all contribute to the level of homelessness in Australia.217
249. Mission Australia conducted a survey of 24,055 young people’s
experiences of homelessness in 2017. They were aged 15–19 years. Almost
one in five of those who ‘couch surfed’ (19.5%) reported that they had first
done so when they were less than 12 years old. 218
250. Children in out-of-home care are at high risk of homelessness. Nearly 35%
of young people who leave out-of-home care become homeless.219 One of
the key policy recommendations emerging from Mission Australia’s survey
was improved exit planning and whole of government approaches to
prevent young people exiting out-of-home care into homelessness.220
251. An emerging issue is support for raising the age that children leave out-ofhome care. Given the age of majority sits at 18, this is a complex
proposition that requires serious consideration.221
Recommendation 33: Australian Governments improve exit planning and
supports for young people leaving out-of-home care, including
consideration of increasing the age of leaving out-of-home care.
7.5
Sexual health
252. In 2017, the NCC undertook a special investigation into adolescent
parents. Although the teenage birth rate is at an historic low, teenagers in
rural and remote areas experience young parenthood at four times the
rate of their metropolitan counterparts.222 Teenage pregnancy is
associated with poorer health outcomes for both mother and child.
Teenage mothers are more likely to experience maternal risk factors such
as anaemia and hypertension, and are also more likely to smoke during
pregnancy.223 Data collected by the ANZCDR&PG also shows that the
children of teenage mothers suffer from higher rates of SUDI (sudden
unexpected death of infants).224
253. Research indicates that limited access to information and health services
may contribute to higher rates of teenage pregnancy in rural and remote
areas. Young people themselves report that ‘confidentiality, challenges in
being able to discuss sensitive health issues, and cost, all present barriers
to using and purchasing contraception’.225
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