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Facts About Homelessness In Australia

I have five gorgeous kids and the thought of any of them not having anywhere safe to call home would be devastating. Homelessness for youth is not just a place to live though. These stats are from the 21 Challenge website and show what factors often play apart in youth homeleseness:

• There are an estimated 32,444 young people between 12 to 24 years who are homeless in Australia ^[1].
• Family conflict and breakdown is the main cause of youth homelessness in Australia ^[2].
• Young people aged between 12 and 18 are the largest group experiencing homelessness^[3] and Indigenous Australians are more likely to experience homelessness than other Australians^[4].
• Young People aged between 12 and 25 years of age are the single largest group assisted by the homelessness service system in Victoria ^[5].
• Without successful intervention, at-risk and homeless young people are more likely to transition from youth to adult (chronic) homelessness ^[6].
• The Institute of Family Studies estimates that the cost to the community of a person being homeless from mid-adolescence to death is $2 million.

The 21 Challenge

The 21 Challenge is an initiative of Open Family Australia who been providing a range of Outreach services to young people experiencing high complex needs. The mission of Open Family Australia is:

Our mission is to change the lives of homeless and at-risk young people by working with them individually, offering long term and focused intensive support.

Our vision is to provide them with the life skills and support they need to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness and build a better future.

At Open Family Australia we believe in a young person’s need to belong. We can change the lives of vulnerable young people.

The aim of the 21 Challenge is for others to Challenge themselves, their friends or workmates to do, or not do, something from June 1st to 21st and raise money through the period. You can see more information here.

The 21 Challenge runs from 1 – 21st June. 21st June is the winter solstice. It is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. In the depth of winter it would be a very tough time for youth who have no place to call home.

My 21 Challenge

I have challenged myself (I love a good challenge!) to blog daily an activity I have done with one of the kids using only items we already have or are available when we are out.

Doing the activity daily for me will be the easy part of this challenge, blogging daily will be the toughest part, it has been many years since I attempted to blog daily. I will blog the activity each evening, using instagram photos and a few sentences with tips or descriptions.

I will still keep up my usual posts, so for the first three weeks in June you will see much more posting on the blog.

What you can do!

The 21 Challenge is a key event for Open Family Australia to fund their outreach programs for at-risk and homeless young people. You can take a challenge yourself or if you have read info here on Planning With Kids and enjoyed it, you can head to my 21 Challenge page and donate.

I have set a goal of $500 and would love any donation you can afford to help me reach it. All payments are processed securely with credit card details encrypted in line with Level 1 PCI Compliance. Open Family Australia does not see, or store, your credit card details. Donations are tax deductible.

Would love to hear if you have also taken up the 21 Challenge?
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[1]   Department of Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs, unpublished table from ABS Census 2001 and 2006 data

[2]   Homeless People in SAAP, SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2007-08

[3]   The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness, Commonwealth of Australia 2008

[4]   A hand up not a hand out: Renewing the fight against poverty, Community Affairs Reference Committee, March 2004

[5]   Office of Housing, Department of Human Services, State Government of Victoria

[6]   Homeless Careers: Pathways In and Out of Homelessness, MacKenzie and Chamberlain, May 2003

Current Sponsors:

• Bright Star Kids' Name Labels - Super Cute & Durable Name Labels
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The 21 Challenge is a post from: Planning With Kids

Jodie brings a great perspective to this topic as her family set up is a bit different to most. Jodie is the gorgeous mum to James – 20, Bianca 17, Luke 2 and Noah 1. Thanks so much Jodie for taking the time out of your busy life to send in your tips and photos – they are fantastic!

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It is amazing how clutter overwhelms you to the point of feeling dysfunctional!

After having 2 babies under 2, I was beginning to feel like my life was spiralling out of control. Completing the simplest tasks such as preparing dinner, vacuuming, keeping up with the washing so that the children and hubby had clothes in the drawers for the next day, getting to the post office or even to the supermarket to get the essentials seemed impossible.

As I looked around the home I felt out of control and depressed. Of course, nothing was more important than meeting the immediate needs of Luke and Noah which I always happily managed. Frustration soon grew as there wasn’t any time to exercise let alone sit back with a coffee & admire the orderliness of the house you have just cleaned.

Anyway, after a Christmas holiday to Qld, where a mother could relax, clear the mind and enjoy family time, I felt like I was able to focus a little better and begin re-organising home for 2012. De-cluttering was the first step towards sanity and taking charge of my life!

[Nicole's] tip to begin with one task a day/week is spot on. This has been my adventures de-clutteriong:

Baby Clothes

I began by sorting through the boys wardrobes- handing down all of Luke’s outgrown sizes to Noah, followed by sorting all of Noah’s baby clothes into nappy boxes, labelled according to sizes & season. They are currently all stored in the garage (until one of my 2 girlfriends confirms a pregnancy and the sex.)

The next thing I did was to take photos of all the redundant baby stuff and filed them under ”E-bay Items” so that I can sell them. Currently these items are now stored in the garage.

Empty Room

The next room I tackled was my 17 year old daughter’s bedroom. This was difficult and the one job I had been procrastinating about for at least 12 months. I purchased some plastic storage boxes on sale at Target for $6.00 each. I sorted through all her stuff (girls are such hoarders and sentimentalists), placing into either the rubbish bin, salvo’s, a bag of hand-me-downs for my niece, a suitcase for her clothes she still wears or the storage boxes. I labelled all the storage boxes so that they are easy to locate when she needs them.

Again, I took photos of furniture no longer needed; single bed, tall boy, old school desk and book shelf and then filed in the “E-bay” file. The rest is currently stored in the garage! The most satisfying thing about this room was that I could now focus on a DIY makeover guest room. That was fun, I never seemed to have trouble shopping for these new items and finally I was beginning to feel like I had some control back.

Home Office

At the moment the home office is a work in progress. I am thinking through an effective filing system, accessible budget/daily planner and simplifying the technology eg, invest in wireless accessories and minimise the clutter around power outlets etc.

My Wardrobe

The final task and probably most expensive: de-clutter my WIR. I’ll be donating any old corporate suits, bags and shoes to a charity called “Fitted For Work”, who assist underprivileged or reformed women in society to return to the workplace. I will also be referring to “andimccann.com.au” to re-invent my wardrobe so that I will never be late to any appointment or social outing as I will always have the right outfit to wear!

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So a couple of months on since the first de-cluttering posts for the year, how are you going with the battle of clutter? I am doing okay but am just in the middle of working on my biggest clutter issue in the house, which is my home office and will share soon, what I have done here.

Current Sponsors:

• Bright Star Kids' Name Labels - Super Cute & Durable Name Labels
• 4MyEarth - Lunch that does not cost the earth.

Decluttering Tips To Get You Back In Order is a post from: Planning With Kids

While I made this Beef Casserole in the slow cooker, you could easily follow the steps and cook it in the oven for two of hours at around 160 degrees Celsius. It is a great basic casserole, that you can add and vary depending on what your preferred veg are and what you have in the house you might like to use up.

I used the Rich Beef Casserole recipe from Sally Wise’s Slow Cooker cook book as a base for this recipe.

Slow Cooker Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 kg beef diced (I had an excess of beef strips so actually used those instead this time.)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons chutney
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon corn flour

Method:

1. Slice carrots, chop onion and cut capsicum.

2. Add beef to the slow cooker.

3. Add veggies to the slow cooker.

4. Add wine, stock, the sauces, chutney and salt.

5. Stir so meat still remains at the bottom, but the sauces etc mix through.

6. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

7. About 15 minutes before serving, combine corn flour with a small amount of water. Add to the slow cooker and stir in. Cook on high for 15 minutes to thicken.

8. Serve by itself with mashed potatoes or rice.

If you are looking for further recipe inspiration, check out my complete list of Family Friendly Recipes. You might like to also check out Planning With Kids Menu Planning App.

The kid friendly menu planning app allows you to:

• Create weekly menu plans quickly, choosing as many meals per day as you would like to plan for.
• Generate the shopping list for all the meals selected.
• Modify the shopping list to check off items you already have at home.
• Email the shopping list to yourself and/or others.

The most popular recipes from the blog have been included and more will be added on a weekly basis. The app will notify you when new recipes have been added, so you will be able to deliver plenty of variety in your family’s menu plans. Each recipe lists the ingredients required, easy to follow instructions and a photo from the blog.

Current Sponsors:

• Bright Star Kids' Name Labels - Super Cute & Durable Name Labels
• 4MyEarth - Lunch that does not cost the earth.

Slow Cooker Beef Casserole is a post from: Planning With Kids