Two years ago, Emma Jacobsen lost her mother and her home. Since then, she has led an unsettled existence, couch surfing and making ends meet the best she can. But after working with Social Futures, things are turning around, and she is about to move into her own place.

Emma describes her relationship with her mum, “We were like two peas in a pod. She was my best friend as well as my mum. We would do everything together, we wore the same pyjamas, had the same hair, we even have three tattoos that are the same!” Emma makes a convincing case of the void that the loss of her mother made.

Lucie White, the manager at Social Futures working with youth homelessness services, reports that the situation Emma finds herself in is not uncommon. “Social Futures have 5 case workers, currently working with 16 or 17 young homeless people each. We have helped 431 young homeless people this calendar year.” The age range is 16 to 24.

“A lot of young people couch surf, stay with family, friends, friends of family, and sometimes they put themselves in risky situations. They are disadvantaged due to their age, limited income and lack of rental history.”

Since the loss of her mother, Emma has been in a hard situation, and really appreciates the network she has generated, “I have met so many new people - I have made such a good support system. But I don’t rely on anyone after mum passed away. I can’t rely on anyone but myself. My friends support me, but I can only rely on myself.”

Having a safe and secure place to live is something most people have as a baseline to operate from. Lucie is making the call to all real estates to, “give young people a go, give them a chance to get their foot in the door so they can get a house and security for their futures.”

One real estate agent, Andrew Gordon from R. Gordon and Son Property Management has not only accepted the call, but speaks passionately about what it means for society, “We have an obligation as a community to make sure everyone gets a start. To have a roof over their head.”

“If we don't give them the chance to stay here, then they move onto the next market and we loose them. One of the drivers of people moving out of town is there is no opportunity to stay.”

Andrew sees a coupe of large problems. The first is the amount of homes available, “I have 600 to 700 properties and only two available.” Which he points out is a fraction of 1.08% that is the region's low average rental availability.

This lack of housing is due, in part, to the list of issues experienced in the area that make it hard to build or find builders - drought, fire, covid, floods. Andrew also sees a different reason, “The idea of investment has changed. People aren't investing like they used to. They are happy with a house, a car and a nice holiday each year and are not interested in buying further investment. It's a different mindset.”

Andrew also confirmed, “the first thing an agent looks for is previous rental history. If you haven't rented before, you have none, and that’s a barrier straight away. Young people are given the chance to get around it with Rent Youth Choice - it's the vehicle to make sure they can meet their obligation.”

Lucie describes how this path works, “Connecting Home has some transitional properties that we put young people in where they learn to become a great tennant. Learn living skills, budgeting, management of their life with support.”

“We work hard to build their capacity to get a rental history from us.”

Emma didn’t necessarily find this step easy, “When I first moved into transitional housing, after being in homes with family and friends, it was pretty scary being completely by myself, hearing stuff at night time. As the months went past, it got easier.”

The subsidy system gives a homeless person the ability to get a three month rental contract where up to 75% of their rent is covered. “This can be extended up to 18 months, depending on the situation.” Lucie says.

“The majority of young people are a success in the program.”

Andrew is a strong advocate of the system, “The people of Lismore really need to get on board with these initiatives. If you are an individual who lives in this community and you want good service and you want shops to be open, then you need to support things like Rent Youth Choice.”

Emma is really looking forward to her own place and chasing her future. She has a job, “I am a delivery driver and I love it! I also help in the shop, I have been offered a supervisory position, but I am not ready to take it on - it's a bit of responsibility.”

“I want to save up for a couple of years, get a good rental history and in about 5 years move to Toowoomba - in my own place, and be near my brother.”

The plans for this move are ready and Emma is pleased to say,“I have all my furniture sorted and I have saved up my bond.”

Asking Emma how she will spend the first night in her own apartment, “I want to decorate - I have a whole box of decorations and I want to make it home.”

There are many specialist homeless services available that help young people in vulnerable situations. For more information, contact Social Futures on 1800 719 625.