This report presents an overview of homelessness in Western Australia: its nature, composition, antecedents and consequences, and the policy and practice responses that we believe should be considered address it.

This important report provides an insight into the scale of youth homelessness in Australia and, perhaps most importantly, a better understanding of who these young people are and how they are impacted by homelessness.

In the spring of 2010, with a close state election contest on the horizon, the leadership of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Hanover Welfare Services both saw a chance to win political support for innovation in the youth homelessness sector.

This report outlines the findings from an independent, longitudinal analysis, examining the changes in the scale and nature of homelessness in Australia, as well as how social, economic and policy drivers influence these changes.

This strategy has been developed by the Western Australian Alliance to End Homeless, following an 18-month community campaign bringing together contributions of many people from homelessness services, those experiencing homelessness, funders of services and members of the community.