Families and new beginnings
More families are entering homelessness. Our evidence shows that integrated, multidisciplinary, child and family-centred models deliver lasting outcomes.
In short
Family homelessness is increasing as family violence, financial insecurity, trauma, and disadvantage conspire with longer wait times for appropriate housing. Caught in an adult-centric system, children's voices and unique needs risk being ignored by policy makers and governments. Launch Housing's programs for families, young people and children demonstrates that when housing is paired with tailored, trauma-informed support, people can move beyond crisis into long-term stability.
What's next
Looking ahead, we are taking ownership of our role in ending family homelessness by continuing to refine our practice, test new models and advocate for broader policy and systems change.
This year, we continued to tailor our programs and supports to meet the growing scale and complexity of family homelessness. As the needs of families and children change, so too must our practice. Over the last five years, the profile of families seeking homelessness support has shifted significantly. Increasingly, families who have never engaged with the homelessness system before are now seeking help, driven by the cost-of-living and rental crises.
At the same time, our teams have observed that for families who have previously used services, their needs are increasing in complexity, with more interconnected and layered challenges across housing, health, education, and family violence.
This is why families are a central focus area of our impact story.
People: The lived reality of family homelessness
Over the last five years, demand for family and child homelessness support has grown sharply, driven by rising rents, cost-of-living pressures, and family violence. In Victoria, 54% of women and children presenting to homelessness services cite family violence as a factor.1
We are seeing more families entering the homelessness system for the first time – single parents and low-income households pushed into crisis by record-low rental affordability. We have seen the total number of children and young people accessing our services rise each year since 2020. There has been a 20% increase since 2021, and an almost 10% increase since last year.
Only 2.6% of rentals are affordable for single parents on minimum wage, and virtually none for people on JobSeeker.2 In Victoria, just 0.8% of rentals are affordable on income support, with only two properties statewide affordable for a single parent with two children on Parenting Payments.3
Families returning for support are presenting with greater complexity, including mental health challenges4 and trauma from family violence. At the same time, systems remain designed for adults, often overlooking children’s developmental needs.
At Launch Housing, we respond by intervening early to keep families housed, treating children as clients in their own right, and recognising education as critical to breaking intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.
Education gives children and young people a bright future
The Education Pathways Program, funded through philanthropy, links health, education, and community care for children affected by homelessness. Since 2021, the program has supported 89% more children, helping them re-engage with school and build confidence.
The Education First Youth Foyer model integrates housing with education, life skills and community connection, breaking the cycle of homelessness for young people. Between 2023–25, 150 young people lived in our Foyers, with 23% having come from out-of-home care. Of those who exited, 91% were engaged in education and/or employment and in secure housing. Looking at two-year trends, 100% of First Nations students exited engaged in education and/or employment, compared to 25% at entry. This is compared with 90% of non-First Nations students who were engaged in education and/or employment on exit, compared to 73% at entry.
For Nate, his experience at an Education First Youth Foyer supported him to continue to connect with his culture and excel in his educational pursuits. These results reflect the impact of sustained, culturally responsive support and point to what’s possible when education is embedded within housing and care.
In 2024–25, our outreach youth support program delivered early intervention and prevention education sessions to over 400 students, equipping young people with practical skills and knowledge to access and maintain private rentals and share-housing.
Systems: What’s possible when systems are designed for families
The housing and homelessness system is not designed for families with children. Entry points primarily cater for adults and are not equipped to deliver the time-critical, developmentally appropriate supports and connections children require.
Crisis supported accommodation is also largely designed and funded for single adults with limited family units available across Victoria. As such, families with children are often placed in inappropriate settings like motels and larger families face even longer waits for suitable options. Fragmented systems – across homelessness, social security, child protection, family services, and justice systems – further compound stress for parents, carers, and children.
Over the last five years, Launch Housing has demonstrated what a different approach can achieve: child and family-centred, trauma-informed models that integrate housing, support, health, and education.
Viv’s Place is Australia’s first purpose-built apartment building for families escaping family violence. It houses up to 60 women and 140 children, with 10% of units allocated to young women leaving out-of-home care. It provides a stable base to focus on education, employment and reconnect with chosen community. Our data shows that women can move beyond our support once their health, safety and financial needs are addressed. In the past year, 82% of women who achieved their goals have moved into independent housing.
The Cornelia Program, run in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital and Housing First, provides pregnant women, gender-diverse people, and new mothers with safe housing and holistic support for up to 12 months, addressing a gap in homelessness and maternity care systems.5 Nearly 84% of participants have experienced family violence.
A recently completed evaluation confirmed that the Cornelia Program delivers considerable outcomes. 70% of women and babies move into long-term housing after exit, with strengthened mother-child relationships, increased confidence, and reduced child protection involvement.6
Programs like Launch Housing’s Children’s Team, Supporting Families Program, the Pregnancy Outreach Program, and Accommodation Options for Families adopt a trauma-informed, child-and-family-centred approach. This journey map shows how we support a child through their homelessness journey as they navigate systems not built for them.
Together, these models illustrate how tailored housing and integrated, multidisciplinary support can reduce trauma, provide children with time-critical support, and help parents rebuild. 72% of the families supported by Accommodation Options for Families secured housing outcomes by program exit.
We are continuing to explore how Housing First principles can strengthen our support for families. By treating housing as a human right and providing immediate access to safe and secure accommodation, families can begin to recover, rebuild, and thrive.
Advocacy: What’s next for Launch Housing
The last five years has shown us that while our family-focused programs deliver strong outcomes, the broader system still is not designed with families and children in mind.
That is why Launch Housing advocates for investment that:
- Keeps children and families housed. Support families to maintain tenancies. Fast-track the supply of affordable, family-friendly housing in Victoria.
- Acts quickly to support children and families in crisis. Redesign the entry point experience to minimise trauma for children and families. Invest in supported crisis accommodation for families with children, moving beyond motels.
- Breaks the cycle of homelessness. Embed multi-disciplinary supports to keep children engaged in school. Invest in evidence-based long-term housing and supports. Set a united, coordinated policy-led response.
Footnotes
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2024). Specialist Homelessness Services Collection data cubes.
- Anglicare Australia (2025). Rental Affordability Snapshot: National Report.
- Anglicare Victoria (2025). Victorian Rental Affordability Snapshot 2025.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024). Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2023–24: Clients with a Current Mental Health Issue.
- Murray, S., Theobald, J., Haylett, F. & Watson, J. (2020). Not Pregnant Enough? Pregnancy and Homelessness. Melbourne: RMIT University
- Watson, J., Theobald, J., Haylett, F., Hooker, L., & Murray, S. (2024). You're in the Right Spot: Responding to Pregnancy and Homelessness – Evaluation of the Cornelia Program: Final Report. Melbourne: Social Equity Research Centre, RMIT University; La Trobe University; Royal Women’s Hospital; Launch Housing; Housing First.
