Increase in proportion of children and young people in education and employment at exit from Launch Housing support programs
This measure recognises the importance of education and employment as protective factors that break the cycle of disadvantage and help provide children and young people with what they need to live independent lives and thrive outside the system.
Summary
Over the past five years, we have significantly grown our reach and impact of our child-focused programs, with the number of children supported increasing from 281 to 471 — a 6% increase. When accounting for the 119 young people supported through Education First Youth Foyers this year, we supported a total of 590 children and young people across these key specialist programs.
91% of students who exited Education First Youth Foyers this year were engaged in education or employment at the time of departure. All First Nations students who exited over the past two years did so with education or employment, up from just 25% at entry.
Our children’s support programs continue to deliver strong outcomes, with the Education Pathways Program supporting 107 children to enrol in school.
Over the past 12 months, our child-focused teams have gone above and beyond to meet increased demand
Last year, Launch Housing supported nearly 1600 children and young people. This included around 400 children living with their families in emergency or crisis accommodation. As such, our Children’s Team and the Education Pathways Program are stretching to meet increased demand and continue to deliver impressive results.
This year we continued to see growth in our support for children. The Education Pathways Program supported 215 children and 79 families, a 9.7% increase from last year, including supporting 107 school enrolments over the year. The Children’s Specialist Support Service supported 256 children and 12% of these clients were First Nations children.
At our Education First Youth Foyers, 119 young people received integrated, multidisciplinary support, including case management, mentoring and access to employment pathways. The Foyers continue to demonstrate strong outcomes in education retention and employment, giving young people the chance to build independence.
This year, 91% of students who exited Education First Youth Foyers were engaged in education or employment at the time of departure.
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of homelessness
Education is a significant protective factor for children and young people. Prevention and early intervention programs like ours focus on key stages of life and learning, reducing the likelihood of re-entry into the system years later.
This year marked 10 years of impact at Broadmeadows Education First Youth Foyer, celebrated through community events including MP visits. This milestone highlights how the Foyer model breaks down the silos between housing and education, preventing homelessness before it begins.
Across programs like the Children’s Team, Education Pathways Program and Foyers, we embed multi-disciplinary supports to keep children and young people engaged in school and build strong partnerships with schools and tertiary educators. These programs are critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
Alongside this, youth and family-focused outreach programs provide flexible support, recognising the wide-ranging needs of children and young people to ensure their immediate and ongoing safety and wellbeing.
Over the last five years, we have seen a large and growing cohort of children — Australia's ‘hidden homeless’
Across the past five years, Launch Housing’s children and youth programs have significantly expanded their reach. Figure 1 illustrates this growth, with the Children’s Team and Education Pathways Program showing strong, consistent increases, and Foyers continuing to deliver extraordinary education and employment outcomes.
Addressing child homelessness through the Children’s Team and Education Pathways Program
Children are a large and growing cohort in Australia’s homelessness system, with over 18,900 children homeless on any given night.1
Our Children’s Teams deliver the Education Pathways Program and the Children’s Specialist Support Service to address child homelessness. Over the past five years, we have significantly grown our reach and impact, with the number of children supported increasing from 281 to 471 — a 67.6% increase. The Education Pathways Program also expanded into Viv’s Place.
Our journey map from a child’s perspective shows how housing, education and child-focused supports combine to protect wellbeing and build bright futures, even though the journey is shaped by systemic challenges faced by so many children in the homelessness system.
Diversity, inclusion, and cultural safety at Education First Youth Foyers
At Foyers, cultural events are a powerful way for young people to connect, celebrate and share identity. From Indigenous AFL rounds to NAIDOC week activities, Foyers strongly supports cultural pride and connection. In 2024–25, 53% of young people at Foyers were young women and 8% First Nations young people.
This focus on cultural safety and inclusion is reflected in the outcomes for First Nations young people, who consistently exited the program engaged in education or employment, rising from 25% at entry to 100% at exit over the past two years.
Impact stories
Client journey
A child’s journey through homelessness
Footnotes
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2023–24. AIHW, accessed 14 October 2025.
