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Beyond Youth Homelessness Podcast
Beyond Youth Homelessness: Conversations that matter is a Podcast hosted and produced by grassroots organisation, Project Youth. Project Youth is working towards a future where youth homelessness doesn't exist. This podcast is hosted by one of our Practice Leads, Matt, who sits down with young people to hear their stories of lived experiences of homelessness and disadvantage. We believe that telling stories is one of the most powerful ways we can communicate, share history and culture, create influence, drive change, advocate, teach, inspire, evoke emotion, provide context and connect people. Storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Thank you for taking the time to listen to these stories, allowing them to shape and challenge your views, and joining us on our journey to end youth homelessness.
Beyond Youth Homelessness Podcast
Beyond Youth Homelessness - Shirley
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In this episode of Beyond Homelessness: Conversations That Matter, we meet Shirley, a member of Project Youth's YPAC team and a Director of the Board. Through her story we explore the gaps in systems that weren’t equipped to support her when she needed it most.
Shirley shares her experience of homelessness across international borders — feeling excluded from one country and unsupported by another. She speaks about the frustration of not being heard or understood, not only in her experience of homelessness but also in her mental health, by family, teachers and services.
Her story highlights that even when support systems exist, they don’t always know how to respond to the complexity of a young person’s reality. Shirley reflects on how her own understanding of homelessness evolved over time, reminding us that the conversation, and the learning, must continue if we are serious about ending youth homelessness. Her experience challenges us to consider who falls through the cracks, and why. It also calls for systems that are more responsive, compassionate and willing to truly listen.
Thank you for listening and for joining us as we continue working toward a future where youth homelessness does not exist.