Beyond Youth Homelessness - Aries

In this episode of Beyond Youth Homelessness: Conversations That Matter, we meet Aries, who shares her experience of entering the housing system at just 16 and navigating crisis, medium-term and transitional housing.

Through her story, Aries offers an honest reflection on what it means to move through systems designed to support, but that don’t always feel like home. She speaks about the challenges of crisis accommodation, the importance of stability and connection in medium-term housing, and the unexpected isolation that can come with independence.

Aries highlights the power of relationships and how being seen, heard and supported by the right people can transform not only your experience, but your sense of self. Her story reminds us that support is not just about providing a place to stay, but about creating spaces where young people can feel safe enough to grow, connect and be themselves.

Thank you for listening and for joining us as we continue working toward a future where youth homelessness does not exist.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to the Beyond Homelessness Podcast, a series that shares the stories of young people who have experienced homelessness and those who work within the system designed to support them. Beyond Homelessness is a platform for young people to be heard, to tell stories that inspire, to have a voice at the table and see themselves represented. We believe that stories are a form of magic, that they can create new worlds, convey emotions, and inspire ideas. The stories you will hear in this series not only demonstrate the strength and resilience of the people sharing them, but will also get you thinking about viewpoints beyond your own and challenge you to consider the change that needs to take place in order to build a future where youth homelessness does not exist. Well, hello and welcome everyone to another episode of the Beyond Youth Homelessness Podcast. I'm your host, Matt, and joining us today to share their story and experiences is Aries. Aries, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

It is so great to have you here. I'm so keen to um sit down, chat, ask some questions, hear your reflections. Um, we've both just had a delicious sushi lunch, so we're feeling very good about ourselves and our life choices. Fantastic. Um, Aries, you're here to share your lived experience of being a young person stepping into the housing system at 16. Um, you've shared with me that after making the decision to leave your family home and with the support of your school, you were able to move into crisis accommodation, then medium-term housing and finally securing transitional housing, meaning your story is one that experiences kind of all aspects of the housing support system, uh, a number of different programs. Um, and it is this lived experience that has also led you to be one of the newest members of the Project Youth Board, which is awesome. How is it being in a role like that?

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Um, when I first like heard about the opportunity, I was I was very keen. But I also kind of I feel like everyone kind of views it with the lens of like, oh, it's just like a bunch of people who like are very corporate, very like harsh, but it's it's it's it's suits and shoulder pads and exactly, but it is definitely not and I thought like everyone would be older, but there's just so many different experiences and voices, and I think that is really important. I love that, and I'm I'm really enjoying it.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Really keen to have you there. Um, so in a moment, we're going to hear from Aries about different aspects of her journey, the challenges she's faced, the people she's met, and the lessons that she's learnt. But before that, uh we were chatting earlier and we got onto the topic of experiences of ghosts, which for some might seem very random, but I don't think it was. Um, and as a result, I've got to ask you, do you have any spooky stories of the supernatural that you would like to share with us on the podcast today?

SPEAKER_00 3:16

I do. I I think about this from time to time, and I like I I don't really get scared, but I'm like, what was that? But I feel like when I tell other people, they're like, oh my god. Um so when I was living in my crisis refuge, um I it it was a very old building, very old house, um, as expected, and I'm sure it held a lot of history and different experiences. But I got home from school and when I got home, like you you have to like ring the doorbell, someone lets you in. Um, same with going out, like you have to let someone know you're going out. Um, but I walked in, I was greeted by my caseworker half at the time, and she was like, Welcome back, like no one's here. Um, the other people are out for like appointments and stuff, everyone's coming home from school, like just chill, grab a snack, um, sit on the couch, do do whatever.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

Do your thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yeah, do my thing. Like, no one else is home.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Which is an important detail in this story.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

It's really important because as soon as uh she goes back in, I tell her about my day, whatever. Um, I'm walking through the kitchen, into the lounge room, but as I'm walking through the like dining room, a girl comes like comes out of nowhere and walks past me. It looked like she was in a school uniform um and a purple backpack. And she didn't make eye contact with me. I didn't get any like feeling or like a vibe or like there was no scary things. She wasn't a resident, like I didn't live with her. I had never seen this girl before. But she walks right past me and she just she just leaves. And as she leaves, the motion sensor, like the bell, like detects her. And then like no, like the casewalk didn't come out. Yeah, nothing, nothing happened. She just she just left. And I just stood there and I was like so can confused. But I I don't know. I just like I just went on with it because I was like, oh.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

But this is this is very much shaped, like, are you a are you a ghosty girl now? Like you're like, it's real. Yeah. Because and I shared with you, like I went on a ghost tour down in Tasmania last year, and I'm a bit of a skeptic. So I don't know, maybe we're just we're just sitting on other side of the of the veil, I guess. You've seen the other side and I have not.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

So bizarre. They have to tell you if like someone's there, they can't just like lie to you.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

And why would a young person be unsupervised and just like uh I feel like we should put in a disclaimer that uh this is not saying that crisis refugees are haunted.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

No, definitely not. I mean there's a possibility.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

There's some there's some evidence. So um thanks for sharing that. Um there is so much that I'd love to hear from you, your experiences and your insights as someone who has navigated the housing system. Um so now that we've shared our spooky stories, let's get into some other stories um and let's get started. Okay, so Aries, um, as I said earlier, like you uh is a someone who stepped into crisis accommodation, medium-term housing, and then transitional housing, which very much is uh quite a breadth of the housing support system. So, as someone who has experienced so many aspects of the housing support system, what are some of the insights that you gained from living in these different housing programs?

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Yeah, so coming from I guess like my home life and that experience and going into a crisis setting where I guess the way it was framed from my conversations with other people and adults was like, oh, like this is this is going to be a place where I can feel safe and feel comfortable. And I think I I had a very different experience whilst at times it definitely was it was safe and it was a roof over my head and food and normal routine, um but it also had like those downsides, which was I guess like I think a very big part of it was a lack of trust. I felt like I was not I was I was seen as troubled and interesting. And what I mean by that is like troubled in a way where I would like act out or something. And I think it's important to be cautious with that when running a crisis refuge, but it doesn't work for all people and their different experiences. So having those uh security cameras um being watched and having a curfew and having punishments put in place if you don't agree with the routine and structure of the refuge was it was it was a shock for me. Yeah, and it also brought feelings of instability um back again, and instability for me it felt like unsafe.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

And then I was just I was kind of stuck in the survival mode. Like I thought it would be an opportunity for me to settle down, relax, take a breath, but I very much did not see it as that. Yeah, I wasn't able to really focus on my future and those small things that make up a person's identity. It was mostly just like here's your chores, um, here's your bedroom that you have to share with a person you've never met before. Yeah. Um here is the night you will be making dinner, and um you sit down with everyone and enjoy a meal with them, but you don't know them. Uh very weird for me.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Yeah, absolutely. It's interesting because as you're talking, I'm I I was just I had this thought of I guess there might be an expectation that when you step into a housing program that it will feel like home, right? Because everyone, I think it's fair to say that everyone needs a sense of home, a a place, you know, a a well, for lack of a better word, a refuge, a safe haven, somewhere where they can go and and rest and recharge from the day. And and as much as um there are reasons why some of those systems and uh routines and you know parameters are put in at refuges, they do kind of take away that sense of home. And it sounds like for someone like yourself, where it was like, okay, I can't be at home anymore. I need to find a new home to step into a crisis accommodation, then be like, ah, this actually isn't it, would be a hard realization. You also, when we were talking, you you shared about an experience or or something that I guess you witnessed very early on in your, I don't even know if it was maybe your first night or something, but first week, but that kind of also I think reflects the kind of environment that can occur in a Crisis Refuge. Can you share with us about that?

SPEAKER_00 11:42

Yeah, so I think it was one of my first weeks um during my stay there, where like I I came into a pre-existing house. There were already connections that had been put to the limits, or uh, I guess yeah, put to the limits. But um I would like we were having dinner. Uh usually the workers sit with us when we're having dinner. Um one of the other residents was called down for dinner, she didn't want to come down. Um, so that kind of led to the worker who was in charge coming to the decision to turn off the Wi-Fi for the like for everyone. For everyone, for like I think it was like the rest of the day or the rest of the week, something like that. Um and we were also supposed to be going out after dinner to like go get like a nice treat, like you would do your laundry, um, and you would get rewarded with a treat, like a house outing. Yeah. Um so because of uh one person's decision to not come down, whatever it may be for that resident, um the Wi-Fi was turned off for everyone. And then one of the other residents did not like that, did not like that at all, which is so fair because who would?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Um Find me a teenager who would be okay with no internet.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

Like I think not. Um I think also I think it removes the the freedom and the agency to make your own decisions and talk to whoever you want.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Absolutely. And to our point before, like again, probably was a reminder that this is not home, that there are rules here that probably don't feel like home. And it was in that moment probably a big reminder of yeah, this is not this is not it.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Yeah. Um, so the girl came down because she obviously didn't want that to happen. Yeah. Um and they just they just started going at each other. Yeah. Um there were words called, there were just there was just conflict. They were not having it with each other. Um and obviously being new, I was so scared. Like I was I was terrified. I was like, I don't know what is about to happen. Yeah. And I don't want to be in this situation, but also I I can't.

SPEAKER_01 14:28

But I can't leave.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

I can't leave. Where where am I gonna go? Like what what what am I supposed to do in this situation where I have no control? Yeah. Um, so I kind of just cried. I was like, this is a lot.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Which is a fair response, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

Yeah, it's just a lot to deal with. Lots of yelling, lots of I guess that feeling of being unsafe came back up and I just did not know how to deal with that. Yeah. Um I did discuss it with the workers though. Yes, of course. And though the house was put on because of that conflict, the house was um not allowed to go out and get dessert because they all butted heads with each other. Yeah. Um they let me get dessert. They took me for a walk um because I was very much like rattled. Yeah, I was just rattled. Um they took me for a walk and they got me some ice cream and we discussed it. Um and of course, like follow-up little things happened after that, like you know, like it doesn't normally happen and stuff like that. But um I think the thing about crisis is not everyone's gonna get along. Like you can't seed through the different personalities, like you can't sift through that um because it's crisis. This is it's a place that people need when they have nothing else. Yeah. Um so very different personalities.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Absolutely. And I think, you know, as someone who works in the crisis uh program, um, you know, I'm always aware of the dynamics that exist in the house. And I think uh what I found really um, I guess uh affirming in your experience is is what we know about trauma, right? Like, um, and and I think you said before, like, you know, we're all kind of in survival mode, we're in this crisis accommodation because we've had to leave something that was not safe and leave an environment where we had to be in survival mode. And you're probably still existing in that survival instinct in that space. So of course there are going there's going to be things like conflicts, there are, you know, there's going to be exposure to things that, again, coming back to that idea of home, are not probably consistent with what people imagine a home to look like, and and the crisis accommodation space as much as it is necessary, because it's like it's that first point of contact and support, and it um, you know, brings young people potentially from sleeping rough or couch surfing into somewhere that can be their space. It is also a bit of a pressure cooker for you know, five to ten young people who all have their own history of trauma and all trying to navigate what that means for them and probably all have behaviors that are influenced by that. And that can become a tricky environment. Like, yeah. Um, and I think people forget about that or don't even realize it. They probably think, oh, well, you're in crisis accommodation, like, sweet, you should feel good. And it's like, actually, sometimes these can be equally as hard to navigate because it's not just me, it's a bunch of other people as well. Yeah. So you moved from crisis and then went into a medium-term housing. Yeah. What was that experience like?

SPEAKER_00 18:11

So different. Yeah. So, so different. I very much enjoyed my medium-term refuge.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Uh for people who don't know what medium term is, can you just describe like how long were you there, how many other people were there, what did it look like?

SPEAKER_00 18:28

So I guess like the comparison to crisis is crisis, you have to share a room. Um like lots of different things about crisis, actually. Um medium term, I was able to have my own room, um, get like a more structured and um deeper case plan. Beautiful. Um, so I could organize my future better and focus on that.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, set some goals, really be working on them.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Yeah. Um, and I was able to stay until I finished my HSE or turned 18.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Yeah. Fantastic. So it wasn't because crisis is normally three months. Three months. Um, which is not a long time. Like I'm always just aware of like 12 weeks, like insane. Yeah. You'll I sometimes struggle to pay a bill within 12 weeks of its due date. So like it's not a it's not a long time, but having a longer period of time in medium term really makes a difference. What was it you speak so highly of your experience in medium term? What was it about that experience that made it positive for you?

SPEAKER_00 19:42

I think the the ability to connect the I guess the amount of time that I had, like I wasn't I wasn't running on a clock. I wasn't scared that I was about to be kicked out randomly with like no plan in place. Like there was there was more in-depth support and I felt like I was able to connect with the workers and connect with the people in the house, the residents, um because they they were gonna be there. Yeah, they were gonna be there for my time and for as long as my time, um, which is so different in comparison to crisis and was also very hard for me to wrap my head around because I was coming from instability and this place was so structured and like there were later curfews, like you had more free will.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

But then you were and you also spoke about like there was a lot like there was transparency, like even to the point of what staff were gonna be on this week, you kind of knew who you'd be seeing, and that made a huge difference. It which makes so much sense, right? Like we understand that when things are uncertain, when we don't know what's happening for us, like anyone in any situation, if you drop them somewhere and you don't tell them any information and you say you need to get here, but you don't give them anything to help them get there, yeah, that's gonna be a stressful journey. Yes. Whereas, you know, if you drop them somewhere and you were like, okay, these are the directions, you're looking for these um markers, and then you should it should take you an hour and a half, you know, that's gonna be a much more pleasant stroll. Yeah. Um, and it sounds like in medium term that sense of information sharing and transparency around the routine, around expectations, around plans and goals was kind of far more everything was on the table and it was shared information and that kind of gave you a real sense of I guess control as well over yourself.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Yeah. Control over the decisions I wanted to make. Um and who I would be I think like I mentioned like the transparency of who was going to be on because it was so important for me. Um I I it's something that like it it's so small and you wouldn't think that it would make a difference, but it really did. It really, really did for me. And knowing who was gonna be on, um, because in crisis there would be a lot of agency workers. Yeah. Um, and I'm not too like um equipped with knowledge on that subject, but having someone different each night who I did not know and wasn't able like I I couldn't even remember their name sometimes, like um, it just fostered that feeling of instability and like absolutely not knowing.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Yeah. And it's so interesting because you say, you know, knowing who was going to be on shift seems like such a small thing, but I actually I don't think it is. And I think for anyone else who maybe sits in a a privileged position of never having to be in that environment, the reality is that when they go home, they know who they're going home to, right? Yeah, it's mum or dad or carer or you know, siblings or a partner or whoever it is, we don't think about it. So I know it's easy to say, oh, well, that might have been such a small thing, but I think it's a small it it might seem like a small thing because so many people don't have to think about it, but it's actually a really significant thing. Yeah. Um, and I remember you saying that like that time in in medium term really established a sense of connection and community and probably knowing the people and having an opportunity to have a deeper kind of connection with them added to that.

SPEAKER_04 23:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Which was um a big shift then when you moved into transitional housing, which is different again to medium term. Can you first can you just explain for us what transitional housing looks like?

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Uh transitional housing for me, it looks like having my own place, um, paying like my own rent, which I did before. Um I guess like more I guess more of the responsibilities are on me and only me to like take care of myself, make my own decisions, buy my own groceries and s things like that.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

You don't have a worker in the house with you, like no, it's you're living on your own. You're out there independently living. Yeah. Yeah. Which is a great thing and for so many people the goal, but it was also a hard transition for you. Can you talk to us about that?

SPEAKER_00 24:53

It was yes, I can talk to you about that because it was so big for me. And I really did not think it would be when I started my journey of moving out of home. As soon as I got to crisis, I was like, oh my god, I hate it here. I'm so excited for transitional. Yeah. And even my first few months in um medium term, I was so excited for transitional housing. And I was like, I'm ready now, take me. I can do this. Let's go. Put me in an apartment right now. But I was not. I was not ready because there were so many things that I had not processed yet. Yeah. And I had not learnt how to deal with that with a safety net. So moving from a place that fosters connection, like medium term, yeah. Yes. And I I it was just so important for me to be able to sit in the common area and have someone being around and chatting and just that social aspect.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Going from that to a quiet house was so damaging. Yeah. Like it was actually d damaging for me. And there were there I think like my first two or three months, I was very depressed. Yeah. Because I didn't have my structure down. Um, of course I was still studying and working, but i there were days where I was home alone and it would just be so quiet. And it was just so strange. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Yeah, absolutely. Uh I think, you know, and we were talking about this earlier for so many young people who come into the housing system. Transitional is kind of, you know, put up on that, on that pedestal as the the promised land. Like that's where you want to go. And and in so many ways that is true. Like it's independent living, um, which is the goal. But it is, it is kind of in many ways requiring you to maybe grow up faster than you're meant to. It does put you out on your own. Like you were only just 18, I remember you saying when you moved into transitional, which I know people do it, um, and you know, power to you, but you know, it's 18 is still young. I know technically it's an adult, but yeah, it's still it's a lot, and it's a lot to carry as a person, um, particularly when you've had additional things to carry over your life. Um But what I I mean, it it's so interesting hearing you talk about the the various parts of the housing system and just how much you light up when you talk about medium term and and the connection that you um found there and what that meant for you, which I just think is a perfect segue into question two. So let's get into it. So, as I said, Aries, um your face literally lights up when you talk about uh medium term and and having sat down with you previously and and hearing more about that time um definitely warms my heart to hear about the relationships that you built there and the sense of community that you had there, which really much very much leads into our uh next question. How did relationships, good or bad, um, and a sense of connection with key people impact your own experience of of homelessness?

SPEAKER_00 28:49

Yeah, um growing up in a situation where I kind of had to be the parent and I had to take care of myself. Um that they call it parentification. Yes, yeah. Um growing up as like someone's therapist, basically, and feeling guilty for leaving. Yeah. Um going to crisis and then still I was still in the same mindset of I've got to do this all on my own. Yeah. Like I yes, I have workers here, but uh I I am alone in this. Like I am I if I want a doctor's appointment, I'm making it myself.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

Like I I don't want to have to like ask for them. They have seven residents they have to take care of, and there's so much for them, and this is like I've only got three months. Why why would they want to take me to a doctor's appointment? Things like that. Um, and then going to medium term, um, where it was encouraged to like I I remember they asked me like when's the last time you saw the dentist? And I could not remember. Yeah. I think it had been a few years. Um, or going to the doctor. Um I have a chronic illness and going to the doctor for the flu was not something that I did. Yeah. I just kind of like went to my treatment appointments and told them then. Yeah. Um, but I didn't really know that I could go in between appointments. Like I didn't know that was an option. Um, so going for small things like that was new to me.

SPEAKER_03 30:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Um and being able to focus on my future was so strange. And then the connection aspect of it, um, where I was I guess like one thing that really sticks with me is that I was given the space to be angry. Yeah. Like if if something was happening in the house like that I I didn't really like, or um, one thing I can think of is the house would have to close. Yeah. Which was the most annoying thing ever. But it was because there were no workers there, like they had other things to do and appointments and they were running around, um, which I understand, but it was still so annoying. And I did not speak up about it for so long.

SPEAKER_03 31:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

Until they I they realized they just didn't mention it because they wanted me to mention it. And when I wasn't, we had a discussion where I was talking to my caseworker and she was telling me it's okay to be angry. Yeah. And that was such a foreign concept to me. I was like, no, what do you mean? Yeah, what do you mean I can't be angry at you? Like, look at what you've given me. Yeah. How could I be mad when like you are supporting me in such a way? But learning that those two things can coexist at the same time and that there are healthy ways to express anger was such a like a learning moment for me. And that very much deepened my connection with myself and how I regulate my emotions and how I connect with adults. Yeah. Because again, like I I'd never had that experience of being able to talk to adults and trust in them and confide in them. Because it was always like, even though I'm 16, I'm the adult.

SPEAKER_01 32:43

Yeah, I'm responsible for them and I don't want to contribute to anything that might be distressing to them.

SPEAKER_04 32:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Um, and now all of a sudden you had relationships around you that were actually prompting you to kind of say, Well, no, what's going on for you right now? And it's like, oh, like someone, it's almost and push back if I'm wrong, but you know, you spent so long holding other people, and then finally you found yourself with connection and community who were willing to hold you. Yes. Um, and I love what you just said about like, and that actually by being held by others, um, that actually helped you know more about yourself. Um like that is such a powerful gift that a person can give another. Um, and something that is not always available to young people who are experiencing homelessness. Like one of the big um impacts for young people experiencing homelessness is their relationships, because homelessness as an experience can be very transient. And so you're moving around, you're not always reliable because sorry, I lost my phone, or I wasn't able to pay for credit, or sorry I haven't talked to you for that long. And yeah. Um so then to have that sense of community is oh my gosh, it's it's like gold, I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Um they taught me so many things. And I am so incredibly grateful because whilst I had the knowledge, um, I wasn't able to put it into practice. And I think it's important for young people to learn how to navigate conflict without I guess blowing up. Yeah. Um it's it's part of being an adult. And even when I talk to some young people now, like uh at like TAFE or study or whatever I'm doing, um I can I can notice the difference. Yeah. I can notice that some people haven't had the same learning opportunity as me.

SPEAKER_03 34:59

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_00 35:00

And I I just think it's so, so important as an adult to learn how to navigate conversations and conflict because it's gonna come up. Yeah. Not everyone's gonna get along. It's just the way you deal with it, especially in like work settings. Like I I actually had to deal with that in a work setting um when I was l still living in my refuge. And I was able to acknowledge that.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

Which was like the first time ever, and I was able to talk to the workers about it, and they kind of helped me talk through it, come to some like conclusions and ways to move forward. Yeah. But it's just such a it's such a wild experience to like have conversations with other young people and they don't really know how to do it.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Yeah, yeah. And I remember you were telling me that when you moved from medium term accommodation into transitional, um that you were able to keep your worker from medium term into transitional. Yeah. And I know you shared before that going into transitional was hard. It kind of in in receiving your independence, which is like kind of seen as as winning the race, but it also meant that you experienced kind of a loss of community. But having that link, I guess, back to that time of of really feeling connected. What was that like for you?

SPEAKER_00 36:32

It was so important. Yeah. It was so, so important to keep me, I guess, going and knowing that I can I can do it. Yeah. Um, I think a lot of young people who experience homeless have the experience of having to retell your story so many times. Yeah. And it it's so annoying and frustrating, and you have to build that connection back with the worker. And it it's just a whole it it it's almost like a defect.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

It's a pro yeah, and it's just like it feels like work. It's like, oh, I've got to do this again. Okay, so here we go. Let me in the beginning this happened, and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

And I think a lot of young people deter from help because they don't want to retell their story. Yeah, wow. So having my caseworker switch over with me to transitional and being in their program from medium term where I stayed for a year and a half, I was so happy that I didn't have to just make a whole new connection and establish that comfortability because when you first start a relationship, um, and it's something that I'm working on, um, personally for me, I'm very shy and I don't want to speak up. I don't want to like say anything. I'm like, oh, like I can do it on my own, but you know, like that that's what they're there for. Yeah. Their support workers, like that's that's their job. Yeah. And they're there to support you. So being able to have that pre-existing connection, I I could just tell her anything.

SPEAKER_01 38:15

Yeah, absolutely. And just continue on your journey without having to take a few steps back to catch someone up is so powerful. Fantastic. Well, how about we get into question number three? Okay, Aries. Third and final question. And this is the one that we bring out in every episode because um one of our, well, our our value, our mission is to uh see a future where youth homelessness does not exist. And um, we believe that the voices of lived experience can really teach us something about how we can achieve that goal. And so please, in your mind, what does a future where youth homelessness does not exist look like?

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Ooh, uh very it's actually a really good question because as I'm kind of like wanting to work in this space of youth work, I I eventually don't want to have have a job. Yeah. Like I am working to not have a job.

SPEAKER_01 39:32

Yeah, it's a weird thing, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 39:34

It's a very weird thing.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

We if we have done our job, we will be redundant.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

Yes. And I am excited to see the day. Yeah. But I think in order to get to that point where youth homelessness doesn't exist anymore, we needn't be listening to these young people. And I think Project Youth is like literally like one of the first organizations that I've come by that is embedded in the young people's voices and the lived experience. And it's just such an empowering feeling to have to be on a board as well, to be on a board of like a whole bunch of people and to say to people like, oh, I'm a board of like I'm board of a director, like I'm like I can direct decisions, yeah. Have my input be taken as seriously as someone who might be older than me or have more experience. Um, it is seen as the same value within project use. Yeah. And I think all young people deserve to have that experience. I think you know most support systems that are put in place are not working right now. Yeah. So listening to what is not working as well. Um I look forward to the day where I don't have a job. That's that's something that will be in the future where youth homelessness does not exist. There will be safety for young people. There will always be options for young people. Um there will be connection.

SPEAKER_03 41:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Um it's a it's a it's a difficult question because I think a lot of barriers are coming to mind.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

But in an ideal world, I think it will be very peaceful.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

I think, you know, I wholeheartedly agree with you that it the answer lies in the voices of young people who have lived experience. And and I think the challenge for us moving forward then has to be where are the platforms then? So like where are we creating space where we hand over the microphone, so to speak, yes, to those whose voices we really need to hear. And you know, who are the who are the decision makers or who are the the uh visionaries who have normally held that space and how do they hand that over? And I think that there are going to be big opportunities to do that and small opportunities. And this might sound incredibly boring, but as you were talking, I was like, oh, do you know what? Um, the Shad's award that is kind of the the pay award for um workers, SHS workers in this industry uh at the moment, and there are some changes happening around qualification, um, and that qualification and lived experience are actually going to be considered as equal value. So when it comes to determining uh someone's ability to do a role within, let's say, you know, the housing industry, um, you know, some people might have gone to TAFE or university to get a qualification, and someone else might have lived experience and they will be equally as qualified to get that job, which I think is one of those ways in which we are platforming lived experience and people to share their story, share their experiences because it is valuable. Um I think that's you know, that's a little a little way in which we do it. And I think we just need to continue to find those opportunities to um, yeah, as I said before, hand the microphone over.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

Yeah, I do I also do think it's um something that people struggle to wrap their heads around. Like, how could that be of equal value? Like you haven't done the study. But um speaking from my experience of I once I finished high school, I did my cert three in community services and I breezed through it.

SPEAKER_03 43:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:53

I didn't like I I don't I don't know what it was. It like I didn't really like need to read. The material for the questions that they were asking me. Like some of it was about homelessness, and I was so knowledgeable.

SPEAKER_01 44:08

Yeah, but because of your experience, because of my experience.

SPEAKER_00 44:12

And it was just like as you were saying that, I was thinking of that, and I was like, I've never viewed it in that lens. Um so I I don't know, I just think it's so weird because I I get the point of view where you can't wrap your head around it, but then there's also this like my experience that has happened.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

And it's actually giving you real insight into it. Yeah. Yep. Absolutely. Well, Aries, what a sheer delight it has been having you on the podcast. Thank you so much. Thank you for sharing your story, for being vulnerable with us, with being honest with us as well. I've um I've learned so much.

SPEAKER_00 44:51

Yeah, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Well, until next time. The Beyond Homelessness Podcast is brought to you by Project Youth, a community-based charity serving the young people of the Sutherland Shire and St. George area in Sydney, Australia. It is a series about young people, told by young people and produced by young people. By listening today, you have supported the training and employment pathways for young people who are involved in the production of the podcast. Project Youth seeks to create a future where youth homelessness does not exist. If you'd like to know more about the work of Project Youth, the stories of the young people we support, or find ways in which you can be involved, head to our website at projectyouth.org.au or follow us on social media. See the bio for links.