Victoria’s homelessness crisis has reached unprecedented levels, with new data revealing a dramatic surge in young people seeking assistance.

Youth Projects’ latest Impact Report shows housing referrals have nearly tripled, jumping from 453 to 1,200 in just one year, while securing actual housing remains severely limited.

The organisation’s primary health service and drop-in centre, The Living Room, has witnessed a 56% increase in overall presentations, supporting 19,608 individuals this year. Most alarming is the 139% spike in presentations from young people aged 19-25.

Youth Projects’ Chair Melanie Raymond OA highlighted the severity of the crisis: “There is a drastic lack of available housing for people battling homelessness in Victoria with the state having the lowest public housing stock in Australia and a wait list of over 60,000. We have almost no referral options left to give people somewhere safe to go.”

Other key statistics from the report include:

• Showers: 2411
• Food and Nutrition: 8148
• Internet access: 1650
• Material aid: 7594 (a staggering 391% increase from last year which aligns with the increase in service users, the lack of housing options and the greater need for warm materials in Winter and supplies for hot weather.

Raymond said that homelessness extends beyond housing availability: “Australia’s homelessness problem has poverty at its core. A secure job, skills, good health and confidence early in life intervenes forcefully in the growing pipeline of people too poor to pay rent or eat.”

The organisation has worked to address root causes, helping over 3,200 unemployed young people in Melbourne’s west find work and develop skills. However, Raymond warned that current government housing promises “is already barely 10% of current need and a decade away.”

The financial strain on services has reached a critical point, with Youth Projects facing a projected $350,000 annual deficit due to increased demand without corresponding funding increases. “We can’t afford to cut back or people will die, but we can’t afford to go broke either,” Raymond said.

Related: Mission Australia calls for donations to combat homelessness