A Couch is Not a Home: New Ways of Understanding and Assessing Risks with Young People Who Are Couchsurfing

Ratna Beekman, Jacqui Byrne and Rhianon Vichta-Ohlsen, Brisbane Youth Service

Couchsurfing is the most common, is the least visible, form of homelessness for young people in Australia. Faced with a lack of affordable, safe, or crisis housing options, couchsurfing is often assumed to be a safer option than other forms of homelessness.

Since young couch surfers are often considered ‘housed’, albeit temporarily, they commonly become viewed as a lower priority for support. Similarly, qualitative research with couchsurfers suggests that many do not seek housing support because they do not view themselves as homeless, or as ‘deserving’ as those who fit the rough sleeping stereotype of homelessness.