Every night across NSW over 11,000 children and young people are homeless 

– most of them in Sydney.  While the need grows, a third of the accommodation services between the Harbour Bridge and Hornsby have now closed due to lack of funding.  At the same time we consistently receive over 300 referrals each year.  The growing gap between needs and services has an impact on the community at large.  This is felt in the well being and vitality of our neighbourhoods and in numbers of young people with fewer skills and opportunities, many of whom have already experienced poverty, abuse, addiction, the prison system and have been rejected by the mainstream community.

Taldumande has assisted homeless young people in crisis since 1976 and is now the ONLY emergency accommodation available for young people in Sydney’s northern suburbs.  North of the Harbour Bridge is seen as a ‘silver spoon area’ where homelessness is generally not seen as an issue.  This is an illusion.  Domestic violence, mental illness, addiction and social exclusion don’t discriminate on a socioeconomic basis – and young people suffer greatly.   The problem remains hidden because so many homeless young people live by moving from place to place, finding only temporary shelter and trying to survive without adult guidance and support