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A young mother who was homeless as a teenager says young people need to be better prepared so they don’t end up with nowhere to live.
Sarikha Paikea gave a submission at Te Puea Marae this week to the cross party inquiry into homelessness.
She called for education campaigns to explain to young people what was involved in getting and keeping a roof over their heads.
Homelessness among the young takes a number of forms.
"Sleeping on the street is what society tends to see, like, this is homelessness but couch surfing and staying in dangerous places and temporary accomodation is not safe either and would definitely class that as homelessness too," she says.
Sarikha Paikea says there were a number of factors that led to her becoming homeless, including abuse, mental illness, drug use, and a lack of confidence to ask for help.
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