About 23,000 people sleep rough around Victoria on any given night, and almost half of them are under 25.
And there has been a 17 per cent rise in homelessness in the past five years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Kids Under Cover national chief executive Jo Swift said research showed that 75 per cent of young people who experience homelessness would remain homeless as adults.
“It’s vital to prevent youth homelessness,” Ms Swift said.
One of Kids Under Cover’s main support programs is delivered into backyards and gardens of families, friends and foster carers of young people at risk – relocatable studios that offer supported independence and the chance to make it through school.
Each studio costs about $50,000 and there are already 32 in Hume and Whittlesea, with four more on the way.
Now the Caravan Industry Association of Victoria has thrown its weight behind the program.
Chief executive Rob Lucas said six caravan manufacturers from Melbourne’s north, including Epping, Campbellfield and Craigieburn, had built a luxury family caravan, which will be raffled at Sandown Racecourse’s Melbourne Leisurefest on October 5.
The aim is to raise $100,000 to build two new studios for Kids Under Cover.
For details visit www.gomakesomememories.com.au
