"[When a young person experiences] homelessness, it affects every aspect of their life until they're able to find support."
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That's the candid message from Uniting Wimmera's Youth Homelessness Matters Day event, held in Horsham on Wednesday, April 17.
"It's not until then that they can start to work towards education, or training, or anything without that stability of their housing," Ms Gilpin said.
The community organisation took the opportunity to hold a free event raising awareness of the issue at The Station on Pynsent Street .
"We're just trying to raise awareness that it is an issue in our area, even though it's not visible to a lot of people," said Uniting Wimmera's Homelessness team leader Belinda Gilpin.
"I was looking at some stats this morning and 25% of the people that work with us (people aged between 16 and 25) are presenting on their own or with children.
"A large percentage of them have been sleeping rough ... often in unsafe environments."
Between July 2022 and June 2023, 39,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 from across Australia sought help from a specialist homelessness service.
Half the young people who tried to get a bed in a crisis refuge were turned away because services couldn't accommodate them.
Ms Gilpin also said that is a person experiences homelessness as a young person, they often experience it in their adult life.