Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) face elevated risks of adverse outcomes across multiple domains. Existing interventions have shown small or null effects when rigorously evaluated, highlighting the need to identify effective approaches to supporting care leavers.
This study evaluates the impact of the Premier’s Youth Initiative (PYI), an accommodation and support intervention, on homelessness outcomes for care leavers and explores its implementation. Study participants were 295 eligible care leavers who received PYI in New South Wales, Australia between 2017–2020 and a matched comparison group drawn from locations where PYI was unavailable.
Overall PYI had no impact on any assessed homelessness measures—with treatment effects consistently near zero. Subgroup analyses showed that Aboriginal participants experienced worse outcomes than non-Aboriginal peers. Participants who experienced homelessness during OOHC appeared to benefit more from PYI, relative to those who did not, but estimates were inconsistent. Implementation analysis identified high acceptability among participants but revealed substantial barriers, particularly inadequate planning for leaving care.
Interventions like PYI may need to commence earlier, be provided at greater intensity, or be targeted more effectively to the most vulnerable care leavers.
