That involves an intensive partnership with these young people from the time they turn 16.

“We’ve actually got two years to work with them in terms of housing,” Department of Family and Community Services housing manager in Albury Michael Whiteside said.

Mr Whiteside said attending to the needs of these young people in previous years to ensure they were not trapped in a cycle of dislocation had changed.

“Historically kids or young people leaving out-of-home care would present as homeless. They were really vulnerable,” he said.

Various organisations and individuals have told The Border Mail of the extreme difficulties many young people faced when trying to get a private rental.

That was especially the case where they had been or were currently placed in crisis or emergency accommodation, specifically youth refuges.

The department is addressing that through its responsible renting course “Rent it, keep it”.

Mr Whiteside said a lot of real estate agents now recognised this course in lieu of a reference.

“The outcomes for those who do it are much better than they were maybe five years ago,” he said.

“But if we work with them and we can demonstrate that it’s highly unlikely they’re going to get private rental, generally we can provide some sort of emergency or ongoing priority housing for them in our houses.”

Even after that point, Mr Whiteside’s team will continue to work with them “and hopefully they will move on in future years when they get their act together, or things fall into place for them”.

“Of all those people that we see, I am fairly confident that it may be a couple of months down the track but all of them are in safe, affordable housing of one sort or another,” he said.

“We have a pretty good success rate.”

Go inside our homelessness special feature