It didn't take long for Dakota Bigalla to remember that her mode of transport — a couch on wheels — didn't have any brakes.
"Everyone is pretty fast … it was pretty scary," she said.
The teenager took part in Anglicare's annual couch surfing race to raise awareness of youth homelessness.
The event, which marks National Youth Homelessness Matters Day, was the 10th edition held in Darwin, with nearly 500 people attending.
The Northern Territory has the highest rate of homelessness in Australia, which is 12 times the national average, according to Anglicare.
Nearly 6,000 people aged between 15 and 24 experienced homelessness in 2020 and 2021 across the territory.
Anglicare CEO David Pugh said the event was a practical way to highlight the issue of youth homelessness and the challenges faced by young people who don't have access to housing.
"Young people are spending up to 70 per cent of their income just to get a roof over their head."
With a looming federal election on May 21, Mr Pugh said Anglicare was hoping the winning party will address two key issues.
"Firstly, a living wage for young people while they're looking for housing or for people who are unemployed, while they're looking for a job, so you can live with dignity," he said.
"The second is a national strategy to address homelessness for youth 25,000 youth are homeless in Australia."
Couch surfing to help build connections
Local businesses contributed to the event, with some offering free food and drink for crowds attending.
Twenty-four couch surfing teams battled it out for supremacy, including teams from Carers NT, Autism NT and Darwin High School.
Despite many hard-fought couch races on the day, teams were focused on "having fun" and "raising awareness" about youth homelessness.
"Some people don't know where help is and sometimes they are ashamed to talk about it (homelessness) and stuff…but everyone is here to spread awareness and help out," Dakota said.
Abby Smith also participated in the race with her team Seda College.
She described youth homelessness as one of the "challenges" facing youth in the NT.
"There's quite a lot of homelessness … and that's hard for them up here," she said.
Ms Smith said young Territorians also faced drug and alcohol use and mental health challenges.
"This is a really good way to come out and support that kind of thing … this is a good get together," she said.
A team of five boys who called themselves the "Sanderson Storms" said they were glad to be a part of the event and interact with the other teams.
Tytainui Stratton said the race was a good opportunity to meet people from other schools and educational institutes.
"[There are] a few good academies around here … just gotta meet them, say hello and let yourself be known," Tytainui said.
Mr Pugh said in addition to raising awareness about homelessness, another aim of the event was interactions like that.
"Today is not just about addressing young people who are experiencing homelessness themselves …. it's also about letting their mates know — where you go for help — because that's who you need," he said.
"Most young people get their advice from their mates."
