When Queensland schools went "student free" as a result of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic on March 30, 2020, d'Arcy-John Kenobi was 15 and living with his family on the Gold Coast.
School had been a sanctuary from a stressful home life, but with the gates locked and remote learning the only remaining link, Mr Kenobi began to struggle.
The challenges rising out of his autism spectrum disorder plus his decision to transition — and his family's refusal to support it — meant he felt trapped.
"School was the safest place for me to be," he said.
"Having to be forced to stay at home for three months with parents who weren't very accepting of my gender identity, my sexuality or my neurological impairment — it was really difficult to me."
When your safe place locks down
Mr Kenobi said while the restrictions were likely tough on most young people, the nature of his family home on the Gold Coast meant he had even less freedom of movement.
"I usually describe it as: a lot of people were restricted to their homes — for me, I was restricted to my bedroom."
Mr Kenobi said the situation between his family and him escalated to the point where he fled home.
There were few spots available even in crisis or homeless shelters, and the few rental vacancies were vanishing.
He was regularly sleeping rough or in emergency accommodation before securing NDIS-supported housing on the Sunshine Coast, about two hours away from his former home.
How other young people are faring
A report out earlier this month found young people like d'Arcy-John were part of a growing cohort, many in their 20s, who were forced to head home when the COVID-19 restrictions began.
The findings, which came from a government study that's been following more than 10,000 young people for 20 years, urged policy makers to consider the needs of the 'invisible people' — 20-somethings who moved back home during the pandemic.
It found one-in-five young people felt it was difficult or "not beneficial" living with their parents, while one-in-10 said they did not feel supported by their parents and family during those critical first three months of lockdowns.
Project leader Lisa Mundy from the Australian Institute of Family Studies said for most young people who moved home, they found their families were able to support them, love them and advise them.
"There was a smaller, but significant group who did find it difficult," Dr Mundy said.
"We really don't know whether then those young people have been able to make a successful transition back out to living independently or with friends."
Dr Mundy said lawmakers had to think about how policies or restrictions affected young people both now, and into the future.
She said this research should also guide how governments behave if another pandemic-type situation was declared.
Young people fighting to grow up
Jonathon Pitcher from Headspace on the Sunshine Coast is one of those working with young people who are in the midst of these battles.
He worried that those who were forced to move back home during the first years of COVID-19, and were now trapped there due to the cost of living and housing crisis, were at risk.
"Your family might not have been supportive, because let's face it — they might be the ones who are causing the concerns with the mental health," he said.
"It makes it really, really hard for young people to access support."
And if the housing is unstable, small or out of an urban area, it's going to be harder for a young person to spend time with friends, or even attend school or university.
"They're not exerting their own independence," he said.
"That has serious effects for their mental health and potentially underlying mental health conditions, such things as anxiety or depression."
From surviving to thriving
Mr Kenobi is now a sharing an NDIS-supported home on the Sunshine Coast, and has been out of contact with his family for two years.
He will be commuting to and from Brisbane as he starts his university studies.
While he's thriving now, those first months of 2020 remain with him.
"It's never going to go away. It's a really tough thing to face," he said.
"It's not something that I think I'll ever be able to necessarily recover from.
"I'm changed for good because of my experiences you know?"
