It was a combination of teenage struggles – from friendship, school work and mental health – that led Stacey Walker and her then 15-year-old, Fiki, to Ruby's Reunification Program, a counselling and accommodation centre for Adelaide teenagers.
The program is designed to help prevent 12- to 17-year-olds facing family breakdowns from becoming homeless, by offering them somewhere to stay and providing counselling.
"[It's] probably one of the best things that's happened… just opened our eyes up to seeing our child differently," Ms Walker said.
"When they're going through hormones, they've got friendship problems, relationships, there's a lot happening around those teenager years."
It was Ms Walker's teenager, Fiki, who suggested attending Ruby's when they began struggling with their mental health, school work and making new friendships.
Ms Walker said she did not think their relationship was bad to begin with, but now it was great.
"There are lots of open discussions about everything and anything," she said.
Program fights against homelessness
The relationship between parents and teenagers can be tough for anyone, but for some young people can end in them becoming homeless.
South Australian Human Services Minister Nat Cook said that was where this program run by Uniting Communities could help.
"It really does come in when people are at their wit's end as a family and young people are facing a path to homelessness," she said.
In the 28 years the state government-funded program has been running, it has helped nearly 2,000 families.
"[Families] who've found themselves in a situation where their children are potentially going to become homeless because of family breakdown – nobody wants that," Ms Cook said.
"At least three-quarters of the children and young people who come and… participate in the program end up going back to families and remaining safe."
ACT has started similar program
The ACT has now become the second place in Australia to adopt the idea, opening a six-bedroom house this year.
ACT Families and Community Services Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would help young people to avoid a pathway to homelessness or child protection.
"We needed a permanent accommodation solution for those young people who just needed a bit of a break from their families," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"You always look back and think 'wow, the best time to do this might have been 10 years ago', but the next best time to do it is now," she said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said one of the reasons the ACT had not introduced the idea earlier was because until recently there had been a lack of conversation between officials in different states and territories.
"This area of youth services is an area where there's been probably the least communication between jurisdictions and we're really working to address that now," she said.
