When 21-year-old Jacinta Antoniazzi moved from Launceston to Hobart last year to study law, the realities of Tasmania's housing affordability crisis instantly hit home.
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She found accommodation at University Apartments at the University of Tasmania - a small room in a six-bedroom apartment where she shares a kitchen and two bathrooms with five others.
It costs her $240 a week.
"My Youth Allowance and Rent Assistance is $610 a fortnight, so when $480 of that is going to rent, it leaves you with $130 a fortnight for everything else," Ms Antoniazzi said.
"I do have a casual job but it's hard to get hours, and it's hard to find work if I'm only here for nine months of the year and at uni for five days a week.
Young people are looking to the Tasmanian Government for strong governance and leadership.
- YNOT budget priority statement, 2020-21
"Rent is raised every year. They say it's to keep up with the market, but why do they need to keep up with the market when the purpose is to keep students here to study?"
Moving to Hobart was her only option, with law not offered in Launceston and a move to the mainland too costly. She was far from the only one experiencing this level of financial stress, forced to live off $65 per week for living expenses including food and transport.
One-in-four Tasmanians experiencing homelessness are aged 12 to 24, and 30 per cent of social housing applications are from people aged 18 to 25.
Tasmania's youth unemployment rate of 14.5 per cent is always well above the national average of 11.7 per cent.
Ms Antoniazzi said it felt like governments never considered the plight of young Tasmanians and the financial difficulties of obtaining higher education could be a deterrent to studying.
Tasmania is the only state or territory without a Minister for Youth, Office for Youth or dedicated Youth Strategy - a situation that the Youth Network of Tasmania is desperate to see change.
It was the main focus of YNOT's budget priority statement, submitted to the state government ahead of the 2020-21 budget.
YNOT chief executive officer Tania Hunt said providing more strategic support for Tasmania's youth was a win-win.
"We need to attract, but also retain, our young people," she said.
"It's about that choice of whether they want to stay in Tasmania. Many are telling us they need to make a really difficult decision.
"Tasmania has an aging population. We need to invest in young people to support the future of our state."
YNOT's submission to the government outlines how youth affairs is "fragmented, occurring in isolation, with varying degrees of success", sitting across multiple portfolio areas within government.
YNOT is calling for the development of a youth strategy for 2021-31, in partnership with young Tasmanians and key stakeholders. The strategy could cost $155,000 to develop.
"Young people are looking to the Tasmanian Government for strong governance and leadership to address the challenges they face," the submission reads.
"Young Tasmanians have demonstrated that they are socially and politically engaged and want to be a part of the solution to addressing issues that impact their life.
"Now is the time to capitalise on their passion to be heard and valued, and importantly to support them to thrive."
A government spokesperson said YNOT's submissions would be considered through the budget process.