King George Gardens will be filled with 231 empty chairs on Tuesday 4 August as NESAY marks Homelessness Week with their Seats Without Shelter public installation.

Each chair at the event will represent a young person without a safe place to call home, who has engaged with NESAY's homelessness support services over the past 12 months.

The chairs will feature quotes, statistics and information to help attendees better understand youth homelessness and the impact it has on young people.

NESAY CEO Laura Shortis said the event was about more than raising awareness.

“We want people to leave with a better understanding of what youth homelessness can look like, how it affects a young person’s life and where support is available,” she said. “It is one thing to hear the number 231, it is another to stand among 231 chairs, read the words written on them and take in what that number actually represents.”

Georgie Gray, Wellbeing Services Program Manager at NESAY, hoped the event would help the community understand that youth homelessness is not always obvious.

“People often think homelessness means sleeping rough, but for young people it can be much less visible,” she said.

“They may still be attending school, going to work or caring for family members while having no stable place of their own.”

At the event on Tuesday 4 August, NESAY staff will be available to answer questions, discuss the impact of youth homelessness and help people understand how they can respond if they are worried about a young person.

“We want people to ask questions and have conversations with us,” Ms Shortis said.

“Building knowledge across the community makes it more likely that a young person experiencing homelessness will be recognised and connected with support.”

The event is free and open to everyone.

Visitors can walk through the installation at their own pace, with a free sausage sizzle and glitter tattoos also available on the day.

Seats Without Shelter will be held at King George Gardens, Wangaratta, on Tuesday 4 August from 10am to 2pm.