Clashes with parents over gender identity frequently left Kochava – who uses the gender neutral pronoun "they" – searching for a place to sleep during the crucial months leading up to the VCE exams.



"There would be intermittent times they would kick me out of the house for a few days or a few weeks. During that time I would be couch-surfing or sleeping on the streets," Kochava told BuzzFeed News.



"Sometimes I would message a friend, especially if it was really cold or raining a lot. After the first few times I got to know what areas in my neighbourhood could serve as temporary shelters.



"It definitely made school a lot harder. Even just making sure I had my uniform, textbooks, school laptop when I was going between places... not having anywhere to keep that stuff."

Kochava will tell their story to workers in the homelessness sector on Wednesday as part of a panel focusing on LGBTI youth homelessness.

As part of Youth Homelessness Matters Day, 80 refuge workers will meet to hear about specific challenges facing young people who end up homeless. Other panels include e-safety, family violence, and responding to young people with complex and challenging behaviours.