And when the softly-spoken teen tried to return home to get her school uniform, textbooks and belongings, she discovered her bedroom had been trashed.

"As soon as I told my mum, she told me I wasn't allowed to go back home," she says.

Jocelyn, then a Werribee resident, left empty-handed, and spent almost her entire pregnancy couch surfing.

At first she stayed with her boyfriend or friends, moving between locations every few nights. But when they broke up, her grandfather - who did not want her to go ahead with the pregnancy - reluctantly agreed she could use a small room in his home.

Money was so tight that some days Jocelyn had to make the impossible choice between eating lunch and topping up her travel card. She was not old enough to drive and relied on public transport.

But ticket inspectors pounced, and Jocelyn's fines grew. Soon the expectant teen found herself in thousands of dollars of debt.

Jocelyn's story is a heartbreaking insight into the world of young Melbourne couch surfers who live hand-to-mouth on the urban fringe of our affluent, first-world city.

The experiences of these young couch surfers form part of a powerful report into this hidden form of homelessness by WEstJustice???, a community legal service based in Melbourne's western suburbs, which has assisted more than 60 as legal clients.

They are young people who, overwhelmingly, come from situations of family violence or conflict.

They talk of stealing food from the supermarket because they have no money, and often drop out of school because they can't afford to buy lunch or a uniform.

Almost universally these young couch surfers do not realise they are homeless, and do not seek help because they are loathe to trust authorities.

And some even tell of being invited by local drug dealers to live with them in return for watching their crop and selling it to their younger friends.

"They are falling through the gaps. They're not yet considered adults, but not given the same level of protection as children," says report author and WEstJustice director of policy, Shorna Moore.

Youth unemployment is high in Melbourne's west, and couch surfers' lack of education makes it almost impossible to find work. The meagre independent rate of Youth Allowance means private rental is usually unaffordable.

Couch surfing is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as secondary homelessness, when people frequently move from one temporary shelter to another.

Last year in Australia, 6383 children aged 0-17 years who sought assistance from homelessness services were couch surfing, up 55 per cent in four years.

The WEstJustice research found some couch "providers" try to support the young people under their roofs but were left financially stretched, while others take advantage of vulnerable young people.

Rhys left family conflict to sleep on a mattress on the floor of a school friend's house.

But he was regularly moved on, and often felt a burden on the families he lived with. Eventually the strain began to tell and his mental health deteriorated.

"My teachers did know what was going on but there was too much happening and I stopped school. I couldn't talk to them and they couldn't help me," he says.

Rhys didn't realise he was officially homeless and didn't how to ask for help. Photo: Darrian Traynor

Because Rhys delayed in telling Centrelink he had stopped studying, he was automatically fined. This, combined with public transport infringements, left him saddled with a debt of almost $10,000.

It wasn't until he decided to return to school, at Wyndham Community Education Centre - which offers flexible classes to disadvantaged and refugee students - Rhys talked to the on-site school lawyer about getting his debts overturned. He is now studying at university.

"From my experience no one tells you anything. I was completely unaware of any services," he said.

Although many couch surfers drop out of school, it remains an important touchstone for some. Jocelyn worked and studied while she was pregnant, and after her daughter was born she went to Wyndham Community Education to complete her VCAL. She now studies beauty therapy.

Her daughter is now four and Jocelyn hopes to get a job to support her when she finishes studying next year. She has a good relationship with her parents again.

The report made a large number of recommendations, including that the Victorian government fund a new youth homeless refuge in Wyndham, where there is currently none, and create a new temporary travel card so that young couch surfers can travel free for a limited period.

It also found schools should be banned from excluding students on the basis of school uniform policy, and find alternative solutions like detention or spare uniforms.