ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness is multi-faceted and affects different groups of people in varying ways. Each year, too many Australians experience homelessness or find themselves in conditions that put them at risk of becoming homeless. People of all ages, genders, cultural backgrounds and personal circumstances can find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness at some time in their life.

Currently, there are 105,000 Australians who are homeless on any given night.

• Tonight half of Australia's homeless will stay with friends or family.
• About 2 in every 7 will find a bed in a boarding house.
• A lucky 1 in every 7 will find a bed in the homeless service system.
• 1 in every 7 will sleep rough on the streets of our cities and towns.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) defines homelessness as an individual:

• Currently living on the street
• Living in crisis or refuge accommodation
• Living in temporary arrangements without security, for example, moving between the residences of friends or relatives, living in squats, caravans or dwellings, or living in boarding houses
• Living in unsafe family circumstances, for example, where child abuse or domestic violence is a threat or has occurred
• Living on very low income and facing costly expenses or a personal crisis

Homeless people either reside in houses that are damaging to their health and have inadequate personal amenities, or do not have security of tenure in their homes, which means that they do not have the legal right for a continued occupation of their homes.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) divides the homeless numbers into 3 groups – the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Homeless:

• Primary Homeless – People without conventional accommodation or living on the streets
• Secondary Homeless – People staying in boarding houses and people already in Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) accommodation or other similar emergency accommodation services
• Tertiary Homeless – People with no secure accommodation staying temporarily with friends or relatives in private dwellings

WHO IS HOMELESS?

Last year, 220,000 Australians received support from specialist homelessness services. This equates to 1 in every 100 people.

Homeless people are stereotypically perceived as individuals who live on the streets and literally do not have a home. Yet over the years, the clichés of homelessness have become more and more inaccurate. 


While anyone has the potential to become homeless, there are particular groups who are way more vulnerable. Last year, 1 in every 51 girls aged 15 to 19 used a homeless service, and on top of this, the number of children using homeless services has increased by around 15,000 over the last couple of years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are similarly largely over represented. Although they are only 2.5% of Australia’s population, they are a startling 18% of the clientele in homeless shelters.

THE CAUSES AND IMPACT OF HOMELESSNESS

Homelessness is caused by a number of factors which may be out of the individual’s control. Poverty, unemployment and a critical shortage of affordable housing accompany escapees of domestic and family violence who seek assistance from specialist homelessness services in Australia. Homelessness can also be triggered by family breakdown, mental illness, sexual assault, addiction, financial difficulty, gambling and social isolation. In 2009 to 2010, 1 in every 2 women who presented themselves to specialist homelessness services with children sought assistance to primarily escape domestic and family violence. It has been found that family breakdown is one of the primary reasons young men and women seek support from homeless assistance services. Many men who stay in homeless assistance services seek support due to financial difficulty, mental illness and/or drug and alcohol use. Couples with children are more often in the homeless service system due to eviction and financial difficulty, and children who experience homelessness are more likely to become homeless adults and raise families who, in turn, may also become homeless, continuing the cycle of homelessness.

Homeless Australians are often excluded from participation in the social, recreational, cultural and economic life of our communities. Resulting in social and economic costs to individuals, families and our nation, homelessness forces people away from their family, friends and communities. Maintaining school or further study is often compromised, leading to educational vulnerability in the future which includes long-term unemployment and chronic ill-health. Fostering a sense of alienation from communities and isolation, the psychological aftermath of homelessness may project into the future. Homelessness means that every day, almost 1 in every 200 Australians lives without one of their most fundamental human rights.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

There have been numerous suggestions over the years as to how homelessness may be lessened, and hopefully one day eradicated. Positively, in recent years, there have been a number of changes in the division of funding for government-supported specialist homelessness services. However, the long road home is still significant as evolutionary change precedes revolutionary change for the homeless.

Leading Australian homelessness organisation, Homelessness Australia, is the primary institute which advocates for the homeless community. Their aim is to inform Australians, promote community awareness and also call upon the government to create and implement proper policies which will address the issue. A strong belief in the following three principles pervade their approach to the social issue of homelessness:

• Early intervention in order to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place.
• Widespread access to temporary accommodation and basic services
• Support and assistance for those trying to recover and get back on their feet

More comprehensively, Homelessness Australia also suggest the following plans of action:

• A holistic, comprehensive national action plan to prevent and respond to homelessness in Australia. The 2008 White Paper provided a substantial framework for medium term action to progressively reduce homelessness in Australia. However, we need to build upon and strengthen this approach.
• More homes must be built. Homelessness Australia is calling on all political parties to support the adoption of policies, programs and strategies that will provide for the construction of an additional 220,000 affordable houses by 2020, including social housing dwellings.
• An Australian Minister for Housing and Homelessness who sits in Cabinet at a Federal level.
• An expansion of the value and reach of the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA). The next NAHA must include substantial growth funding to enable the expansion of the social housing sector, especially community housing. Specialist homelessness services require growth funding to reduce turn-away rates and provide support to every person seeking it, every night.
• A commitment to fund the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) for a further four years with a minimum of at least $849 million in new funding needed.

Affirmative action has surfaced over the years because of individuals, groups and communities who have taken a stance against continuing cycles of homelessness. In the 2008 budget, the Federal government directed $150 million towards new homes for people leaving behind homelessness. The government also funds the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) which allows homeless people to find shelter, food and a bed, if availability permits.