Worst year yet for homelessness services as crisis deepens
Homelessness Australia Media Release
Homelessness service providers are under immense strain from the toughest year on record, as a new survey reveals unrelenting demand due to the housing and cost of living crises.
According to a survey of 252 workers across frontline and support functions:
- More than 35 per cent of respondents gave a maximum score of ten when asked how often they had to turn away individuals seeking help due to the housing crisis. A combined total of 78 per cent scored five or above. And 93 per cent said the problem had worsened in the last year.
- When asked how often they had to provide less support than was needed because of demand pressures, 37 per cent gave a maximum score of ten and combined total of 86 per cent rated this as five or higher, while 93 per cent said the problem was worse than last year.
- A staggering 56 per cent of respondents rated the emotional toll of having to turn people away or provide less support than needed at a maximum score of ten.
- The same proportion (56 per cent) also scored 10 for increased workload due to the housing crisis.
- More than half of all respondents rated the government’s current policies and measures to address homelessness amid the housing crisis at between one and three out of ten.
- An overwhelming majority (84%) scored 10 when asked about the impact of $70 million worth of potential cuts to the sector proceeding.
“Homelessness providers are expected to work miracles. But the strain is simply unrelenting,” said Kate Colvin, chief executive of Homelessness Australia. “Funding, which is already uncertain, is plateauing while demand surges. The status quo is just unsustainable.
“Homelessness providers are being forced to make extremely difficult choices. If they’re approached by a mother and child fleeing violence and a teenager escaping abuse they need to decide whose predicament is worse. Often if someone has a car they can sleep in then they won’t get accommodation.
“People working in our sector are confronted by trauma and are taking that home with them. They deserve support and certainty.”
The Federal Government is currently crafting a National Housing and Homelessness Plan. Homelessness Australia believes that with the right support and commitment homelessness can end within a decade. “A substantial investment in social housing, sustained focus on the causes of homelessness, and a significant funding boost for support services can end homelessness.
“The Government must also end the immediate uncertainty around $73 million in funding to cover the wages of the workforce. This funding expires in June 2024. The last thing anyone needs in a housing crisis is a cut to homelessness support.”
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4 comments
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New England Cocky
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Ron Hamilton
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Ron Hamilton
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Lyndal Breen
Return to home pageThe feral LABOR government needs to grow some political testicles and bring back the Shorten proposal to limit the benefits of negative gearing to one ”investment” property, or frequently beach house, grandfathering negative gearing for established investors and removing all incentives for foreign ownership of Australian residential property. Other tax concerns like returning to the pre-Howard cut to Capital Gains Tax is but a band-aid on a major wound.
Yes, there will be ructions, but consider the social & political ructions as the next generations CANNOT or will not line up for residential home ownership slavery on behalf of their mortgage providers.
Now about the $368 BILLION USUKA sub debacle ….. THAT could be re-directed into residential housing and decentralisation of government departments to regional centres for the benefits of everybody. Clean air, open space, negligible traffic chaos, all the makings of a healthy life-style thus reducing demand on health services.
They could at least check where the money is currently being spent. So many services are fake! For example while I was homeless about 5 years ago one mob gave me two sleeping blankets and even took photos of me lyeing in one on the floor of the Judges Place carpark in Penrith but by the end of the day I didn’t actually even get to keep one of them. And the food services that don’t really have enough for even one batch of people expand to pretend they are serving wider and wider areas. If you ring to check you will find a lot of the services aren’t really there!
Link to Home is a total waste of government money putting homeless people up for a maximum of 1 month per year whilst funnelling money into fake charities. The government paid about $2000 for 8 nights accommodation for me but I didn’t like it and only stayed 1 night.
Link/Wentworth housing suggested not that long ago that they should be able to use derylict buildings as part of the solution. I wonder how many of their tenants would agree. They see that as a step forward?? While they take 49% of your income (supposed to be 25% but there is noone much to complain to). A lot of the staff are very friendly but the organisations purpose is sinister I believe. I’d prefer the government to try a little bit harder with things (like running a housing department) rather than give up and sell our public assets for 10% of their value the way they do.
Many homeless people go unobserved because they move around a lot, and doss down with friends and relatives for short periods before moving on (couch-surfing). One of their biggest problems is keeping hold of and caring for possessions such as photos, IDdocuments and important records that get lost and damaged when moving around. They also need a secure place to keep things like a warm jacket or sleeping bag through the summer. Therefore, one useful thing that could be done to assist homeless people would be to provide them with reasonably sized lockers, in safe and central places such as railway stations. This would not be very costly, but it would help homeless people hold on to some of their meagre possessions.