Homelessness requires focus and commitment

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show that almost 60% of people seeking shelter at specialist support services were turned away last year. Nicole Lawder says finding solutions for Australia's homeless requires government and community focus.

The recent violent death of a 31-year old homeless man in inner-city Melbourne has brought attention to the lack of emergency shelters and crisis accommodation.

This need is across the board in cities and towns, across our country. This man’s death is a sad, sad story. This man has family somewhere, and friends. His assailant/s must also have a tragic story. The involvement of police is another sad part of the tale.

There is a much deeper, untold need here, of which homeless men on the street is simply the most visible tip of the iceberg. Homelessness affects over 100,000 Australians on any given night. Fifty nine per cent of people are turned away from specialist homelessness services. They might then sleep on the streets, in cars, on couches at their friends’ houses, or in rooming or boarding houses, which can sometimes be as unsafe as sleeping on the streets.

The reasons for homelessness can range from domestic and family violence, to relationship breakdown, substance abuse, mental illness, financial hardship, and youth unemployment and disengagement, poverty. Each person’s story is different, but important.

What is needed is a continued government – and community – focus on solving homelessness. While intractable, it is not impossible to solve homelessness. Continuing to focus on mental illness, youth, and domestic and family violence is vital. Equally important is providing affordable housing. There is simply not enough affordable housing in Australia.

Across Australia over 200,000 households are waiting for public and community housing. More than 510,000 households in the private rental market are in housing stress, that is they are on a low income and are paying more than 30 per cent of their income in housing costs. These households are in financial hardship and at risk of homelessness because the housing system in Australia doesn’t provide them with safe, secure and affordable housing.  And we cannot fix homelessness unless we also address poverty in Australia.

While we as a community allow more and more people to slip into homelessness, they will be at risk of physical and emotional harm and there are too many lost opportunities. Our focus needs to be on stopping additional people entering into homelessness, as well as getting people out of homelessness. Say it with me. Without PERMANENT, SUPPORTIVE, SAFE, SECURE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, homelessness will remain. With it, the risk of violence and neglect, and lives disrupted or even ended violently. Is this the type of country we want Australia to be? 

Nicole Lawder has been CEO of Homelessness Australia since September 2010 and prior to that was the CEO of a national peak disability organisation. She has worked in a range of private, public and third sector organisations, ranging from tax, workplace relations and defence to Medicare, Deloitte Consulting and a NASA space tracking station. She is a member of a number of government advisory panels including the National People with Disability and Carer Council and the Consumer Consultative Forum of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.