Issue

Homelessness in Australia

For many people, having a home means having a place where they belong. Being homeless means belonging nowhere, as well as having nowhere to sleep. There are many Australians today that do not have a place where they belong.

Submitted 10/11/2005 By Amy Views 339896 Comments 26 Updated 8/05/2006


Photographer : Cybele


No fixed address

"I walked behind this guy the other day.
A homeless guy asked him for money.
He looks right at the homeless guy and says ‘why don't you go get a job you bum’.
People always say that to homeless guys like it is so easy.
This homeless guy was wearing his underwear outside his pants.
Outside his pants. I'm guessing his resume isn't all up to date."

Underwear goes inside the pants—Lazy Boy

What is the issue?

Adequate housing is a human right and is part of having a quality of life. However, each day almost 100,000 Australians are without safe, secure and affordable housing. This means there are heaps of people everyday without a roof over their head.

  • 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.

Definitions

Homelessness is usually defined as not having a house to live in. But, it is also about having little or no safety or security. A homeless person may have no shelter at all or a shelter that compromises their health or safety.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) defines homelessness as:
  • 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 a very low income and facing costly expenses or a personal crisis.

Who is homeless?

There is a common view that homeless people are middle-aged, alcoholic men who sleep on a park bench. However, anyone can become homeless—young or old, families or single people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Why is it happening?

There are many reasons why people
become homeless. These can be:
  • poverty
  • unemployment
  • not enough affordable housing
  • poor physical or mental health
  • intellectual disability
  • drug and alcohol abuse
  • gambling
  • family and relationship breakdown
  • domestic violence
  • physical and/or sexual abuse.

All these factors can cause a person to become homeless. They can also be one of the reasons why a person remains homeless. For example, drug and alcohol abuse can be both a cause and a result of homelessness.

How do I know this?

Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations, http://www.afho.org.au/

Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare 2005, Homelessness FAQs, http://www.aihw.gov.au/housing/sacs/faqs.cfm

Mackenzie, D & Chamberlain, C 2001, Counting the Homeless, Australian Bureau of Statistics, http://www.countingthehomeless.com.au.

Mission Australia, http://www.mission.com.au

Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 25 (1), http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Discuss Now

Post Comment 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

RSS Comments
image

TanR16 23-Apr-2008

Just thought I would post a link for the National youth commisions inquiry into youth homelessness: http://www.nyc.net.au/files/Australias_Homeless_Yo...
Its very insightful indeed :)

-----

image

TanR16 23-Apr-2008

Just thought I would post a link for the National youth commisions inquiry into youth homelessness: http://www.nyc.net.au/files/Australias_Homeless_Yo...
Its very insightful indeed :)

-----

image

adrienne 31-Jan-2008

Yeh Rita I think flyers stating where soup kitchens and other places where homeless people can go find help is a great solution or at least a start.
What is really terrible is the rising of youth homelessness. These kids are so lost and alone that they need so much help as well. They are so vulnerable that they can be easily exploited we need to promote safety houses again.

I remember when i was in primary school seeing the adds on tv about safety houses and the signs outside of schools but these days you hear nothing about them. I think they should re-promote safety houses as a place where youth can go to get care and learn what they can do to help themselves.

-----

image

Rita 03-Jan-2008

I agree with you Millina! More needs to be done in tackling the cause of homelessness.

I've always wondered whether or not enough homeless people on the streets know enough about where and how to get help though... How can we make them more aware?... After a short discussion with other interns- there was an idea that it might be worthwhile to advertise (eg. using flyers) the whereabouts of relevant organisations, soup kitchens etc in areas where the majority of homeless people choose to take shelter... Any other ideas or thoughts?

-----

image

Millina 03-Jan-2008

I remember that during the 2000 Olympics, a band aid was put over the issue where all the homeless were swept under the rug and shoved into temporary shelters to make our city look better.

What I think needs to be happen is for the relevant authorities to recognise and address the problems that are causing people to live on the streets (such as mental illness, relationship breakdowns etc) to tackle the root of the problems causing homelessness.

-----