Homeless

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us our health is intimately connected to the health of the person next to us, and that everyone needs shelter. It has created unprecedented urgency about moving people who are homeless into emergency accommodation – for their health and ours. So what happens next?
Getting people into hotel and motel rooms and off the streets is a good thing, but these are stopgap measures. They don’t provide a home.
The rush to shelter people before the peak of the virus has been driven by a pressing need to protect us all. As the only seven-day-a-week mobile outreach service still operating in Victoria, <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/">Launch Housing</a> has temporarily housed 800 people, half of whom were sleeping rough. So what will happen to them and the thousands of other Australians in emergency accommodation when social-distancing restrictions ease and our world returns to something resembling normal?
Will they exit back into street homelessness to become the face of fear and stigma, while the rest of the community returns to more social activities?
A way to find homes right now
Australia has a significant but solvable homelessness problem, so let’s start solving it right now.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330009/original/file-20200423-47804-1m369kz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330009/original/file-20200423-47804-1m369kz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
 Image: AAP, Author provided
To avoid people being deposited back onto the streets, we’re asking state and territory governments to fund a rapid spot-purchasing program. The Victorian government has done it before on a smaller scale in 2016, and it worked. It’s time to do it again, but on a bigger scale and around the country.
The spot-purchasing program would fund community housing agencies to enter the property market to buy up “distressed” or cheap housing assets. These properties would be let at below market rent to people who pay 30% of their income as a social rent.
Vendors and developers would get <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/price-cuts-on-the-rise-as-vendors-rush-to-sell-in-coronavirus-pandemic-950402/?utm_campaign=strap-masthead&amp;utm_source=the-age&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_content=pos5&amp;ref=pos1">much-needed sales</a> and thousands of people would get a home. Taxpayers would get an enduring social benefit for years to come, as expensive nightly motel bills – without any long-term benefit – get converted to community-owned property assets.
We estimate the program would cost about A$210 million in Victoria and a similar amount in other states. It <a href="https://theconversation.com/supportive-housing-is-cheaper-than-chronic-homelessness-67539">costs more to treat street homelessness than it does to fix it</a>. So, it makes economic and social sense to put the fix in now.
This is our mirror moment. We simply can’t afford to drop people when no one is looking and attention turns elsewhere.
People in emergency accommodation can’t wait years for new housing to be built. They (and we) need those homes now while longer-term solutions are developed.
Meeting rising needs in the longer term
Many people who are not homeless have lost jobs or had their work hours cut, and are facing their first-ever brush with housing insecurity. They are struggling, paying more than 30% of their income for housing.
There was a housing crisis before this latest upheaval, and these conditions haven’t changed. Rents were too high and there <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-housing-system-needs-a-big-shake-up-heres-how-we-can-crack-this-130291">weren’t enough affordable homes</a>.
The health and economic fallout from COVID-19 has exposed the urgent need for more homes that are cheaper to rent for people on moderate, low or no incomes.
Crucially, we are also calling for the Australian government to fast-track the building of more social and affordable housing as part of an economic stimulus package.
A national social housing stimulus package will help get people back to work, speed the recovery, give the building industry the confidence to retain more workers and put roofs over people’s heads.
Initiatives to fund the construction of new social housing could be rolled out quickly. The industry capacity is there to do it, in partnership with the community housing sector.
The early stages of the stimulus would bring forward maintenance and new construction projects that are already on the drawing board.
By targeting locations with transport and facilities but <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-puts-casual-workers-at-risk-of-homelessness-unless-they-get-more-support-133782">high levels of rental stress</a>, new social housing buildings can be built quickly and integrated well into local communities.
The stimulus should be designed to encourage new mixed housing models, including properties that are “<a href="https://theconversation.com/build-to-rent-could-shake-up-real-estate-but-wont-take-off-without-major-tax-changes-119603">built to rent</a>”.
It would increase the supply of social housing for households that are homeless, or at risk of becoming so, and would stimulate the building, maintenance and construction industry.
A building-led recovery
The program would build on the <a href="http://www.nwhn.net.au/admin/file/content101/c6/social_housing_initiative_review.pdf">Social Housing Initiative</a> that was launched in response to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Some 20,000 new social housing units were built throughout Australia.
This time, we think it is possible to deliver 30,000 new units. Community housing organisations could raise extra private finance to build another 5,000 homes.
We’ll need this <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-social-housing-essential-infrastructure-how-we-think-about-it-does-matter-110777">social infrastructure</a> more than ever after the pandemic. <a href="https://theconversation.com/growing-numbers-of-renters-are-trapped-for-years-in-homes-they-cant-afford-125216">Rental stress</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/6-steps-towards-remaking-the-homelessness-system-so-it-works-for-young-people-136385">homelessness</a> are increasing and the <a href="https://www.anglicare.asn.au/research-advocacy/the-rental-affordability-snapshot">lack of low-price rental housing</a> are issues we can no longer ignore.
The pandemic has created some very real challenges, but it also creates some unique opportunities to accelerate progress on ending homelessness, to recognise our interconnectedness and to give people the best possible protection of all – a home.
<hr>
This article was co-authored by Bevan Warner, CEO of Launch Housing.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137069/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ron-wakefield-1044738">Ron Wakefield</a>, Professor of Construction, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, International, and Dean, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-need-to-house-everyone-has-never-been-clearer-heres-a-2-step-strategy-to-get-it-done-137069">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

The need to house everyone has never been clearer, a 2-step plan to do it

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Staying home and social distancing are now essential to control the spread of COVID-19. Suitable accommodation for quarantine and isolation are critical, but Australia’s broken housing system leaves us all exposed.
By now, almost every Australian will have thought about the coronavirus pandemic in terms of their own housing. For many home owners, this is an economic concern. They are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/sydneysiders-mortgage-debt-30-per-cent-higher-than-national-average-20200215-p5412l" target="_blank">dangerously in debt</a> after a 20-year housing boom. Renters face <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-housing-evictions-must-be-suspended-to-defend-us-against-coronavirus-134148" target="_blank">greater uncertainty</a>.
But it’s people in overcrowded, <a href="https://theconversation.com/informal-and-illegal-housing-on-the-rise-as-our-cities-fail-to-offer-affordable-places-to-live-116065" target="_blank">informal</a> or no housing at all who are most exposed. Crowded housing conditions are bad for all occupants, largely through the increased risks of infections, as WHO <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/276001/9789241550376-eng.pdf?ua=1" target="_blank">Guidelines on Health and Housing</a> clearly identify.
<h2>Expose one, expose us all</h2>
The increased risk of COVID-19 infection will have impacts on both the residents of crammed dwellings and the rest of the community. Improving the housing conditions of the most marginalised members of our society is an important biosecurity measure.
The number of Australians who are <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2049.0Appendix12016?opendocument&amp;tabname=Notes&amp;prodno=2049.0&amp;issue=2016&amp;num=&amp;view=" target="_blank">homeless</a> <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/2049.0Media%20Release12016" target="_blank">grew dramatically from 2011-2016</a>. The largest increase was people living in severely overcrowded dwellings.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322476/original/file-20200324-155674-1hibain.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322476/original/file-20200324-155674-1hibain.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census 2016, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
This trend includes a sharp rise in older people living in crowded or marginal housing.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322478/original/file-20200324-155683-ftqgrs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322478/original/file-20200324-155683-ftqgrs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census 2016, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
Crowding is endemic in Indigenous communities. <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/c1daa420-3547-497c-b964-17b149ceba02/17718.pdf.aspx?inline=true" target="_blank">Poorly maintained and inadequate</a> dwelling conditions make the impacts of crowding worse.
Previous experience with swine flu – <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi37suppl.htm%7E02-vpds%7E2-4-influenza" target="_blank">Influenza A (H1N1)</a> – indicates contagious disease outbreaks in Indigenous communities <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-will-devastate-aboriginal-communities-if-we-dont-act-now-133766" target="_blank">will be catastrophic</a>. After over a decade of making remote areas harder places to be – as a result of cuts to housing and infrastructure allocations and increased water insecurity – they are now expected to operate as refuges.
Tertiary students, including international students, are also likely to be living in overcrowded share houses and <a href="https://theconversation.com/tracking-the-rise-of-room-sharing-and-overcrowding-and-what-it-means-for-housing-in-australia-107265" target="_blank">room-share rentals</a>. These arrangements already breach basic health and sanitation standards.
These problems aren’t due to a shortage of housing. Census data show the <a href="https://www.sgsep.com.au/publications/insights/why-was-no-one-home-on-census-night" target="_blank">number of unoccupied dwellings</a> increased during the same period that homelessness grew.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322486/original/file-20200324-155674-227xng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322486/original/file-20200324-155674-227xng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
Rather than an absolute shortage of homes, our <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-financialisation-of-housing-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-73767" target="_blank">increasingly financialised property market</a> has distorted access to decent accommodation. Housing is now treated as an asset instead of a basic right. In recent years platforms such as Airbnb have made this situation worse by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2016.1249011" target="_blank">transforming permanent rentals</a> into short-term accommodation for tourists.
<h2>What should governments do?</h2>
Moves to <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/morrison-calls-on-landlords-to-make-sacrifices-amid-fears-renters-face-eviction--c-754870" target="_blank">prevent evictions</a> and to offer <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/mortgage-pause-coronavirus-nab-commonwealth-anz-westpac/12076690" target="_blank">mortgage relief</a> during the pandemic period are an urgent first step in what needs to be rapid national action on housing.
Securing adequate housing for those in unstable accommodation, particularly those who need to isolate, is the next phase in this public health response. Suitable housing must be made available immediately in locations near hospitals and key health services. This can be triaged.
Options might include:
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<li>
local hotels or motels – for people in metropolitan and some regional centres this seems to be an obvious option as many are likely empty of travellers
</li>
<li>
vacant holiday homes or temporary workforce housing
</li>
<li>
other health accommodation used for rehabilitation that can be repurposed
</li>
<li>
construction of temporary dwellings.
</li>
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Hotels close to major teaching (university) hospitals could be commandeered for patients with COVID-19 who need quarantined nursing care, but not intubation to help them breathe.
These hotels could also provide places of rest for health workers who might wish to isolate themselves from their families while they fight in our favour. For example, the University of Tasmania has provided one of its <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/alerts/coronavirus-update" target="_blank">hotel buildings</a>, which has been used for student housing, to the Tasmanian government for this purpose.
Access to hotels and motels for civilian isolation practices more broadly is an obvious solution across urban areas and regional centres.
To reduce the risks arising from inadequate housing, the nation’s vast holiday rental supply should also be considered for people on priority waiting lists for social housing who are in crowded accommodation. Owners of currently empty holiday accommodation could receive the equivalent of rent assistance payments from the Commonwealth for making their housing available.
A vast tourism workforce of property managers, maintenance and cleaning staff, already reeling from the bushfire crisis, is likely ready and able to repurpose residential tourist accommodation for those in need.
On the other side of the health crisis, it’s clear a rapid, nation-building expansion in social and affordable housing must be part of Australia’s plan. Well-designed, secure and maintained housing should be Australia’s first defence, not our weakest link, in combating health, climate and economic crises.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-gurran-759" target="_blank">Nicole Gurran</a>, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-phibbs-27130" target="_blank">Peter Phibbs</a>, Director, Henry Halloran Trust, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tess-lea-445805" target="_blank">Tess Lea</a>, Associate Professor, Gender and Cultural Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/homelessness-and-overcrowding-expose-us-all-to-coronavirus-heres-what-we-can-do-to-stop-the-spread-134378" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Homelessness and overcrowding expose us all to coronavirus. Here's what we can do to stop the spread

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Melbourne City Mission (MCM) will redevelop and relocate one of its youth refuge services to Werribee to support young people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne’s inner west.
Together with the Property Industry Foundation, and a $3.5 million investment from the Victorian Government, MCM will open a high quality, purpose-built youth refuge to break the cycle of youth homelessness. 
With two family units to accommodate infants and families, the redevelopment of MCM’s youth refuge will give young people aged 15-25 a chance to grow into adult independence with a level of support they currently don’t have. 
MCM’s new youth refuge in Werribee comes as a concerning number of young people are experiencing homelessness in the City of Wyndham, which increased by 76 percent in the last five years. On Census night, 730 people identified as homeless. Of those, 384 - over half - were aged between 12-24 years old (ABS 2016). 
MCM Chief Executive Officer Vicki Sutton says the new youth refuge is well placed to respond to the needs of young people who are experiencing homelessness in Melbourne’s western suburbs. 
“Through no fault of their own young people often experience homelessness due to family breakdown, neglect and family violence. These experiences, and the experience of homelessness itself, can lead to significant trauma with long-lasting effects including on mental health.
“This refuge will give young people from the west the opportunity to remain connected with their community during this distressing time while being able to access MCM’s programs, including housing support and therapeutic and mental health programs,” Ms Sutton said.
Kate Mills, Chief Executive Officer of The Property Industry Foundation, said “We’re proud to see the property industry rallying around this crucial project, at a time when there is a lack of affordable housing placing more pressure on young people who do not have family support.” 
The redevelopment of MCM’s new youth refuge commenced with a sod-turning ceremony on the 7th of February, attended by the Treasurer and Member for Werribee, the Hon. Tim Pallas MP. 
“This is more than just bricks and mortar”, said the Member for Werribee. “It’s going to provide young people the second chance they need to get back on their feet and turn their lives around.”
“It’s pretty hard to get a job or an education when you don’t even have a roof over your head. That’s why we’re helping break the cycle of homelessness.”
MCM was one of eight community service organisations in 2017 across the state that received funding through the $27 million in funding through phase two of the State Government’s Accommodation for the Homeless program
The new youth refuge will link with MCM’s suite of programs for young people including its service hub in South Road Braybrook; and other youth supports across Melbourne’s west. 
Due for completion in 2020, MCM’s new youth refuge will deliver positive outcomes for young people by:
1. Providing emergency and crisis accommodation and 24-hour staffing and support for up to ten young people; 2. Providing two family units to assist young parents and their children;   3. A purpose-built children’s play area;  4. Capacity to provide young people with education and independent living skill programs on site. 
Some of the integrated programs and services young people will access at MCM’s new youth refuge include early intervention programs, parenting, education and living skills programs, therapy using art, music and animals, and housing support. 
Over $465,000 in services have been donated pro-bono to the redevelopment by a team of high-calibre consultants, including Turner &amp; Townsend Thinc, Group GSA, Tract Consultants, PLP Building Surveyors, Morris Goding Access Consulting, Rider Levett Bucknall, Nationwide, Irwin, WSP, Hacer and Maddocks.
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Melbourne City Mission to open new Wyndham youth refuge

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With the number of homeless older Australians aged over 65 jumping by 30% between 2011 and 2016, new AHURI research examines the life ‘shocks’ and other factors behind these rising numbers. 
The research, entitled 'An effective homelessness services system for older Australians’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from University of South Australia and Swinburne University of Technology, examines the issues that affect older Australians who are experiencing homelessness.
It found that one in every seven Australians experiencing homelessness is aged 55 years or over.
"Poverty is a root cause of homelessness. Having a lower income than needed to sustain a decent, healthy and secure life creates a marginal position in the housing market that can result in the loss of safe, affordable accommodation, which can then lead to homelessness," said Professor Andrew Beer of the University of South Australia, one of authors of the report.
"With an ageing population and a decline in home ownership, we can expect further growth in rates of homelessness amongst older Australians."
The report identified three broad groups of older Australians who become homeless: those with conventional housing histories who experience a financial or other ‘shock’ late in life, such as eviction from rental housing, relationship breakdown, the death of a spouse, or a decline in their health; those who had experienced long-term social exclusion and had previously experienced homelessness; and people with transient work and housing histories.
The research identifies that the current system of supporting older people who experience homelessness is fragmented, too poorly resourced and unable to provide long-term solutions.
According to the report, out of 1,518 homelessness services nationally only three are specialist services for older people. 
The research also reveals that services set up to provide welfare support for people are difficult to navigate, particularly the online welfare system which acts as an impediment to older homeless people gaining access to the support they need. 
"These life shocks lead many older Australians into homelessness, and into contact with the income support system for the first time," said Professor Beer.
"For some, learning to deal with Centrelink and its policies and processes is an additional challenge that exacerbates the grief and shame of finding themselves without a secure home."
The report identifies the provision of affordable, secure and appropriate housing must be central to any solution to homelessness amongst older Australians.
Other solutions include funding to enable aged-care providers to build specialist facilities for older homeless clients, and reviewing, increasing and indexing the Homelessness Supplement for aged-care providers.
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wdavis-8cCN98p7xp

Homelessness a growing concern among older Australians

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A new digital data service will record information relating to rough sleepers in real-time to better facilitate collaboration between service providers for those experiencing homelessness in NSW.  
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said global tech giant Microsoft has partnered with the NSW Government and the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration to bring the project to fruition. 
“Every day more than 37,000 people in NSW experience homelessness and this new initiative will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the challenges they face,” Berejiklian said.
“By using technology to collect a range of social and demographic data on rough sleepers, we can improve the way we respond to homelessness.”
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said the launch of the initiative comes during the inaugural Connections Week, which aims to create a by-name list of people sleeping rough in Sydney’s CBD.
“The homelessness targets our Government has set require an innovative approach as well as collaboration with our non-government partners,” Ward said. 
“By compiling a database of rough sleepers, our assertive outreach teams and NGOs will be able to better collaborate towards a common goal.”
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the data will be captured using a mobile device and include geolocation technology.
“We are using digital technology to make life easier for some of the most vulnerable people in the community.”
Act to End Street Sleeping Convener Graham West said the aim is to create a vulnerability index of rough sleepers across the state, to determine risk and help prioritise specialist services. 
Data collected this week will be used to inform potential expansion of the program across the state.
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Microsoft partners with NSW Government and the Act to End Street Sleeping

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GUEST OBSERVATION
A plan to provide homeless people with overnight beds and shelter in car parks might sound like a good idea but it does little to solve their problem in the long term.
There are other proven ways we can help those sleeping rough to break out of the homelessness cycle. And Australia certainly has the wealth to back such schemes.
That’s why it’s important to treat homeless and roofless people as more than charity cases.
A bed for the night
The charity <a href="https://beddown.org.au/" target="_blank">Beddown</a> started a two-week trial with Secure Parking to invite people sleeping rough to spend the night on inflatable mattresses <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/car-parks-transformed-into-pop-up-accommodation-for-homeless-people-20190927-p52vgt" target="_blank">in a car park in Brisbane’s CBD</a>. It hopes to run similar trials in Melbourne and Sydney.
The mattresses-in-car-parks idea adds to similar charitable models in Australia that include <a href="https://orangesky.org.au/" target="_blank">mobile laundries and showers</a> for people who are homeless, as well as <a href="https://www.sleepbus.org/" target="_blank">buses fitted out with beds</a>.
These charitable endeavours receive almost unanimous <a href="https://www.kidsnews.com.au/humanities/beddown-trial-provides-sweet-dreams-and-a-good-nights-sleep-for-people-experiencing-homelessness/news-story/c1b2924ff9af53125257dc3a4fc036a3" target="_blank">positive attention</a> <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/qld/brisbane-carpark-turned-into-pop-up-shelter-for-the-homeless-is-changing-lives-already-c-502732" target="_blank">from the media</a>.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-24/young-australians-of-the-year-offer-advice-to-2017-nominees/8208554" target="_blank">Some of the creators</a> of these charities even receive prestigious national awards.
How to really end homelessness
Instead of pop-up beds in car parks and mobile laundries and showers, which all start with the best of intentions, as a society we can and should immediately end homelessness for people sleeping rough.
This is not utopian nor is it unrealistic. We have <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/676318" target="_blank" title="Exiting Unsheltered Homelessness and Sustaining Housing: A Human Agency Perspective">rigorous evidence</a>, based on research with programs in Australia’s capital and regional cities, that demonstrate <a href="https://www.sacredheartmission.org/docman/publications/26-publications-sustaining-exits-from-long-term-homelessness-48-month-evaluation-2015/file" target="_blank">we can permanently end homelessness</a> for people on the streets and those who have experienced chronic homelessness.
The evidence even shows how we can end homelessness for <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/hsc.12835" target="_blank" title="Evidence for an integrated healthcare and psychosocial multidisciplinary model to address rough sleeping">people who are sleeping rough</a>.
The results show between 80% and 90% of people who are supported to exit rough sleeping through <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/policy/ahuri-briefs/what-is-the-housing-first-model" target="_blank">Housing First programs</a> sustain their housing for at least 12 months.
Three things are critical.
The first is assertive street outreach that systematically works to identify and support people to get off the streets. Some models consist of clinicians working in street outreach teams to help overcome the health barriers to people exiting the streets.
Second is the accessibility and availability of long-term and affordable housing. People need to access housing as a tenant, not as a client of a conditional program. The availability of housing is essential to ensure assertive outreach is able to offer people what they need.
Third is a flexible model of integrated social support and health care for people after they are housed. The ongoing support needs to be driven by the tenant, not mandated, and available for as long as required.
Action saves money
When we do not change our systems and practices to enable people sleeping rough to access housing, we waste money responding to the consequences of our failed policy decisions.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/supportive-housing-is-cheaper-than-chronic-homelessness-67539" target="_blank">Australian research</a> using government administrative data showed an average annual saving to government services of A$13,100 per person for ending their homelessness with permanent supportive housing.
When people are housed they use less criminal justice and health services than when living on the streets.
Given the evidence and technical knowledge we have for ending homelessness, it is important to consider whether charity models such as Beddown and others that offer temporary solutions run the risk of adverse unintended consequences.
The uncritical praise and celebration these endeavours attract can let governments off the hook for their responsibility to provide affordable housing to homeless people.
These <a href="https://www.feantsaresearch.org/download/think-piece-12032277176126500690.pdf" target="_blank" title="Charity and Justice: A Reflection on New Forms of Homelessness Provision in Australia">charitable measures can distract from work</a> to permanently end homelessness and they normalise homelessness as a social fact.
Furthermore, <a href="https://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/Housing/PartnershipInitiatives/DignityFirstFund/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">some of these models</a> receive direct government funding.
When reflecting on mattresses in car parks for people who are homeless, we need to ask ourselves, can we do better? The evidence shows we can.
A lucky country for some
The Australian government proudly proclaims our <a href="https://www.austrade.gov.au/International/Invest/Resources/Benchmark-Report" target="_blank">28 years of uninterrupted economic growth</a> as a record for developed nations.
<a href="https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us-news/en/articles/news-and-expertise/global-wealth-report-2018-us-and-china-in-the-lead-201810" target="_blank">Credit Suisse says</a> Australians have the highest median average wealth per adult in the world, ahead of Switzerland.
So we clearly have both the wealth and technical knowledge to end homelessness, particularly for the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/2049.0" target="_blank">estimated 8,200 people</a> the Australian Bureau of Statistics identified as sleeping rough on the 2016 Census night.
Providing mattresses in car parks may make volunteers and the public feel good, but we have to recognise that people who are homeless access this resource as charity recipients, who may feel inferior, especially when they cannot reciprocate.
If we don’t provide enough access to housing, one of the consequences is that people who are homeless become dependent on the goodwill of volunteers who provide bedding and washing facilities.
Rough sleepers need to be seen as people who require housing to enable them to control the conditions of their lives. Charities and their motivated volunteers are well positioned to innovate and push governments to do what they have otherwise been unwilling to do: create housing for all Australians.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125235/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Cameron Parsell, Associate Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/beds-in-car-parks-dont-solve-australias-rough-sleeping-problem-125235" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Beds in car parks don’t solve Australia’s rough sleeping problem

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The number of homeless defence veterans in Australia is far bigger than previously thought, according to a new study.
Our <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/homelessness-amongst-australian-veterans-summary" target="_blank">research</a> puts the figure at almost 5,800 veterans experiencing homelessness in a 12 month period.
Veterans are also more likely to be homeless than other people in the Australian community.
We found the homelessness rate for veterans who recently left the ADF was 5.3% – significantly higher than the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4159.0Explanatory%20Notes12014?OpenDocument" target="_blank">1.9% for the general population</a>.
A lack of data
Before the release of this estimate, an accurate number of homeless veterans in Australia was not known, and estimates varied widely. That is because there is limited national data available to count homeless veterans.
Prevalence rates are typically calculated by dividing the number of people with a specific characteristic (such as not having a secure home) by the total number of people in the population of interest (such as veterans).
This method is not possible in Australia as there is no data set that defines the veteran population. We do not even know how many veterans there are in Australia, because reliable data of serving personnel is only available from 2001.
One previous attempt at determining prevalence of homelessness among veterans was the Veterans at Risk report in 2009, funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). This relied on census data (which does not identify veterans) and produced an estimate of around 3,000 homeless veterans.
Another <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/ADF_Mental_Health/Report">attempt</a> was made by DVA in 2016. No information was provided on how it estimated there to be around 200-300 homeless veterans throughout Australia.
This knowledge gap was a concern for government policymakers as well as veteran advocates who have been calling for further research and an increased service response for years.
Without a baseline count, they are unable to determine whether veteran homelessness is increasing, plan an appropriate service and policy response, or assess the effectiveness of any interventions.
It is therefore vital to establish a more robust estimate.
How we came up with our estimate
Our estimate is obtained from survey data representative of all veterans who left regular Australian Defence Force (ADF) service between 2010 and 2014.
The survey was done as part of the DVA and Defence Department-funded <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/social-research/transition-and-wellbeing-research" target="_blank">Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme</a>. This is the most comprehensive study in Australia that examines the impact of military service on the mental, physical and social health of serving and ex-serving personnel.
The survey was completed by 4,326 men and women who left the ADF in the five-year time period. The results were weighted to represent the entire population of Australian Defence Force personnel that left between 2010 and 2014.
We used the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ definition of homelessness. This classifies as homeless anyone who is sleeping rough, couch-surfing, or living in emergency or temporary accommodation such as shelters.
We <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/health%20and%20wellbeing/research_dev/socialresearch/homelessness-aus-vet-its-correlates-adf.pdf">found</a> around 5.3% of these veterans reported they had been homeless within the past 12 months.
To calculate the prevalence of homelessness we extrapolated this proportion to the total population of veterans who enlisted after January 1, 2001, and were discharged sometime between 2001 and 2018.
The veteran population total is 108,825, so taking 5.3% of this figure gives us an estimate of 5,767 of veterans who were homeless within a 12-month period.
This extrapolation reasonably assumes the homelessness rate is similar between veterans who transitioned from Regular ADF service between 2010 and 2014 and the total population of veterans (2001-18).
Both groups fall within the cohort described as contemporary veterans by the DVA. These veterans have seen military operations from 1999 onward and often share features of recent service, such as the impact of multiple deployments in smaller contingents and the use of new technologies.
While the 12-month homelessness rate for veterans (5.3%) and the general Australian population aged over 15 (1.9%) were calculated using different techniques, the comparison shows veterans are overrepresented in the Australian homeless population.
The best estimate, so far
We believe our method provides the best estimate to date of homelessness among veterans in Australia, but it is still likely to be an underest.
Homeless veterans are an extremely hard group to reach. It is likely that many potential survey participants who were homeless at the time the survey was conducted, did not complete the survey.
Our estimate also excludes all those who served in the ADF prior to January 1, 2001. Older veterans such as those who served in Vietnam do experience homelessness in Australia, but the prevalence among this group is unknown.
As part of our research, eight of the 29 homeless veterans we interviewed were aged over 55, with the oldest being 74. US <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15457118" title="Perceived relationship between military service and homelessness among homeless veterans with mental illness">research</a> says there is often a long time lag between transition from military service and becoming homeless.
Lest we forget
Our research puts a new number on the problem. We still do not know whether veteran homelessness is increasing over time, but the broader context of <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/2049.0Media%20Release12016">homelessness increasing throughout Australia</a> suggests this may be the case.
As <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/remembrance-day">Remembrance Day</a> approaches, and Australians prepare to thank our military men and women for their service, we suggest that attention should also turn to addressing this national shame.
Our research also identifies ways that service responses can be improved. It will require a great deal of will and significant funding to address what has until now been an underestimated problem.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123695/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Fiona Hilferty, Senior Research Fellow, Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW. 
Ellie Lawrence-Wood, Senior Research Fellow in Traumatic Stress Studies, University of Adelaide. 
Ilan Katz, Professor of Social Policy, UNSW.
Miranda Van Hooff, Director of Research Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies, University of Adelaide.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-800-defence-veterans-homeless-in-australia-thats-more-than-we-thought-123695" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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5,800 defence veterans homeless in Australia, that’s more than we thought

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The Property Industry Foundation (PIF) is seeking in-kind donations to build PIF House Brisbane piece by piece, providing an additional 12 beds for Brisbane’s homeless youth.  
After securing the site, PIF has issued a call to the property industry to help with the provision of supplies for the $2.5 million building project.
The foundation is looking for a variety of donations from appliances and carpet to washroom accessories and wall lining supplies. 
PIF Queensland Chairman Greg Clarke said they were excited to hit the ground running on the new project, but it wouldn’t be possible without the support of the industry.    
“The property industry is well positioned to make a real difference in the lives of homeless young people,” Clarke said.
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New accommodation project announced for the homeless youth of Brisbane

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The annual Real Estate Sleep Out at Bondi Beach last night raised over $90,000 to help combat youth homelessness.
At sunrise, after real estate professionals slept on Bondi Beach in eight degree temperatures, it was at $60,000.
More funds came through the morning.
Damien Cooley, of Cooley Auctions, a regular down on the beach, raised over $14,000.
Brother Andrew raised over $5,000.
Patrick Cosgrove at Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay raised $4,400. Colleague Michelle Brooks raised $1,870.
Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay <a href="/news/raine-horne-double-bay-joins-real-estate-sleepout">raised over $8,300 as an office</a>, the most coming from a single office.
Team Upside raised $5,000 and Team McGrath raised $2,000. Domain NSW raised over $14,000. The Domain boss Jason Pellegrino donated $250 to the cause.
Donations are still open for The <a href="https://youthoffthestreets.com.au/event/real-estate-sleep-out-2019/" target="_blank">Real Estate Sleepout</a> which is held on the Bondi sand every year.
It helps fight homelessness as agents and real estate employees sleep rough for the night on the beach.
 
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Youth Off The Streets raises $60,000 by sunrise

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Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay are among the many real estate agency's across the country who will be helping to raise money at the upcoming the Real Estate Sleepout at Bondi Beach.
The <a href="https://youthoffthestreets.com.au/event/real-estate-sleep-out-2019/" target="_blank">Real Estate Sleepout</a>, held on the Bondi sand on Monday night, helps fight homelessness as agents and real estate employees sleep rough for the night on the beach.
Raine &amp; Hourne Double Bay's business development manager Matthew Serrao says he is hoping to raise $5,000 for the charity. 
“Whether the kids are homeless due to poverty or child abuse, the statistics are worrying. We want to do our bit to help,” said Mr Serrao, who has raised more than $1,000. 
“We have decided to contribute to at least three charity events each year, as we don’t want to take our good fortune for granted. Just last week, my water supplier cut the water off for 15 minutes, and I was caught short. 
“Then I stopped and thought about those less fortunate on the streets who we are supporting next week.”
With single-digit temperatures forecast for Monday, Serrao said his team is planning for the chilly conditions on one of Australia’s most famous beaches.
“We’re preparing as well as we can. But unlike the tens of thousands of homeless people, we are only living rough for one night,” he said.
“We could easily have just donated some dollars, but by sleeping on the beach for one night, we’re experiencing a little of the horrors of homelessness for ourselves.”
Patrick Cosgrove, associate director of Raine &amp; Horne Double Bay, is supporting the sleepout to promote greater awareness of youth homelessness. Cosgrove has also raised $1,000. 
“I support several charities. However, I’m troubled by the lack of community awareness about the 40,000 children sleeping on the streets every night,” he said.
“When we think of people living on the streets we think of adults, we never think of children.
“This is a great cause because we are helping to provide funding and awareness for people who can’t help themselves.”
Cosgrove said sleeping rough on Bondi Beach will prove to be a fantastic team-building exercise.
“Apart from the team members sleeping on Bondi Beach, most of the other members of our team have got behind the fundraising.”
The event is supporting the work of Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Street, a nondenominational community organisation that is fighting to reduce the numbers of minors living rough.
On any given night, there are 116,427 homeless Australians, 43,555 of those being young people.
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