Call for more housing is crucial during Homelessness Week 2024

Homelessness Week 2024 runs from Monday 5 August to Sunday 11 August and St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia is stressing that housing must be linked to the call for “Homelessness Action Now”. ‘The lack of accessible and affordable housing is the main driver of the nation’s homelessness crisis,’ said St Vincent de Paul Society National President Mark Gaetani ahead of speaking at an upcoming Homelessness Week event in Hobart. 

‘Nowhere is the lack of affordable housing more evident than in my home state of Tasmania,’ Mr Gaetani said. 

‘The last Census showed 2,350 Tasmanians to be homeless, a 45 per cent increase from the previous Census. They were just some of the 122,494 Australians found to be experiencing homelessness, and this was probably an understatement as many homeless people can be missed by Census-takers or be unwilling or unable to fill in the forms.  

‘That huge total is more people than in many regional towns or a capacity crowd at the MCG for a grand final. The majority of Australia’s homeless are not sleeping in doorways or tents in parks, but in less conspicuous settings, such as cars, couch-surfing or low-cost boarding houses or motels. 

‘Our services are in contact with many homeless people on a daily basis and our members and volunteers hear their stories. What stands out is how twists of fate, like an accident, a health event, relationship breakdown or job loss, can utterly change someone’s life. 

‘St Vincent de Paul Society is always there to provide support where we can, but structural solutions are vital and that’s why the provision of more social and community housing is essential. The housing market also needs more rental accommodation, as rents continue to skyrocket and the availability of decent rentals has tumbled, with zero vacancies in some areas. 

‘Moreover, rentals are close to unaffordable for families and individuals relying on government payments, which condemn so many people to living below the poverty line. The Society believes payments such as JobSeeker and Commonwealth Rent Assistance should be increased immediately. Not doing so is directly contributing to the homelessness crisis.’  

Mr Gaetani noted St Vincent de Paul Society’s belief that being homeless or experiencing housing stress is a denial of dignity and limits people’s life potential.  

‘In 2016, we called for housing to be treated by governments as a human right. It is a core part of our mission to help people by providing housing and accommodation options in each state and territory.   

'These include specialist homelessness services, short-term crisis accommodation, transitional housing, medium to longer-term community housing, and accessible housing for people living with disability.’ 

He said homelessness impacts heavily on older people, who are both physically and financially vulnerable, as well as the young. 

‘Mission Australia’s recent youth survey found that nearly one-in-10 of 15-to -19-year-old respondents were homeless in the previous 12 months. This is a staggering figure. These young people were more likely to suffer from a mental health condition, experience loneliness, struggle to fit in socially, face financial hardship and have strained or poor family relationships.’   

He pointed to the National Housing and Affordability Council’s finding that Australia’s housing affordability will worsen further over the next five years.  

‘It takes time to build, especially after years of neglect by governments at all levels. There are significant supply and labour force issues, and a shortage of Council-approved locations. The reality is it will take years before we start to see a real change and a narrowing between supply and demand levels.  

‘Meanwhile, the large stock of vacant existing housing should be brought back into the market, difficult though this might be legally. This is why we are calling on all governments to incentivise the use of residential property and land that has been left vacant, long-term through taxation reform.’ 

‘To address the theme of this Homelessness Week 2024, I would add the other important ‘H’ and say that all Australians need ‘Housing and Homelessness Action Now’.