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Date: 16th September 2004 Ref No. 2404
HOMELESS AUSTRALIANS NEED A VOICE
It’s time for our political leaders to find answers for the tens of thousands of homeless Australians who have no safe place to sleep each night according to UnitingCare Wesley.
UC Wesley Adelaide CEO, Sue Park said, “homeless people are among the most marginalised and disadvantaged in Australia and have no voice in the political landscape.”
“For homeless people simply finding a clean, safe place to sleep each night is a struggle. Everybody deserves a secure and reasonable standard of housing but for these forgotten people this is not the case.
“In a political landscape where security is at the core of our leaders’ rhetoric, we must remember that there can be no real security without justice for the tens of thousands of homeless people who come to organisations like those provided through the Uniting Church for help day after day,” said Ms Park..
Best estimates of numbers of people homelessness or in insecure accommodation on census night 2001 are that 99,900 people nationally were homeless, 7,856 of these people were in South Australia. Of these people 13,371 people were reported as living in ‘Improvised homes / sleeping out’, 849 of these people were South Australians, an increase for SA of 25% on the previous census.
“People who are homeless invariably live in poverty, are far more likely to suffer violence and go without basic food and health requirements,” said. Ms Park
“Political leaders should develop a national housing strategy targeting homelessness and providing more affordable housing for low-income households.
“A national housing strategy must be backed up with a commitment to extended funding for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program so that homeless people have access to safe and secure housing and appropriate support services.
“Cooperation between State Governments and the Federal Government is required to increase the availability of public housing and address the shortage of affordable rental housing across Australia’s major cities,” added Mark Henley, Manager of Advocacy and Communication.
“Now is the time for the Federal Government to take leadership on this issue.”
Further Comment
Sue Park, CEO 8202 5887 or 0408 971 306
Mark Henley, Manager Communication 8202 5135 or 0404 067 011
