The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), a federal government body, has released alarming new statistics showing that Australians are accessing homeless services in record numbers:
The report, Specialist homelessness services 2015–16, shows that national client numbers reached over 279,000 in 2015–16 (up from nearly 256,000 in 2014–15).
Of those, 106,000 (38%) sought support due to domestic and family violence.
‘This is a 33% increase since 2011–12, when the collection began, and a 14% increase since 2014–15,’ said AIHW spokesperson Anna Ritson.
Growth in the number of clients seeking support due to domestic and family violence outpaced growth in overall client numbers (which grew by 9% between 2014–15 and 2015–16).
‘It is important to note that increases in client numbers generally reflect the increased availability and accessibility of services, not necessarily a change in the underlying level of homelessness or domestic and family violence in Australia,’ Ms Ritson said.
The report shows that close to half of clients experiencing domestic and family violence in 2015–16 were single parents, and over three-quarters were female…
Housing affordability continues to be a significant factor for those accessing homelessness services—around 60% of clients identified housing affordability and financial difficulties as a reason for seeking assistance, and this has remained fairly steady for the past 3 years…
I live in Melbourne, work from home in the suburbs, and infrequently visit the CBD. But the past few times that I have ventured into the CBD, I have been shocked by the large number of homeless people sleeping rough on the sidewalk – something that I had never noticed to such a degree previously.
Sadly, the evidence above seems to back up my anecdotal observation, as do various recent reports focusing on Melbourne.
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Back in July, The Age published an alarming report claiming that homelessness had reached “emergency levels” in Melbourne. This was followed by a report last week published in the Herald-Sun, which claimed that Melbourne’s social housing is being overwhelmed as demand via population growth far outstrips supply, driving increasing numbers of people onto the city’s streets.
That a wealthy country like Australia can let homelessness become so prevalent, yet receive so little attention from our politicians, is another disgrace to add to the long list of housing failures.
Isn’t one of the key roles of government to provide meaningful assistance to the most vulnerable members of society?
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
