Greater understanding of issues key to homelessness solutions

On any given night in Queensland, up to 20,000 people — children, mums, dads, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters — are without a home.

Some sleep rough, rugged up in alleyways or in shop doorways, others stay in crisis accommodation, while still more seek shelter with friends and family.

Speaking at the start of national Homelessness Prevention Week today, Minister for Housing and Public Works Leeanne Enoch said the latest figures suggested nearly 105,000 people across Australia were without a secure place to sleep each night.

“About 2.5 million Australians are living below the poverty line and all indications are that the gap between our richest and poorest is getting wider,” Ms Enoch said.

Ms Enoch said nearly 16,000 households remained on social housing waiting lists across the state.

“For people to have good health outcomes, good education outcomes and good employments opportunities, the basics such as housing need to be addressed first,” she said.

“While government, community, and support groups are all helping people in need, there’s still a high level of demand.

“However housing is only a part of the solution – other challenges have to be addressed too.

“Homelessness isn’t just not having a roof over your head.

“It can be caused by domestic and family violence, mental health and other health issues, and financial issues.

“Improving the community’s understanding of homelessness and its causes is what Homelessness Prevention Week is all about.”

Ms Enoch said this financial year homeless services across the state would receive over $136 million in State Government funding to carry out their important work.

However, she said wider issues of housing affordability were putting pressure on families “treading water” in difficult financial times.

“For some, the line between having a home for their families and finding themselves on the street remains very fine,” she said.

“We are acting not only to help those already sleeping rough, but those who are in danger of finding themselves and their families without a place to call home.”

Ms Enoch said $183.6 million had been set aside in the recent State Budget to expand and improve government-owned social housing, as well as additional funding for a range of homelessness and crisis accommodation support services.

“The housing needs of Queensland’s most vulnerable — including families escaping domestic violence, Indigenous Queenslanders, and people with a disability — was a key focus of the Palaszczuk Government’s first budget,” she said.

“In 2015-16, the department will start building 274 houses, complete 258 more and buy 32 others that are already built, as well as continuing to upgrade and refurbish the state’s existing social housing stock.”

Ms Enoch said Queensland’s Indigenous communities would also receive a boost from this budget, with an additional $129 million more allocated to social housing capital works projects.

Ms Enoch said other department initiatives for 2015-16 included:

• $9.1 million approved through the Employment Related Accommodation Program to build a facility in Townsville to support people from Indigenous communities pursuing employment, education and training opportunities.
• $5.6 million allocated to build a facility in Cairns to provide specialist supported accommodation for rough sleepers.
• $2.76 million allocated for the support component of two new women’s shelters in Brisbane and Townsville as recommended by the Taskforce for Domestic and Family Violence.
• $6.6 million to re-establish the tenant advice and advocacy service to enable tenants to access free independent and impartial advice on renting.

For more information or to find out how you can help, go to www.homelessness.org.au or visit www.hpw.qld.gov.au

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Media Contact:        Tim Shipstone – 3719 7281, 0419 246 157

                               Daniel Lato – 3719 7279, 0438 830 201