This article describes homelessness in Australia. The majority of long term homeless people are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 105,000 people will be homeless.[1]
A person is considered to be homeless in Australia if they:
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Of 105,000 homeless people in Australia on census night in 2006:[2]
The Australian Bureau of Statistics breaks the homeless numbers into 3 groups: [3] Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Homeless.
Causes according to the 2001 census
The Road Home was launched by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in December 2008.[4] This White Paper sets an ambitious target to halve homelessness by 2020 and offer supported accommodation to all rough sleepers who need it.[5] Launching the White Paper, Kevin Rudd said, referring to the 105,000 homeless people in Australia "A country like this should not have this problem, so large and longstanding, without being addressed, It's time we had a decent solution to this problem that has been around for a long time."[6]
The Road Home focuses future effort and investment into three strategies:
1. Turning Off the Tap: Early intervention services to prevent homelessness.
2. Improving and expanding services which aim to end homelessness: Ensuring that Services are more connected, integrated and responsive to achieve sustainable housing, improve social and economic participation and end homelessness for their clients.
3. Breaking the Cycle: Ensuring that people who become homeless are able to quickly move through the crisis system into stable housing with the support they need so that homelessness does not recur.[7]
According to the 2006 census there were over 44,000 young people homeless, meaning that about 43% of the Australian homeless population are babies, children and youth under the age of 25. A particularly common form of youth homelessness in Australia is “couch surfing” whereby the homeless person relies on the support of friends to sleep on their couch or floor.[8] Relationship breakdown and family conflict are often cited as common instigators of youth homelessness.[9]
Youth Homelessness Matters Day is an annual event run across Australia that highlights youth homelessness and associated issues.[10]
Some of the current homeless population in Australia were previously mentally institutionalised. Mass deinstitutionalisation of the mentally ill began in Australia during the 1980s, whereby people with a mental illness live in the general community under the policy of community release. The mentally ill are no longer supervised by health care workers, and are left to their own devices in regard to maintaining their personal medication regimens.
A 2006 University of Sydney study of Sydney's homeless found a very high incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst the homeless.[11]
Housing:
Mental health: