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Homelessness in Victoria
- 1. What does home mean to you? Think about what your home means to you? Does it mean: • Safety • Shelter • Community • Stability • Facilities • Comfort • Storage • Personal belongings • Control over life • A place to unwind? Now imagine life without that.
- 2. What is homelessness really like? “I was in a motel for almost 7 months and had two in my care. I struggled as I had to pay towards this accommodation, and I was unable to cook. The room was very crowded, and this impacted on me and my children as we couldn’t establish a routine. I had to leave household goods behind and lived out a few a bags so this impacted the children's education and wellbeing. I am pregnant and struggled during my pregnancy due to homelessness as the housing situation was very stressful.”
- 3. “I have felt ashamed and embarrassed. I've tried my hardest to keep it a secret from my children but it's really hard. They think we're on holiday. I was put in a nice motel and then moved to another one because it was cheaper. I then didn't have anywhere to cook so it became really expensive for me, having to buy food all the time. I was scared. I didn't know anyone.” What is homelessness really like?
- 4. “Impacted on many aspects of my life. Caused me a lot of stress and this affected my parenting. Homelessness caused many financial issues and worrying about if I can put a roof over my kid's heads.” What is homelessness really like?
- 5. What do those with lived experience of homelessness say about its impact? “Stress. Difficulty sleeping. Money worries.” “It made life difficult for the people I care for and my daughter being separated. When we ended up homeless that it made so many of us depressed.” “Devastating. Just don't know what's going on. You can’t make any plans because you just don't know.” “Very hard with children. Children need a good and safe home to live. Sharing and couch surfing is stressful on family.”
- 6. What is the most difficult thing about being homeless? “It was just really bad, and you pretty much feel lost, like as if you don't belong anywhere or that no-one cares. As I used to have all doors shut on me which left me with no choices.” “Anger/depression/resentment. Constantly feeling unsettled.” “This has affected my ability to be in the present moment with my children. Feelings of worry and anxiety about where we will live. Feeling outside of the rest of the world who have secure housing. Not being able to give my children things because I can't afford to.”
- 7. Impact of being without a stable home Women experiencing homelessness reported: report: • deterioration in their mental health • worry about their children • family breakdown • being raped whilst homeless • being scared, unsafe, despairing, and • loneliness. Men reported: • deterioration in their mental health • depression • inability to work, and • loss of employment.
- 8. Homelessness is increasing • Homelessness in Victoria has risen 43% since 2006. • Census 2016 showed that at least 24,828 Victorians were experiencing homelessness. This is an undercount.
- 9. Why are there so many people living on the streets?
- 10. Rough sleeping is the tip of the iceberg • The numbers of people sleeping on the streets are the tip of the iceberg in terms of the real numbers of people experiencing homelessness. • The number of people living in severely overcrowded housing in the West has increased by 70%
- 11. Victoria is experiencing a housing crisis We have a problem: We have insufficient housing to accommodate our population. In Melbourne alone, we will need to build 1.6 million more houses by 2051 to house our increased population.
- 12. The cost of housing has increased… Insufficient housing supply leads to an increase in the cost of housing: • Melbourne is the sixth most unaffordable major housing market in the world. • In March 1980 the median house price was $40,800. In March 2017 it was $822,000. • House prices are growing faster than incomes 1 in 4 home owners experience mortgage stress
- 13. We have a housing affordability problem … Each year Anglicare reviews nearly available private rental properties across Victoria. Only 3 of the 69,000 properties in Australia were affordable for a single person on Newstarttart. People on higher income are ‘renting down’ in order to save to purchase a home – competing with people for whom these properties would be affordable.
- 14. We have inadequate social housing supply … • 3.5% of all properties in Victoria are social housing. In Sweden nearly 20% of properties are social housing. • Victoria spends less than any other State/Territory on public housing. • A Parliamentary Inquiry into social housing in Victoria (June 2018) revealed that there were 82,000 Victorians waiting for social housing, which includes nearly 25,000 children There is at least a 3 year wait for urgent applicants and indefinite waits for other groups.
- 15. During the pandemic over 3,000 households have been accommodated in poor quality hotels. For more information on crisis accommodation, see “A Crisis in Crisis” http://www.nwhn.net.au/Crisis-in- Crisis.aspx When private rental and public housing are not an option, people generally must choose between living on the streets or in substandard private rooming house accommodation.
- 16. When there are not enough affordable homes to go around, people become homeless. Some people also become homeless because they are experiencing: • family violence • poverty • relationship/family breakdown (particularly young people)
- 17. It is tempting to look for ‘quick fixes’ to ease our distress – such as putting up temporary shelter or, as we are seeing through this pandemic, to put people into hotels/motels. However, if we do not address the bigger issues of housing supply and affordability in Melbourne, we will find that more and more people will be forced to sleep in cars and on our streets.
- 18. What will reduce homelessness in Melbourne? houses houses houses
- 19. What can you do? Tell your State and Federal Members of Parliament that: We need immediate solutions to increase our supply of affordable housing: A monumental boost to social and public housing (building more public housing is an ideal economic stimulus activity) Legislation that requires a portion of any new housing development to be allocated to those awaiting this housing Construction of innovative temporary accommodation that is safe and self contained. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues about homelessness and the housing crisis
- 20. Join the Everybody’s Home campaign https://evhttps://everybodyshome.com.au/dyshome .com.au/
- 21. What is homelessness? Australian Bureau of Statistics Definition of Homelessness: A person who does not have suitable accommodation alternatives, are considered homeless if their current living arrangement: • is in a dwelling that is inadequate; or • has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or • does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations.
Editor's Notes
- Thank you for your interest in understanding homelessness in Victoria. This presentation has been prepared by homelessness services in Victoria. Before we begin, we ask that you think about what your home means to you. [PAUSE} Does it mean: Safety Shelter Community Stability Facilities Comfort Storage Personal belongings Control over life A place to unwind? Now imagine life without that.
- These are some of the things that people experiencing homelessness have told us: [Read slide]
- These are some of the things people have said about the impact of homelessness on them and their families. [Read slide]
- This is what three people have said about the most difficult aspect of experiencing homelessness: [Read slide]
- Every year homelessness services ask consumers about their experiences of homelessness and the homelessness service system. Women report: deterioration in their mental health worry about their children family breakdown being raped whilst homeless being scared, unsafe, despairing, and loneliness. Men report: deterioration in their mental health depression Anxiety inability to work, and loss of employment. There are some case studies on our website about the changes that happen for people when they do manage to get some stable housing.
- The experience of homelessness is, not surprisingly, devastating. Yes Census 2016 showed that nearly 25,000 people identified as experiencing homelessness in Victoria that year. This is an increase of 43% in the numbers of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria in 10 years. We know that this is a significant undercount. It is unbelievable that, in a place as comfortable as Victoria, so many people do not have a safe place to live. We know that it is extremely difficult for people to manage their lives without a safe home. How can a young person attend school when they don’t know where they will be sleeping from one night to another. How can someone work when they can’t access a shower each day or find a safe place to store their belongings. How can someone stabilise a mental health issue when there is no stability in their life?
- So why are there so many people experiencing homelessness in Victoria and why have we seen an increase in the number of people sleeping on the streets?
- Firstly, it is important to know that rough sleeping is the tip of the iceberg in terms of homelessness. High numbers of people are couch surfing – staying with friends and family. This is particularly the case for young people who have had to leave home. Couch surfing is not only unstable but it leaves people feeling vulnerable and distressed about imposing on others. Even higher numbers of people are living in inappropriate and unsafe rooming houses – often run by unscrupulous private landlords. 30% of those experiencing homelessness are living in supported accommodation for people experiencing homelessness. This can be a great experience but it is temporary – those in supported accommodation have a constant anxiety about where they will go next. Nearly half of those people experiencing homelessness are living in severe overcrowding. The Bureau of Statistics defines severe overcrowding as accommodation that if four or more bedrooms short (even allowing for children of the same gender to share accommodation). Again, this places people in stressful, extremely unstable and vulnerable positions.
- So why are so many people in Victoria experiencing homelessness? Quite simply, Victoria is experiencing a housing crisis. We don’t have enough houses for our population. In Melbourne alone we will need to build 1.6 million more houses by 2015 to house our increased population. When we don’t have enough housing, houses become expensive.
- We certainly don’t have enough affordable housing in Victoria. Melbourne is the sixth most unaffordable housing market in the world! Even many of those lucky enough to be able to buy a house are struggling. ¼ of home owners are experiencing mortgage stress, which puts them at risk of losing their home. In the last ten years house prices increased by 147 per cent, three times higher than incomes, which grew by 57 per cent. We also know that more people are moving into retirement with mortgages than ever before. This puts older people at risk of poverty and homelessness. Single older women are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness.
- We have a significant lack of affordable housing for those who are dependent on the private rental market. No doubt many of you know of young people who can’t leave home because they can’t find an affordable rent, or colleagues who have not been able to move house because of the high demand on private rental properties. This high demand for private rental properties means landlords can charge high rents. Every year, Anglicare Australia tests if it is possible for people on low incomes to rent a home in the private market. A home is considered affordable if the rent is 30% or less of income. 30% of a Government income does not leave much money for living expenses. This year Anglicare found that only 3% of all rental properties in Australia were affordable for someone on a low income. Fewer than 1% of properties were affordable for a single parent receiving a Centrelink income. Only 3 properties, of the 69,000 available, were affordable for someone on Jobkeeper. And the thousands of people receiving Jobkeeper are competing for those properties not only with other households on low incomes but with people who are renting down in order to try to save for a mortgage.
- Finally, we have completely inadequate amounts of public and community housing, which are meant to be our safety nets for people who can’t afford to buy or rent housing. Victoria allocates less money, per capita, to public and social housing, than any other State or Territory in Australia. In 2018 there were 82,000 people on the waiting lists for this housing. This is estimated to have increased to 100,000. Wait times, even for the most vulnerable, are long. There is very little stock suitable for single people so they have the longest waits – and the least capacity to afford private rental..
- When private rental is not an option for an individual or household and public housing is not available, they are left with awful choices: to live in over crowded situations with friends and family (if anyone will take them in), to live in sub standard private rooming house accommodation, or to live on the streets. To meet demand across Australia, the Federal government must invest in 500,000 social and low-cost rentals When people present to the homelessness system because they don’t have anywhere to live, we have access to some supported accommodation. However, there are 423 crisis accommodation beds in Victoria. In one year alone, services just in Melbourne’s north and west, had to find 10,000 beds. We have some money to purchase short stays for people in hotels and motels. This money is so limited that we have to use very low end hotels, we can’t purchase rooms for everyone who needs them, we can’t purchase them for as long as people need them and consumers have to contribute to the costs. During the pandemic, we were given some additional funds to purchase accommodation – but it was still not enough. We have referred thousands of people into hotels during the pandemic but we can’t find housing exit options for most of them, so many are returning to homelessness. The Homelessness Services have written a report about the appalling lack of appropriate crisis accommodation. You can find the link on the slide.
- So the primary reason that people experience homelessness in Victoria is the housing crisis – a lack of sufficient affordable housing . We find that the thing that tips many people into homelessness is one personal crisis. Most commonly this crisis is family violence for women, children young people. For men, the crisis is often loss of a job or the breakdown of a relationship. These crises change people’s financial situation so that they can no longer afford stable housing.
- We know that we have painted a very bleak picture and we also know that most Victorians would find it completely unacceptable that so many Victorians do not have a safe place to live. It is tempting to try to ease our pain by finding a quick solution – finding temporary accommodation, providing meals to people living on the streets.
- But, the numbers of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria will continue to grow if we don’t fix the structural issues – we need to prioritise building more housing and finding ways to reduce the cost of housing. Our Governments can choose to prioritise housing construction. After World War 2 many countries implemented significant housing construction programs to house returning soldiers and people who lost their homes during the war. Housing construction would be a wonderful stimulus activity – to increase employment in the construction industry, which is one of Australia’s largest industries.
- So you may be wondering what you can do to reduce homelessness and address the housing crisis in Victoria. There are a number of things that you can do. The first is very simple. Talk with your friends, family and colleagues about the housing crisis. Raise awareness about the need to focus on building more affordable housing and creating innovative housing solutions. You can email your local State and Federal Members of Parliament. They need to know that Victorians support: A monumental boost to social and public housing (building more public housing is an ideal economic stimulus activity) Legislation that requires a portion of any new housing development to be allocated to those awaiting this housing Construction of innovative temporary accommodation that is safe and self contained. They are more likely to direct money to these things if they know they have the support of the population. Tell them that homelessness is not good for individuals, but it is also not good for the community. If you don’t feel up to emailing your MPs, you can sign our petition.
- If you would like to take more action, you can join the National Everybody’s Home campaign, which is campaigning for a national affordable housing strategy and focus on creating more affordable housing. If you join the campaign you will receive updates and further actions that you can take.
- Just for your reference, we are providing the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s definition of homelessness.