Homelessness In Australia

Words: 1632
Pages: 7

Introduction

Contemporary rates of homelessness in Australia are staggering; in 2016, there were 116,000 people declared homeless in Australia. Rough sleeping constitutes only one of a range of lived experiences, and homelessness also encompasses transient or precarious conditions of ‘couch surfing’ or ‘secondary’ homelessness, sheltering in places such as boarding houses and short-term accommodation. Homelessness is more than a person or a family being without a home, it is also about poverty, social exclusion and precarity, disenfranchisement and material disadvantage, living on the economic periphery means that people’s ways of living are disrupted, dislocated and disorganised. It reflects a complex social issue with deep structural inequalities
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They often have limited access to public transport, which can lead to social isolation and reduced opportunities to socially and economically participate. This has also been found to lead to poor mental health outcomes and precede suicide within the homeless population. Homeless individuals often have low levels of educational attainment with high school dropout rates and limited opportunities for further education and training due to structural factors such as transport, housing, childcare, and financial barriers. Employment can lead to pathways to exiting homelessness, although the lack of employment and homelessness can spiral into each other in a vicious circle. A homeless man in Sydney, Australia. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Homeless individuals face discrimination in the workplace and often have poor work histories, limited qualifications, and unstable living conditions that make finding meaningful employment extremely difficult. Healthcare services can also be difficult for homeless individuals to access, with limited affordable services, not enough insurance coverage for private healthcare, stigma within the healthcare system, and limited health literacy contributing to poor health outcomes. There are many services available to homeless individuals, such as homeless shelters, outreach programs, drop-in centres, breakfast programs and many peer-based social and support services. Homelessness is a complex problem that requires a complex solution. Housing-first is one approach we can take that recognises the basic human right to be housed and provides wraparound support services to try and break the cycle and ensure more individuals are able to access