He never expected to be 66, squeezed into a car, his muscles cramped because six feet of man doesn’t easily fit in the back seat of a sedan. Cold seeping through to his very bones and fighting the unwelcome, dark thoughts that 2am bring.
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“There are so many things that go through your mind. You sort of think, well tomorrow's going to be the same, nothing’s going to change. And sleep just evades you.”
John* is one of over 1500 people in Tasmania that reported as homeless in the 2011 census. It can be hard to get exact numbers on homelessness, John estimates there are hundreds around Launceston who have no home to go back to each night.
The key causes for homelessness in Tasmania are a lack of affordable housing, domestic violence and financial stress. Ms Chugg said the connection between affordable housing and homelessness cannot be overstated. “A key preventative measure is having an adequate supply of safe, secure, affordable housing for people. We know there’s a shortfall of that,” said Ms Chugg.
Launceston City Mission Housing Manager, Stephen Hill, said a multi-level approach across government and community is needed to tackle the issue.
Federal
The federal government provides funding for homeless services through the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA) and the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH). State and territory governments oversee the distribution of this funding.
The NPAH is not an ongoing funding commitment, needing renewal each year. This is a concern for service providers who do not know from year to year if they will receive funding. “First, we need to secure that funding for the people who need it. Secondly, we need to give certainty to the homeless organisations so that they can ongoingly plan,” said Ms Chugg. NPAH funding is due to expire in 2017.
The NAHA is an ongoing funding agreement with the objective to ensure all Australians have access to safe, affordable housing.
State
In 2015, the Tasmanian government developed a four year affordable housing action plan. Ms Chugg said the government undertook comprehensive consultation with the community to identify the gaps and has developed a housing strategy that has a range of initiatives to address the complex issue of homelessness.
Those in the sector applaud the effort to address the issue of affordable housing, which is the top reason for homelessness in the state. “The strategy was a good step forward. It showed that they [the Tasmanian Government] wanted to not just steam ahead doing things, they wanted to talk to people that are working in the sector so that’s really positive,” said Mr Hill.
Community
On a community level, organisations within the sector are recognised as having healthy and collaborative relationships. The key contact for those experiencing homelessness is Housing Connect, who works with services to provide for the needs of the homeless.
Ms Chugg said the quality of existing services is good, but there are still gaps. “Not everyone can get into services, there are waiting lists to get into services,” said Ms Chugg. She believes increasing the availability of affordable housing will go a long way to reducing demand on services, which is currently far above capacity.
“The hard ones are the ones that we have to turn away… We’re turning away probably two people a day because we’re full,” said Mr Hill.
The hard ones are the ones that we have to turn away.
- Launceston City Mission Housing Manager, Stephen Hill
Out in the cold
After over two years with nowhere to call home, John took a call from Housing Connect that led him to Launceston City Mission’s crisis accommodation centre, Orana House, where he now has an ongoing tenancy.
He considers himself lucky because he received that call. “There’s probably a lot of people out there that don't get that phone call, and probably don’t for the next 12 months, 18 months, two years, and things aren’t getting any better. They're still going to be doing the same thing that they’ll be doing tonight. They’ll be sleeping out in the cold, rough and hungry,” said John.
Mr Hill said homeless stereotypes are often wrong and anyone can become homeless given the right circumstances. “People tend to think of the wino sleeping on newspaper in the park, but that’s just not really the case,” said Mr Hill who has seen people from all walks of life needing shelter.
“I never really expected to end up this way. I’ve always come from living okay, living pretty well actually… It was something that happened very quickly and it’s very confronting when it hits you right in the face.” said John.
Addressing the issues that lead to homelessness and ensuring there is adequate support for those who do find themselves homeless is a crucial social issue.
“If we get it wrong then we’ve got more people living in cars, living under bridges, putting pressure on family to stay in overcrowded situations, trying to get away from domestic violence with nowhere to go,” said Mr Hill.
The Examiner’s Winter Relief Appeal directly help people in crisis. Funds are split between the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Launceston Benevolent Society, the Salvation Army and the Launceston City Mission.
Donations can be made at the newspaper's offices and at businesses displaying a Winter Relief Appeal tin.
Thank you to the generous donors in July; $5000 Anonymous, $10 Jilly Lewis, $200 K & K Decker, $46 Malcolm Scott, $50 Whelan, $70 Anonymous, $250 Anonymous. The Examiners Winter Relief Appeal total is now $26,560.
*Named changed to protect his identity
