The prospect of homelessness is becoming a “very real and unfortunate reality” for many Tasmanians, according to Anglicare.
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State manager for housing and homeless services Belinda Jones said housing affordability had become a “misunderstood” issue, no longer isolated to low-income earners.
“When we talk about a housing crisis, it isn’t just people who are unemployed or on low incomes who are affected anymore,” she said.
“What we are seeing now are middle range income individuals and families who are really struggling.
“You hear about people sleeping in tents and if you look closely you will see cars with blankets on the back seat.
“It is a big issue and there is no quick fix. We need bricks and mortar.”
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Kirsten Ritchie, who founded Launceston Feeding the Homeless last year, said a free barbecue at City Park was attracting about 16 people a night.
“There are many people sleeping rough and to see this level of crisis in the summer months, before winter is concerning.
“It is a domino affect and I think we need to look and learn from other state’s experiences because that is how we will end up.”
With reports of people sleeping in tents at public parks, City of Launceston general manager Michael Stretton said council was working closely with local organisations.
“Like any city, there are a number of people sleeping rough around Launceston on any given night,” he said.
“It's a complex social issue that has many causal factors, and it is not easy to solve.
“Camping in public parks is obviously unacceptable, but we prefer to work with relevant social agencies to assist where possible, rather than take any proscriptive action against people sleeping rough.
"There are a lot of different organisations that are working to make a difference in this area, and we're eager to work with them to realise positive outcomes to what is a difficult and complex community issue."
The state government will host an urgent summit in Hobart next week to address Tasmania’s housing shortage.
Ms Jones said it was a “positive step” to see the issue being put in the spotlight.
“This isn’t going to go away,” she said.
“This crisis is affecting Tasmanians from all walks of life. It’s unfortunate that it’s happening, but at least people are paying attention.”
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
