Legal Aid says 'disproportionate number of homeless people are in courts'

Rebecca Lancaster, Associate Director of Criminal Law at Legal Aid, said homelessness encompasses a wide variety of examples, such as couch-surfing and not having permanent residency or a lease.

Ms Lancaster said, "If people in the courts do not have somewhere to live that satisfies the court with a suitable address, it creates a whole other disadvantage for them.

"This can lead to other offences, such as breaching bail because they're put in a position where they can't necessarily abide by their bail conditions because of their situation," Ms Lancaster said.

Ben Moroney, State Manager on Homelessness at The Salvation Army, said, "Our programmes like Beyond the Wire exist to ease that pressure because when people exit the prison system, housing is one of the most vital pieces of ensuring they reintegrate."

Beyond the Wire is a service run through the Salvation Army that provides those exiting prison access to case management, service coordination, and planning, commencing pre-release.

"We support the client in actually getting all the things that they need to be ready to be housed, so we can contact real estate agents or community housing providers and advocate on their behalf to try to get some house somewhere," he said.

Mr Moroney said he thinks around 50 per cent of people who exit prison end up re-offending and go back into prison within a couple of years.

However, he added that people participating in the Beyond the Wire programme brought that percentage down to about 10 per cent.

According to the latest census data, 2,350 people have been identified as homeless, a 45 per cent increase from 2016.

A spokesperson from the Department of Justice said people leaving custody after finishing their sentence are not required to share information about their proposed housing on release.

Consequently, the Department of Justice cannot provide accurate figures on the exact number of people who have been housed in public or community housing.

"The Government continues to prioritise and explore ways to improve access to housing for people returning to the community following a period of imprisonment, including extending funding for Beyond the Wire and the Rapid Rehousing Program for prisoners, " the Department of Justice spokesperson said.

The Rapid Rehousing Program for Prisoners initiative also provides transitional accommodation for those exiting the Tasmania Prison Service.

The spokesperson said, "Tenants are provided with support through services like Beyond the Wire to transition back into the community, access and maintain stable accommodation, and address issues that may contribute to re-offending."

A spokesperson from the Department for Education, Children and Young People said staff within the Child Safety Service and Community and Custodial Youth Justice services work in partnership with other service providers across the sector to facilitate safe arrangements for young people discharged from Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

"Accommodation options include out-of-home care services, independent or semi-independent living, and temporary, funded accommodation in urgent situations," the spokesperson said.

Homes Tasmania and the Department for Education, Children and Young People have both said they "are increasing care and accommodation options for young people."

Heather Kent, CEO of Vinnies, said their Bethlehem House service centre provides crisis and transitional accommodation for men experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

"Demand for accommodation at Bethlehem House is currently very high as we approach Winter, with services operating close to capacity and more men on a waiting list," Ms Kent said.

The CEO said intakes are based on the availability of accommodation and maintaining the appropriate dynamics in the house.

Ms Kent said it was vital to ensure that Vinnies provides a supportive environment for residents to ultimately gain independence.

"We work closely with the government and other providers to prevent and limit the effects of homelessness on men in Southern Tasmania."

Anyone experiencing or at risk of homelessness is encouraged to contact Tasmania's front door service for all housing assistance, Housing Connect, at 1800 800 588, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.