Homeless in a land of plenty
BY DOROTHY HENDERSON, WESTERN AUSTRALIA-BASED MEDIA STRINGER
We live in a land of plenty. In the morning as I make my way through the town near where I live, I pass a bakery in the main street. The smell of freshly cooked bread wafts through the shop’s door. It opens early to satisfy the needs of customers calling in on the way to workplaces, grabbing breakfasts and lunches as they go. There are newly baked bread rolls, croissants, cakes, pastries…shelves laden with goodness made by on site by bakers who have been working since the even earlier hours of the morning.
On the pavements, only a few metres from the door and the delicious pastries, sits a man. He has been sitting there every morning for days.
I am guessing, but I think he has no home to go to. Or maybe no home he feels welcome in.
And during the day, sometimes I see another man in the main street, with a trolley. There is often a copy of “The Guardian” at the top of the possessions contained within the metal framed chariot. I theorise that he too has no home, otherwise there would be no need for him to walk the streets with so much luggage. No shelves of his own to place his treasures. No table to put “The Guardian” on. No teacup to drink out of while he reads it.
I am struck by the contrast; a place of plenty, with mouthwatering food produced by hardworking people, making a living and working with a roof over their heads. And a place of privation. A place where there is food to eat, but a place where there are people without homes.
How can it be that we still have people living on streets while as a society we have so much? Not just in material terms, but in terms of support. We have, arguably, made so much progress in terms of helping others. And yet there are still gaps that some people fall through.
One thing that the Covid-19 pandemic did do this year was emphasise the need to get people off the streets and into shelter. Reports on the impact of the initiatives aimed at curbing the spread and minimising the impact of the new Coronavirus on the health of a nation have included strategies to home and care for the people “living rough” in Australia.
In our hometown, I have been told time and time again that homelessness is as much a mental health issue as it is a housing issue. High rental prices due to mining booms (sometimes following by mining “busts”) and the distance we live from other options have exacerbated the situation where I live.
Our homeless people are alone, but they are not alone. In June 2020, ShelterWA reported that “over 9,000 people experience homelessness every night in Western Australia; 14,000 people are on the joint waitlist for social housing in Western Australia and 39,200 social housing properties are needed to meet current demand. Less than 1 per cent of rental properties are affordable to people on low incomes”.
During the Covid-19 lock-down period, with internal borders and imposed travel restrictions to our north, west, and east (and the Southern Ocean to our south), our emergency accommodation capacity was stretched. The upswing in domestic violence contributed to pressure on emergency accommodation within the town, as it did throughout Australia, and people had genuine concerns about the mental health and physical wellbeing of those already vulnerable before the crisis.
For years, those working in the social services sector have argued for social housing that caters for those who need supervision, enough guidance to ensure they take their medications and keep on a positive track in life, while allowing them the freedom to live a life they are worthy of. As individuals. As members of our community.
In the first few weeks of the pandemic, the bull was taken by the horns. Service providers said the Covid-19 crisis had created an unparalleled opportunity to end rough sleep in Australia, and called on state and federal governments to take immediate action (Bosely 2020).
Most states and territories responded, making unprecedented moves to get the rough sleepers off the streets and into hotel and motel accommodation to protect them, and the community, from the virus. As Bosely reported (2020) more than 5,000 people were placed in accommodation across the capital cities.
“While Australia has nearly 120,000 people experiencing homelessness, according to the most recent census, only around 8,200 are rough sleepers, meaning the hotel quarantine program provided shelter for more than 60 per cent of this population.
“But this accommodation was temporary and, as restrictions eased, state governments were left with a choice: invest heavily in social housing or send thousands back on to the street in the middle of winter”.
In the very paper that tops the trolley, Bosely reported that “Western Australia’s response to rough sleeping during the height of the pandemic was minimal, with 40 rough sleepers housed in a converted recreational centre and a trial placing 30 more in hotels. This trail had strict self-isolating requirements attached and the program was abandoned after more than half the recipients dropped out.”
Maybe the pandemic has brought with it a silver lining, with WA’s “Housing First Homelessness Initiative” being boosted to the tune of $34.5m. Apparently the five-year program will mean 130 individuals or families are housed each year.
While this may be wonderful news, Australian Alliance to End Homelessness chief executive David Pearson has warned that how such programs are targeted is the important thing. Those that are in the most need are often the ones most difficult to find a housing solution for, and therefore the ones less likely to be housed.
Aiming high, Mr Pearson has been reported consistently as saying that Australia should be aiming for “functional zero” rough sleeping, with public housing available to match the number of people enter homelessness. He cites the health costs, policing costs, emergency accommodation costs…all costs paid by our society…as far outweighing the costs of dealing with the issue.
In our town, seeing people on the streets when we know they should be somewhere warmer, safer, in shelter, with access to food, comfort and company, is always shocking to me. We live in such a beautiful place, we have a caring community that is striving to solve so many of the issues it faces, yet there are some people for whom we have not, yet, been able to provide the most basic of human needs. Safe shelter. Heartbreaking in a land of plenty.
Other interesting reports about homelessness:
1. Pro Bono News, Luke Michae, l8 April 2020 LINK HERE
2. Ben Knight, Monday 8 June at ABC News LINK HERE
3. Shelter WA, 7 June 2020, in Media Releases, News Fast Facts LINK HERE
4. Jake Dietsch, The Esperance Express, August 10 2018, Homelessness tackled in Esperance and statewide, The Esperance Express, Jake Dietsch LINK HERE