Family Homelessness – A Revealing New Study

The Salvation Army Crossroads Network commissioned a research project to explore the extent and ramifications of homelessness among family groups. The results of this research have now been published as A Long from Home: Family homelessness in the current welfare context, written by Terry Bartholomew. It is the first Australian book that specifically addresses homelessness among family groups.

The report highlights the fact that families now represent approximately 20 to 30 per cent of the homeless in Australia, and is the fastest growing subgroup within the homeless population, having risen from about 4.5 per cent in 1993.

In the days when there was virtually no unemployment, and there was a much more equitable distribution of income among Australians, the homeless population was officially recognised as a group comprising mainly older single men, whereas it now includes the youth, males of virtually all ages, and families.

The main problem underlying homelessness is that virtually no medium to long-term housing is available to the homeless, either in the public housing system or the private rental market. In 1996–97, only 16 per cent of people who received accommodation from government-funded welfare agencies obtained medium to long-term housing. Eight-four per cent received crisis or short-term accommodation only, and this was occasionally limited to a single night, after which they sought crisis or short-term accommodation somewhere else.

There is also a lack of crisis and short-term accommodation that extends to families. Private hotels, which were only ever intended to be accommodation of last resort, have become one of the most relied upon forms of emergency accommodation for families. Of the 30 families that were studied by Bartholomew, and that were living in private hotels, all had, on average, shifted their of residence five times in the previous six months. Prior to entering the hotels the families were paying 49 per cent of their income for makeshift and emergency housing, and 50 per cent while in the hotels. When it is recognised that the 50 per cent of living costs did not include, in almost all cases, meals, and families had problems with access to and/or quality of cooking facilities, and hence had to eat out almost all of the time, the inevitability of the poverty trap for these people is alarming.

As Bartholomew points out:

‘The reliance on welfare agencies to help citizens compete in the private sector underlines a trend for the withdrawal of government from such roles. Increasingly, charitable organisations are being relied upon to dispense emergency assistance, and to deliver, often ongoing, help with cash and kind. The maintenance of social welfare and the provision of support to disadvantaged groups is becoming less and less a state function and more and more the role of non-government organisations. Such practices underline how contemporary Australian government is focused more on the market and efficiency and less on issues such as welfare, equality and social justice.’

These trends should be of concern to all of us and we should do all in our power to reverse them.

We are indebted to Terry Bartholomew, with the support of the Salvation Army, and the numerous participants, for providing us with the stark reminder of the problems facing the most vulnerable in our community.

Bill Snowdon

A Long Way from Home: Family homelessness in the current welfare context is available from Crossroads Crisis Services, PO Box 2027, St Kilda 3182, fax 03 9525 3563, for $30 per copy, including postage.

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