Band aid approach to a national epidemic

BY CHARLOTTE GRIEVE

Homelessness in Australia has been described as an “epidemic” of national proportions with over 105,000 Australians currently living without suitable accommodation.

Homelessness can be caused by an array of complex issues. Among these is a shortage of affordable and available housing. With the median house price in Bondi exceeding $2 million it’s no surprise that the homeless population in the Waverley region is on the rise.

“Although perceived as a wealthy area, Bondi Beach has many vulnerable and marginalised people in the community,” said CEO of the Wayside Chapel, Reverand Graham Long.

While Waverley Council has a number of Affordable Housing programs available, a registry exercise conducted by Waverley Council in April of this year found that 57 people were still “sleeping rough.”

Homelessness Australia claims Federal Government cuts to homelessness prevention have left communities to address the issue.

“The issue of homelessness requires an all-of-community commitment” said Reverand Long.

“It’s not just a government issue, nor is it the responsibility of service providers, charities or outreach groups. The responsibility [to address the issue of homelessness] is with everyone” said Andrew Everingham, co-founder of Sydney Homeless Connect.

This winter, Bondi locals and Guardian Funerals are responding to the crisis by working together to donate spare blankets as part of the 2016 winter blanket appeal.

Robert James from Bondi’s Guardian Funerals says this is a great way to raise awareness of the plight of homelessness while supporting those less fortunate. “The initiative really puts homelessness on the agenda of local communities and highlights the value of people coming together to support a good cause” he said.

The collaborative effort from both Guardian Funerals and the community resulted in the collection of over 3,800 blankets last year.

“This year we’re hoping to raise the bar and double the number of blankets donated to disadvantaged Australians. It’s a big goal but we know we can count on the generous support of the community to get us across the line” he said.

While social initiatives like these are welcomed by all, co-founders of Sydney Homeless Connect, Peter Durrie and Andrew Everingham, view the issue of homelessness as being widely misunderstood.

“It’s not just the poor guy sleeping in a cardboard box anymore. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness so there’s a lot of single mums out there. All it takes is a couple of things to go wrong” Mr Everingham said.

They find the issue of homelessness to be a systemic and growing problem that can only be properly managed by addressing the root cause of the issue.

“Housing is the number one barrier preventing people from stepping forward. The first thing that needs to be done is to provide someone with a home. Then you can think about support services and figure out how to clear the debt,” Mr Everingham told City Hub.

While initiatives such as the Guardian Funeral’s winter blanket appeal are important in providing immediate relief for those sleeping rough this winter, greater attention must be paid to address the causes for homelessness.