“Why Isn’t Housing A Human Right?”: Vinnies Urges Government To Act Ahead Of National Homelessness Week

The theme for next week’s National Homelessness Week (3-9 August) is “Homelessness Action Now”, and St Vincent de Paul Society is asking for just that. The Catholic non-profit behind the popular thrift shop has asked the Australian Government to recognise housing as a human right, which is not explicitly protected by the country’s domestic law. 

“Every night, more than 122,000 Australians are without a home,” a spokesperson for the St Vincent de Paul Society said. “Across the country, an average of 350 people are turned away from homelessness accommodation every day because the services they need simply do not have the capacity to respond.”

In his appeal, Mark Gaetani, National President of the St Vincent de Paul Society, has called on Australians to recognise that homelessness is not the fault of the unhoused.

“Homelessness is not a personal failure,” Gaetani said, “it is a policy failure. The theme of this week could not be clearer: Australians want homelessness action now because we overwhelming believe everyone deserves a safe, secure and affordable place to live.”  

Vinnies’ Demands This National Homelessness Week

Accordingly, the Society has called on the government to take three major steps:

1. Treat housing as a human right

While housing is enshrined as a human right in both international law and in the ACT, Australia has no national Human Rights Act or constitutional rule that makes housing an enforceable legal right. Vinnies has pointed out that this contradicts public sentiment, with most Australians agreeing that everyone has a right to a secure home. 

2. Expand social and affordable housing

The Society has asked the Australian Government to address the chronic and ever-worsening shortage of social and affordable housing. They advise that if the government were to build 36,420 social and affordable homes every year, such housing could be restored to constitute 6 per cent of total housing stock within a decade.

3. Fund specialist homelessness services 

Vinnies has urged the Australian government to, alongside human rights and infrastructure reforms, increase funding to specialist homelessness services to $670 million per year. The society cited a figure that 350 people are turned away each day by these services due to a lack of funding. 

St Vincent de Paul Society Says Jobseeker Is Falling Short

“Our experience and research reveals that too many people are just one life event away from housing stress — losing a job, falling ill, ending a relationship, or experiencing family and domestic violence. All these pathways cost the state more money to remedy,” Gaetani said. “It is shameful that a single person on JobSeeker cannot afford to rent anywhere in Australia. This is the reality behind the numbers, and it demands urgent national action.”  

“Treating housing as a human right and funding the services and stock to make that right real, is where action must begin.”