Page 243 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 30 May 1989
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need, among other things, a very coordinated approach between the government and the non-government sectors, between the bureaucracy and the groups out there which are concerned, so that we can have a concerted attack on that problem. Above all - I say this at the outset of this review - we need to understand that there is a problem there, and there is a very serious problem there. Let us accept first of all that with youth homelessness we have that problem, and from that point we may be able to proceed to do something truly constructive.
MR BERRY (Minister for Community Services and Health) (3.55): I think Mr Stefaniak was correct when he said that the housing issue is a complex one. However, I must say that I am disappointed in what I saw as a rather simplistic response to the problem which, from where I sit, really related to privatisation, deregulation and disposal of the public housing stock. I think we have to take a more responsible view in the provision of public housing to assist those people who rely on my area of responsibility for a roof over their heads.
I welcome Mr Colleary's commitment to maintenance of the public housing stock. I think that the issue of public housing is a very, very important one and one on which my colleague has rightly focused attention in relation to the youth of this country.
What I would like to turn to now is the way in which my area of responsibility deals with housing. Members may not know of all of the good work that my portfolio does in the housing area, nor the way our services assist people who may not be able to live fully independent lives.
I want to tell members about some of these services and outline some of the future directions that we will be taking. Many of the people who use our services need help to achieve independent living. It is our objective to help clients achieve this as easily and effectively as possible. For other clients access to alternative housing is critical. Where their homes have been destroyed through violence, abuse, neglect or poverty, housing is the most vital step for them to continue to be useful members of our society. My portfolio provides funding to operate refuges, halfway houses and foster care. We provide respite services - that is, services that give clients and their carers some time out. We operate a nursing home as well as hostels for those with intellectual disabilities or suffering from mental illness.
We provide homes for wards, services to keep people in their homes rather than in institutions, and sometimes financial aid to help people stay in their homes. We also provide accommodation for people awaiting the pleasure of the courts. The supported accommodation assistance program, more commonly known as SAAP, is an essential response to those who are homeless. We fund refuges, halfway houses and services to help people who are in crisis.
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