Page 244 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 30 May 1989
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Youth housing workers and migrant housing workers provide support to people making the transition from supported accommodation to independent living. The SAAP is a joint cost-shared program with the Commonwealth. Together with my State colleagues we are negotiating with the Commonwealth on a SAAP mark II agreement which will cover the next five years of the program.
I am confident it will be an improvement on an already excellent program. The key features already agreed on are to concentrate closely on the most needy groups, to focus on transitional assistance to those moving to independent living and to look to more permanent housing options for those who enter SAAP services. On this latter point I look forward to working with my colleague Mrs Grassby.
Some of our successes with SAAP include an excellent range of women's services. This will soon be complemented by a new refuge for victims of domestic violence. We have a successful youth housing outreach service and, of course, Ainslie Village. Working closely with the village and the ACT Housing Trust, we are redeveloping the area in accordance with the residents' wishes.
It continues to provide an essential source of alternative housing for low income earners in the ACT. Brian Burdekin, in his recent report on youth homelessness, made some stringent criticisms of State and Commonwealth governments. I will be attending a meeting in Canberra on 14 June of social welfare Ministers when I and fellow Ministers will look for real solutions to real problems with a national focus.
I also anticipate introducing specific issues to reduce homelessness in the ACT. I am looking in particular at better coordination of services and improved training resources. I am keen to look at the reasons our young people leave home and to address those reasons wherever possible. If they do leave home, we must make every effort to assist them with reconciliation but, at the same time, preserve the right of choice for these young people.
The other side of the coin is that there are many people who want to stay at home but who lack the necessary skills and mobility to do so. There are some Commonwealth programs to help these people and some State services - in our case, an excellent community nursing service for those who are ill.
A major improvement for these people was the introduction of HACC, the home and community care program. It aims to keep people at home as long as possible and to keep them out of institutions. We have some excellent programs in Canberra; for example, respite care services and domestic services to help around the house - to mow lawns, change light globes, wash dirty linen and the like. We have centres for the elderly to visit and services for those who cannot use other forms of transport.
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