Page 2105 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 August 2014
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Homeless Persons Week 2014 seeks to raise awareness about homelessness in Australia and the experiences of the people who are impacted by homelessness. Data from the most recent census shows that on census night 2011 there were 1,785 people experiencing homelessness in the ACT. The majority of these people were in homelessness accommodation; some were couch surfing and some were sleeping rough in cars, in tents or on the street.
There are many factors that contribute to homelessness. These factors include family violence, financial hardship, substance abuse, mental health issues and exiting care or custodial settings. Homelessness remains a complex issue that affects people of all ages, genders and social and economic backgrounds.
The government recognises the very real challenges that many face. New administrative arrangements will strengthen the government’s capacity to continue to meet the needs of vulnerable Canberrans and to deliver upon our priorities. For housing and homelessness services, our priorities focus on developing safe and affordable housing options. We continue to work with the community sector to provide services for people who are experiencing homelessness, along with other supports and assistance to enable them to live their lives to the fullest.
The government is developing a human services blueprint, a whole-of-system reform agenda to better utilise government investment in social outcomes. The blueprint enables the community and health, education and justice systems to work in alliance to join up support to people. It offers all Canberrans the right service at the right time for the right duration. One of the first initiatives of the blueprint is the one human services gateway which commenced on 1 July. The gateway brings together a range of government and community services in an accessible service hub. These services include Housing ACT, the Office for Women, Disability ACT, the children, youth and family support gateway, the National Disability Insurance Agency and a range of community partners.
The government recognises the challenges associated with operating in today’s environment and providing services to vulnerable people in need. In partnership with the commonwealth and the specialist homeless sector, the territory government has made a number of announcements in this area.
Recently, the ACT entered into the 2014-15 national partnership agreement on homelessness. This matched a one-year agreement enabling service delivery to continue in the territory. In addition, the common ground project in Gungahlin is expected to be operational early next year. The ACT government has committed around $14 million to the project, in addition to commonwealth funding and other privately sourced donations. On completion, common ground will be a 40-home community housing development, with 50 per cent of the units allocated to long-term homeless singles and couples and 50 per cent available as affordable rental homes.
An important service is provided through the emergency departments of Canberra and Calvary hospitals. They do not collect demographic data in relation to homelessness at the time of a patient’s presentation to the department; quite simply, everyone is treated equally within our emergency departments. Homeless status or otherwise is not relevant to the treatment provided to people on presentation in our emergency
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