Page 4389 - Week 12 - Thursday, 24 October 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
(a) people experiencing homelessness, and those at risk of homelessness are amongst the most socially and economically disadvantaged people in Canberra and across the nation;
(b) the Australian Bureau of Statistics defines homelessness as “… when a person does not have suitable accommodation alternatives, they are considered homeless if their current living arrangement:
(i) is in a dwelling that is inadequate;
(ii) has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or
(iii) does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations”; and
(c) homelessness can profoundly affect a person’s general wellbeing and their ability to fully participate in society, including impacting on their mental and physical health, their education and employment opportunities and ability to maintain a stable life, and their ability to adequately care for their children;
(2) further notes:
(a) that the cost impacts to government and society of not providing housing are broad and can also be felt in other services, such as the health system, including mental health; emergency services; the education system; social services; and child protection systems;
(b) the number of long-term homeless people in Finland has fallen by more than 35 percent in a decade due to their policy of unconditionally giving people homes as soon as they need them;
(c) an evaluation of Common Ground in Brisbane undertaken by Queensland University’s Institute for Social Science Research found that the community saved $13 100 annually per tenant by providing them with access to supportive housing;
(d) research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute published in 2016 noted that “Economic analysis indicates that the health sector bears much of the cost and consequences of recurring homelessness in Australia”. Focusing only on savings to the health system, the same research found that “Direct calculable government health care cost savings associated with reduced health service use following public housing entry was $4846 per client”; and
(e) in the ACT, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate has developed a cost model which shows that significant savings can be made by investing in programs that prevent or minimise contact with the criminal justice system when compared to the costs of incarceration and other criminal justice processes; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) undertake economic analysis to determine ACT Government and community savings by providing supportive housing to people experiencing homelessness. This cost impact modelling should include analysis of:
(i) the short and long-term cost impacts on ACT Government-provided and ACT Government-funded services for these cohorts;
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video