TRANSCRIPT
The homelessness crisis in cities across Australia continues to grow. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are more than 122,000 people in the country experiencing homelessness. Recent reports have also shown a year-on-year increase of 23 per cent in the number of homeless people in the City of Sydney alone.
CEO of charity organisation Mission Australia Sharon Callister says the situation is worse than ever before.
“The situation with homelessness in Australia is at an all-time crisis level. Things are deteriorating and they have done so for a number of decades now. Governments of all different types and levels have not really addressed the seriousness of this issue. And that's why, I guess, we're hearing so much about it in the media now.”
This continuous rise could be credited to cost of living pressures, along with the sharp spike in rental prices.
CEO of charity Wayside Chapel Jon Owen says even people who were previously in a financially secure situation are beginning to show up at their doorstep seeking shelter. He says the financial burdens people are carrying could be the cause of more severe issues.
“We are stating to see people seeking us our for support who are blue-collar, working class people, who (have seen) $50-$100 increases in rent literally leading to decisions about whether or not these poor people can heat their houses or eat adequate meals, we're seeing many having to turn to extra jobs, begging their employers for extra shifts. And that's not a sustainable way of living, that puts a toll on your health and a strain on your relationships. And as we know, financial pressure is always one of the highest causes of relationship breakdowns”
Scott Endersby is one of the many people in Australia who was forced out of his home at a very young age. He talks about his experiences with homelessness.
“(I was) on and off the streets since I was 14. In and out of institutions up until 2019. I ended up with housing in 2019 and then a lot of drama happened there so I left there and moved to Sydney and it changed my life.”
With homeless people already dealing with severe hardships in their daily lives, they will soon be forced to contend with yet another issue. A few weeks ago, the Bureau of Meteorology [[BOM]] formally declared the arrival of an El Nino event for the coming months, with hot and dry weather conditions expected throughout the country.
Mr Owen has expressed his concerns for people who are forced to endure this situation.
“With serious season of sustained heat on the way, that is when, sadly, unfortunately, we see that being too much for the systems and the bodies of people and often we would have (not often), we have far more deaths during seasons of severe heat than we do through the winter months.”
As for what can be done to effectively address the homelessness crisis in Australia, that seems to be growing out of control, the answers seem to be multi-layered.
Ms Callister says that one aspect is the creation of a larger number of public housing dwellings which can be made available at lower rates for tenants.
“There has been decades of inaction in terms of making a commitment to invest in social and affordable housing. Estimates are at the moment that close to one million new dwellings, social and affordable homes, will be required over he next two decades to meet the growing demand.”
Apart from the people who are already seeking shelter, there is also a significant number of current renters who are at risk of losing their home. Ms Callister says there needs to be a greater focus on homelessness prevention.
“Our latest report, which was a homelessness impact report, showed us that of all the people who are coming to us, who were at risk of homelessness before they had lost their homes, we could help 94 per cent of them stay in long term housing. That is almost everyone. So there's a very big focus that is needed, not just on replacing and developing new housing dwellings, but also on prevention and early intervention because both those elements are key to solving this crisis.”
The Wayside Chapel is attempting to address the issue through one of their own initiatives. Dubbed "Long Walk Home", this event will get people to take on a 28-kilometre trek across Sydney this Saturday [[October 7]] to mimic the average distance a homeless person makes to reach vital services each week.
Mr Owen describes the event as a chance to walk in the shoes of one of the people who don't have access to the basics of life.
“We are taking that on ourselves to walk in the shoes of someone who is sleeping rough. And when you consider 28 kilometres in a week, when you have nowhere to lay your head, you think about, that 28 kilometres is sometimes done in extreme weather conditions, in rain, the cold, and also, as we're about to experience, in sustained heat. So, we hope that it's a way of, not only bringing more attention to this issue, particularly as we're seeing this increase in numbers with the cost of living having increased so much, but also we hope it will help us to become more compassionate.”
The event also serves as a fundraiser for Wayside Chapel.
One of the people who have managed to raise the most funds to support this cause, with over $18,000 so far, is former homeless person Scott Endersby. Mr Endersby has expressed his gratitude towards all those who have made donations.
“Just like to thank everyone that's donated to my cause and the cause of the Wayside Chapel, greatly.”
