‘Grim': number of Australians facing long-term homelessness surges 25% in five years
The Productivity Commission's latest report on government services reveals close to 37,780 people were stuck in 'persistent homelessness' in 2023/24, up from 30,306 in 2019/20.
An individual is considered to be in 'persistent homelessness' if they have been homeless for more than seven months in the preceding two-year period.
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'These are grim findings,' the chief executive of advocacy group Homelessness Australia, Kate Colvin, said.
'More Australians than ever are trapped in long-term homelessness, and even those who find housing are struggling to maintain it without adequate support.'
Colvin pointed to a glimmer of positive news in the report to be released on Friday, which showed that homelessness was averted in 81% of cases in which an at-risk client sought help.
'We know what works, we just have to resource it properly,' Colvin said.
'The high success rate in preventing homelessness shows that early intervention is effective.
'With sustained investment in support services, we can prevent people cycling back into homelessness and lay down the foundations of healthy, functional lives.'
The renewed plea for secure homelessness funding comes as the Albanese government trumpets its investment in social and affordable housing.
The government will release a list of 12 projects, comprising 800 dwellings, to be delivered under the first round of its $10bn housing future fund.
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The flagship fund – which was established in November 2023 after months of bitter negotiations between Labor and the Greens – must spend at least $500m of its earnings each year on social and affordable housing projects.
The first round of funding is supposed to result in more than 13,000 dwellings, out of an overall total of 55,000.
'Labor's building Australia's future with the largest investment in social and affordable in over a decade – eclipsing the Coalition's efforts in more than a decade in office in just the first round of Labor's Housing Fund,' the housing minister, Clare O'Neil, said.
'Every single one of these dwellings represents more than just a roof over someone's head – it's the foundation for building a better and more prosperous life.
O'Neil claimed the fund would be under threat if Peter Dutton won the election after the Coalition opposed its establishment in parliament.
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