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essay on homelessness in australia
homelessness in australia essay
homelessness in australia essay
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Homelessness is all our responsibility. Waking every morning in a warm bed in a secure house for some Australians is only a dream. Every day more and more people are becoming or are at risk of becoming homeless as the global economy crumbles away and monetary resources become harder to find. What is homelessness: the Australian Government Department of Health (2005) defines homelessness as a person who is without a conventional home. Homeless Australians have become disconnected from family and friend and has few, if any resource and very little prospect of achieving financial independence without Government assistant. This assessment will talk about Australia’s history with homelessness, it will go onto to talk about the Government’s role in preventing homelessness and the AASW view on the current social problem. An example of how human service delivery organisation are impacted by current political and society’s view. Homelessness has a face and now more than ever society must ensure that the Government fulfils promise made to all of its citizens.
To understand the Australian Social Policy on Homelessness and service delivery of today, society needs to look back into the 1800’s.As early as about 1830 CarolineChisholm started to provide assistance tosingle women in crisis by establishing an accommodation facility.Australian history regarding homelessness policy’s can be traced back to the mid 1800’s and to The Vagrancy Legislation Act of 1851 (Groves 2005). As a fledgling country Australians policies were still aliened with English Law. The early service delivery for the homeless in the 1800’s was limited to charitable organisations and Churches(Catholic Australian 2014 & Alexander 2013) who ran workhouses to help alleviated vic...
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...n Government, The Macmillan Press Ltd. Houndmills.
Supported Accommodation Assistance act 1994 (cth)
The Vagrancy Legislation Act of 1851
Australian Government Department of Health 2005, Definition of homelessness, http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-homeless-toc~mental-homeless-1~mental-homeless-1-2
Alexander, A 2006, Benevolent Societies, viewed 8 May 2014. http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/B/Benevolent%20Societies.htm
Catholic Australia 2014, History, viewed 8 May 2014. http://www.catholicaustralia.com.au/index.php
Alice Springs Women Shelter 2014, Overview, viewed 21 May 2014, http://asws.org.au/services/overview
Australian Government 2014, Budget 2014-15, Viewed 22 May 2014, http://www.budget.gov.au/2014-15/index.htm
Homelessness, viewed 22 May 2014, http://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/2221
Poverty is one of the largest contributor’s to homelessness. While part of society may find success in an economic upswing, others who were already in an unstable financial situation will find themselves running to keep up or floundering in the throes of debt altogether. When an
Homelessness is one of the biggest issues society (Unites States) faces today. Homelessness is caused by lack of affordable housing, economic situations and decline in federal funding for low income families and the mentally ill. A homeless person is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family) including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private (shelters) facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. This definition of housing is used by the U.S Department of Healt...
This moves away from the ‘traditional’ definition of homelessness, which can be referred to as primary homelessness, or homeless without shelter. A broader definition is now considered, which also includes secondary homelessness, moving frequently between forms of temporary accommodation, and tertiary homeless ness, living long term in accommodation that falls below community standards for housing (Chamberlain & MacKenzie 2008). The inclusion of varying types of homelessness highlights the understanding of homelessness to be considered without a ‘home’, not just without a ‘roof’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011).
Homelessness is a condition of people who lack regular access to adequate housing. As this condition becomes a growing problem in Canada people are forced to deal with the issues. Who are the homeless? They range from children to adults and even in some cases, families. Why are they homeless? Poverty, lack of jobs or well paying jobs, decline in Social Services, domestic violence, mental illness, and chemical dependency contribute to the majority of the homeless within our society. What effects does being homeless have on members of the family? It contributes to many physical and mental health problems for both parents and their children. Homelessness is a world-wide issue, yet zeroing in on Canada, the majority of the homeless live on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver where they seek shelter anywhere from a park bench to dark alleys. The fact remains that homelessness will always be a problem yet over the years, the number of homeless people has been on the rise and something must be done. Homelessness, specially in families, is a devastating experience. It disturbs nearly all aspects of family life, damaging the physical and emotional health of family members. In addition, it interferes with children's education and development and often results in the separation of family members. It is hard to say exactly who the homeless are because it is usually a temporary circumstance and not a permanent condition. -2- Therefore more appropriate manner of estimating homelessness is to look at the number of people who are currently experiencing homelessness rather than the number of "homeless people". WHO ARE THE HOMELESS Homeless people range anywhere from 11 to 65 years of age. Most studies show that homeless adults are most likely to ...
Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.
A decent home is fundamental to people’s well being and is not just a roof over someone’s head. Many people assume that homelessness is people without a home – someone who is ‘living rough’. Even though this is true, the reality is that many individuals and families who are homeless are living with family members or friends on a temporary basis. Others live in bed and breakfast hotels, hostels, night shelters and temporary accommodation provided from the government. For the majority, this results in a poor quality of life and can lead to many social problems. The UK is one of the most powerful and richest
According to Walter, Jetten, Parsell, & Dingle, 2015, the longer a person has been homeless; the more likely it becomes thought of as a “way of life”. This is a psychological response to a challenging emotionally charged situation, and it helps the homeless person to come to terms with the predicament of being homeless. In an essence, they adapt to it as an identity of sorts. Transitionally while it may help them to cope and assign self-worth; it can also undermine efforts to assist them in exiting homelessness. The term “homeless careers” was associated with this phenomenon in Australian social science literature, and has also been used to describe phases of acculturation that have led individuals to develop an identity as a chronically homeless person (Walter, et al, 2015).
Homelessness can happen to anyone unexpectedly. Many poor people are at the risk of homelessness. The cost of living and trying to find affordable housing can be very difficult. Many who are homeless are in poverty, have a mental illness, or addictions. Homelessness happens from personal, as well as structural factors. Many aren’t able to make enough for rent, as well as, utilities, food, and other expenses each month. More than 6 million Americans pay more than half of their income towards rent (Reamer, 1989). The trend is once someone becomes homeless, it is likely they will be homeless repeatedly. To end homelessness, affordable housing will have to be created because it is peoples largest single expenditure (Anderson, 2013).
The National Alliance to End Homelessness identified under 600,000 people who are homeless in the nation, in the past year. “This translates to a national rate of homelessness of fewer than 18 homeless persons out of every 10,000 persons in the general public on a single night “(National Alliance,
Numerous factors should be taken into account when attempting to find the root cause for homelessness. Australian Researcher Robyn Broadbent writes that “… age, ethnicity, location, family status and background, individual experiences and abilities all impacted on young people’s homelessness and the quality of responses.” (31) With this being said, there is no simple answer on how to change the lives of those in need. Homelessness is a more complex issue. All things must be considered when issuing a new system to heal victims of
The idea of homelessness is not an effortlessly characterized term. While the normal individual comprehends the essential thought of vagrancy, analysts in the sociological field have connected conflicting definitions to the idea of homelessness, justifiably so as the thought includes a measurement more exhaustive than a peculiar meaning of a single person without living arrangement. Homelessness embodies a continuum running from the nonappearance of a changeless safe house to poor living courses of action and lodging conditions. As per Wolch et al. (1988), homelessness is not an unexpected experience rather it is the zenith of a long procedure of investment hardship, disconnection, and social disengagement that has influenced a singular or family. Furthermore, states of vagrancy may come in fluctuating structures, for example, road habitation, makeshift home in safe houses, or help from administration associations, for example, soup kitchens and the Salvation Army. Homeless is characterized as those regularly poor and, once in a while, rationally sick individuals who are unable to uphold a spot to live and, subsequently, regularly may rest in boulevards, parks, and so forth (Kenyon 1991).
Tunstall, L. (2009). Homelessness: an overview. EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/pov/detail?hid=119&sid=d5f751fa-0d0d-4ed1-8deb-483e701af50c%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZW4tY2Emc2l0ZT1wb3YtY2Fu#db=p3h&AN=28674966
We are living in an advantageous world, With technology, and enough money to be in a reliable economic situation. Yet people live on the streets everyday. Homelessness is a rising issue in all parts of the world. The disturbing reality of the number of people living on the streets has become the harsh truth and has been considered the norm. The exact amount of homeless people living within our world is hard to come by. However, the evidence supporting the issue of the homeless being problematic is plentiful and powerful. Homelessness is seen as an issue that occurs mostly in developing countries, on the contrary, homelessness occurs everywhere. Canada, being one of the most developed countries has one of the highest rate of homelessness within their nation. With the amount of money available today it should be no problem to find solutions and to provide adequate futures for the homeless.
Johns, G. (2012). Paved with good intentions: The road home and the irreducible minimum of homelessness in Australia. Agenda : A Journal of Policy Analysis and Reform, 19(1), 41-59. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/1032658396?accountid=14543
Many believe that a common thread among the homeless is a lack of permanent and stable housing. But beyond that, the factors leading to homelessness and the services that are needed are unique according to the individual. To put them into one general category ? the homeless- suggests that people are homeless for similar reasons and therefore a single solution is the answer. Every homeless person shares the basic needs of affordable housing, adequate incomes and attainable healthcare. But a wide range of other unmet needs cause some people to become or remain homeless which include drug treatment, employment training, transportation, childcare and mental health services (Center 8.)