AUSTRALIA’S crisis accommodation sector is in crisis, with more than 160,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness seeking shelter from Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) and many turned away.
According to new research from AHURI, there is a range of gaps in the availability and the quality of crisis accommodation in Australia and an urgent need to improve exit options to longer term accommodation.
Currently, state and territory governments and SHS across the country are dependent on purchasing short-term accommodation from private operators including boarding houses, hotels, motels, hostels and caravan parks, in order to meet high demand.
“This accommodation is often inappropriate and provides inadequate support for those who need it,” said Deb Batterham, key researcher from Swinburne University and Launch Housing.
“The situation is particularly difficult in regional and remote areas where people experiencing homelessness often have to travel significant distances to access accommodation and have fewer options available to them, meaning many are forced to remain in, or return to, unsuitable or unsafe housing situations.”
In order for crisis accommodation to work effectively where and when it is needed it needs to be provided by specialist homelessness services.
With purchased accommodation, that is currently being relied upon, not to be used unless it meets minimum standard.
Essential features and a minimum standard for crisis accommodation should include a flexible length of stay that depends on client needs, caring and supportive staff and staff taff with lived experience of homelessness, as well as Aboriginal workers to support cultural safety.
Additionally, all support should be trauma-informed and include mental health supports and a pathway to permanent housing, physical health supports, material aid, alcohol and other drug (AOD) counselling.
As well as support with navigating Centrelink and other government services, access to legal advice and support with child protection issues.
Accommodation should also be safe, good quality and self-contained, with kitchen facilities and private bathrooms. There should also be options that allow people to keep pets with them.
“The main exit options from crisis accommodation are to social housing, private rental housing and permanent supportive housing, all of which are in critically short supply,” added Batterham.
“Our research highlights that there’s significant need for appropriate and affordable long –term housing for people to move to after crisis accommodation. The reality is that anything less sets people up for repeated tenancy failure and compounded trauma. It’s an inefficient use of resources and doesn’t meaningfully address homelessness”
People staying in crisis accommodation should also be provided with support that continues after they exit crisis accommodation to long-term housing to ensure tenancy sustainment.
“We also need to think about interim measures that may help improve exit options, such as increasing the rate of Centrelink payments and the rate for Commonwealth Rent Assistance to make private rental housing an affordable option for some,” said Batterham.
“But ultimately we need to significantly increase the supply of new appropriate and affordable rental housing, both social and private, to increase the suitable exit options for those in crisis accommodation.”
