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New information standards needed to help Australians at‐risk of homelessness |
| 07 June 2011 |
 MMHA Media Release, 7 June 2011Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds at increased risk of homelessness are in danger of missing out on appropriate services, according to a new report by Multicultural Mental Health Australia (MMHA). The report, Homelessness amongst culturally and linguistically diverse people with a mental illness, urges the Australian Government to implement standardised national data collection across social services to help address this problem. The report will be launched by the Australian Minister for Social Inclusion, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, on Tuesday 7 June at 9:30am at the Mission Australia Centre, 19 Denham Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Research was undertaken by the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit, with additional expertise provided by the Council to Homeless Persons, Homelessness Australia, Mission Australia, Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria and Yfoundations. The report confirms little is known about rates of homelessness among people with a mental illness from immigrant backgrounds because data collection is neither mandatory nor consistent. The research also shows that that very few organisations which collect data review it or use it to develop specific strategies due to limited staff and financial resources. MMHA National Program Manager Georgia Zogalis says this has huge implications for developing equitable policies, strategies and programs. ‘As part of the Australian Government’s commitment to multiculturalism, MMHA urges it to invest in, support and maintain improved data collection capabilities across homelessness, mental health and multicultural agencies,’ Ms Zogalis says. ‘By improving the sector’s knowledge about homelessness prevalence rates and risk factors, we are more likely to prevent homelessness in diverse communities.’ The Australian Government’s recently launched Multicultural Policy states that one of its priorities is to ensure service data includes a number of cultural identifiers, including country‐of‐birth, ancestry, languages spoken at home and level of English proficiency.* The MMHA report shows that existing homelessness data does not meet this benchmark because country‐of‐birth is likely to be the only identifier collected. This makes it difficult to identify second‐generation immigrants as well as first‐generation immigrants from linguistic and ethnic minority groups. The report is based on a survey of 121 organisations and confirms people with a mental illness, female victims of family violence, refugees, asylum seekers and youth from CALD backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to homelessness. Ms Zogalis says stigma, limited knowledge of the social safety net and lack of culturally appropriate services contribute to these groups’ vulnerability. She says the report also indicates that some organisations are unsure of the most appropriate services for these clients, creating more confusion for people most in need of answers. ‘An already difficult situation is compounded by language difficulties, social and cultural dislocation due to migration, grief related to experiences of violence, torture, trauma and separation,’ she says. ‘We need to improve support structures for these Australians, and also provide effective cultural competency training to the services which work with them. These services are doing a fabulous job but they need additional training to work effectively across a client group with an extraordinary range of complex needs.’ *The People of Australia: Australia’s Multicultural Policy, page 8. Media Release issued by MMHA on 7 June 2011 Contact details:
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