National Homeless Persons’ Week, 6-12 August

Around 64% of Western Australia’s homeless are aged 34 or under, living in unstable temporary accommodation and are often the victim of violence and extreme financial hardship, according to one of the State’s leading providers of homeless services, Mission Australia.

Mission Australia’s WA State Manager, Angie Paskevicius, said National Homeless Persons’ Week (6-12 August) was the perfect time to raise the plight of homeless people in Western Australia and the issue of homelessness in our community.

“With around 50,000 people under the age of 25 homeless on any given night of the week throughout Australia, homelessness is a big problem – particularly with young Australians,” said Ms Paskevicius.

“Western Australia has the highest rate of homelessness, behind the Northern Territory and Queensland, with 64 out of every 10,000 people being without a place to call home.

“Around 20% of homeless Western Australians ‘sleep rough’. The vast majority of WA’s homeless are living temporarily on the floors and couches of friends and family, or are in short-to-medium term accommodation at emergency hostels or shelters run by organisations like Mission Australia.”

One such service is Mission Australia’s Youth Accommodation Support Service (YASS), which provides young homeless people, or those at risk of being homeless, with a safe and supportive environment and equips them with the skills they need to maintain accommodation and live independently.

“Youth crisis care and transitional housing in WA are both overloaded, with YASS turning away almost 90% of young people in need in the six months from July to December 2005 due to limited resources,” Ms Paskevicius said.

“During this period, YASS helped 43 people with short-to-medium term accommodation but were unable to assist over 280 people in need, who as a result had to keep searching for somewhere safe to stay, which is a disturbing statistic.

“The causes behind homelessness are diverse, but there are some common threads. Of the 43 people YASS accommodated during the six month period, 33 cited relationship difficulties or breakdown with the parents as the core reason for leaving home. For many using supported accommodation services, the main reason is because they’re escaping domestic violence or because of extreme financial hardship.

“From Mission Australia’s experience we can also say that many of our homeless clients are also struggling with the symptoms of mental illness and, rather than alcohol, have addictions to illegal drugs.”

Ms Paskevicius said this portrait of homeless Australia flies in the face of the common perception that the average homeless person is an alcoholic male who sleeps on a park bench or in a doorway.

“The general public’s lack of understanding of homelessness is a cause of concern for us – because our country’s governments and businesses reflect their beliefs and opinions.

“If we’re to make inroads into homelessness, there needs to be a better awareness of the issues at hand and National Homeless Persons’ Week will help bring the issue to the forefront of people’s minds.”

In 2005, Mission Australia assisted around 16,000 homeless people by providing crisis and transitional accommodation, accommodation placement and support, counselling, legal advice, drop-in social support, and rehabilitation services for those affected by alcohol and other drugs.

To find out more about Mission Australia’s many services visit the Mission Australia website at www.missionaustralia.com.au or phone (08) 9225 0411.

Media enquiries: Alana Ortiz, (08) 9388 0944 or 0430 038 338