Charlie was huddled in the alcove of a shop trying to shelter from the torrential rain and icy winds howling into his space. He was 83 years old and had been evicted onto the streets of Melbourne that afternoon. A stranger gave him a quilt for warmth and didn’t know what else to do. We as humane, compassionate beings know that it is fundamentally inhumane to have people living in these conditions. We know that it is a human right to have shelter, and this understanding of shelter should mean adequate housing.
The homelessness service which may have been able to provide emergency accommodation for him was closed and he along with many others in the same situation faced an unknown time of homelessness on the streets of Melbourne where overnight temperatures this winter have been as low as -1.5C.
Fortunately, Charlie was one of the lucky ones. He had my mobile number as he was a past client who had been supported on the Assistance with Care and Housing Program. He contacted me and I got him into emergency accommodation and then into transitional housing which was arranged through a local community organisation.
In the current housing crisis affecting cities across the country, the homelessness service system is overwhelmed, stretched to its limit and sadly cannot provide the response needed to the increased demands on its services. The Front Door Access Points that are set up to provide a response to the homeless have had to restrict access due to the high demand for service and the limited resources that they can provide. Many of the agencies that have been set up to provide access to emergency accommodation and referral to support are now only opening their doors to see people who are homeless for two hours a day and some of them are not opening their doors at all and only having phone contact. Phone lines are always busy, so it is almost impossible for the homeless person to even make contact with the service. The system is broken. So, if you are evicted onto the streets you now have a very restricted access to support to obtain emergency accommodation. It is a dire situation indeed.
Further doors have closed for older people who are homeless. This cohort was identified as the fastest growing cohort of homelessness in Australia in an ABS report in 2016. ABS data report in 2023 indicated that 16 per cent of people experiencing homelessness were aged over 55. Twelve months ago, the federal government withdrew funding for the Assistance with Care and Housing Program which was the only nationwide program which was specifically designed to support older people, aged 65 and over who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. This older cohort required a more targeted response as they were more likely to be experiencing health issues which can be exacerbated by homelessness. Referral to this program was outside of the Front Door entry points. Now that this program has been defunded, this older cohort has to join the very long queues to await support which is accessed via the front doors which are now mostly closed.
The current housing crisis and the drivers for this are well documented in the media. As a frontline homelessness worker, it is starkly evident to me in the increase in numbers of people who are seeking support because of their homeless situation. Many of the people who are seeking support would not have been described as vulnerable to homelessness in the past. It is only because of government policy and lack of foresight in planning around affordable housing that has led to them to this situation.
There is also another new cohort of homelessness that has emerged recently: the working poor. A report by Council to Homeless Persons in April 2024 indicated that the number of working people seeking support through Homelessness Services had grown by 14 per cent over the last two years with women being most effected. Reduced supply and increased demand in the private rental market has caused rents to rise exponentially so they are priced out of this market. Anglicare’s 2024 Rental Affordability Snapshot reported a significant decline in the proportion of affordable rental properties available for people on the minimum wage in Victoria. It reported that only 0.5 per cent of advertised private rentals are affordable for a single person on the minimum wage. This decreases to 0.4 per cent for a single parent on minimum wage with family tax benefits.
The homelessness service system is not designed to support this group of people. This new cohort is not eligible for social housing as they are income earners and would likely be over the income and asset limit for social housing, that asset limit being: $14,709 and income limit for a single person: $633.00 pw. There are private rental assistance programs which are designed to provide brokerage to access affordable private rental tenancies. When access and affordability are the main issues, support through these programs cannot be accessed due to the criteria for support on these programs. There is some development of affordable housing though community housing providers, however, stock is limited and unable to meet the growing demand. With nowhere to go for support, and nowhere to access affordable housing, for many people homelessness becomes the only option.
Our homelessness service system is broken while in the midst of the worst housing crisis that our nation has seen. It is not designed to meet the current demand and it is not designed to meet the new demands that are being placed upon it. In addition, there are many housing policy changes that the government needs to urgently implement to turn this housing crisis around.
Even though Federal and State Governments have allocated more money to build social and affordable housing in recent years, they are playing catch up while the number of homeless people increases exponentially due to the current housing crisis. We know that it is a fundamental human right for people to have shelter and that this should be in the form of adequate housing. Neglecting this right is inhumane.
Jennifer McVeigh is a social worker in the Homelessness Sector in Melbourne.
Main image: Elderly homeless man. (Getty images)