Increase in children without homes across northern suburbs as homelessness services face funding crisis
UP TO 100 homeless children in the northern suburbs are having to sleep at motels and rely on food handouts during the day, an affordable housing advocacy organisation says.
UP TO 100 homeless children in the northern suburbs are having to sleep at motels and rely on food handouts during the day, an affordable housing advocacy organisation says.
Advocates said last week more funding was needed to deal with the growing issue through food programs and temporary housing.
Shelter SA executive director Dr Alice Clark said a workshop at Elizabeth in May for service providers revealed the “unacceptable” hardship faced by some families in the north.
“Every month there are about 100 children staying in hotels with 30 families,” Dr Clark said.
“Because we don’t have enough public housing and affordable housing, families and children are stuck there for months at a time.
“Anglicare at Elizabeth provide a cooked lunch and what happens is, these families staying in motels that can’t cook in the room and have no money, come to feed themselves and their children.
“They’re given little packages of food to take with them when they leave.
“I think there is something very wrong.”
AnglicareSA chief executive Peter Sandeman said there had been a big increase in the past three years of homeless people and children without stable homes.
“Last year during winter alone, AnglicareSA received 4,890 visits (in the north) from people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, many of whom were children,” Mr Sandeman said.
“(It) was a 29 per cent increase from the previous year.”
Since late 2016, AnglicareSA’s Turning Point program has helped families break the cycle of homelessness.
The program has seven furnished properties at Elizabeth Grove used for temporary housing.
So far, 23 families with 44 children have taken part in the program, with 87 per cent finding permanent housing shortly after.
But the program is at risk, with funding for homelessness services just weeks from running out.
The National Homeless and Housing Agreement, set to begin on July 1, is worth $104 million next financial year and $433 million over the forward estimates.
But it has not yet been signed and there are fears workers with years of experience and vast corporate knowledge are leaving the industry.
“(Turning Point) is entirely reliant on the agreement being approved,” Mr Sandeman said.
“Up to this point, the program has generated generous support from corporates and other donors who want to have a direct impact on the children and families.”
Despite assurances a deal will be struck, there was considerable nervousness in the sector, which helps more than 20,000 South Australians every year.
The funding is allocated across 50 homelessness service providers.
Housing Minister Michelle Lensink said negotiations were continuing with the Commonwealth.
Federal Labor homelessness spokesman Doug Cameron said the Turnbull Government had delivered none of the promised relief for first home buyers or the rising number of Australians experiencing increasing levels of rental stress and homelessness.