Homelessness at crisis point in Adelaide’s southern suburbs
A RISE in the number of young people sleeping rough or couch surfing in Adelaide’s south has sparked calls for more crisis accommodation in the region.
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MORE young people in the south are sleeping rough or couch surfing, sparking calls for more crisis accommodation in the region.
Junction Australia chief executive Graham Brown said the number of youths, aged 15-25, accessing its services had hit 620 in the past eight months and had increased 25 per cent in the past four years.
Mr Brown said the number of young people needing beds earlier this year topped 100 for the first time despite there being only eight crisis beds available in the outer southern region.
“In recent times we have seen an increase in youth aged between 22-25, but 28 per cent of people experiencing homelessness are children under the age of 14 years,” Mr Brown said.
He said domestic violence had overtaken mental health as the main reason youths were leaving, or being forced to leave, their home.
Nearly 40 per cent of Junction Australia’s clients had cited domestic violence as to why they were seeking help for homelessness this financial year.
“Current trends indicate likelihood of a further increase in the number of homeless people (this year),” Mr Brown said.
Already, the number of homeless youths who sought help from mid-July to mid-March has surpassed the 578 young people helped in the 2014/15 financial year.
The not-for-profit organisation, which has offices in Christies Beach and Hackham, offers services for adults and children aimed at reducing poverty and homelessness.
Mr Brown said the demand for crisis beds reached its peak earlier this year.
“There are only eight crisis beds available in the outer southern region and more accommodation needs to be made available at affordable price points and within proximity to transport and services,” he said.
The lack of emergency housing in the region has forced Housing SA to accommodate people in a popular southern suburbs hotel.
A Housing SA spokesman confirmed the hotel and others, including motels, costing $115-$165 a night, were used by people waiting for permanent accommodation.
“Many of these clients are women and children escaping domestic violence,” he said.
On average, more than 480 domestic violence matters in SA are reported to police each week, according to a police spokesman.
Shelter SA executive director Alice Clark said the lack of beds and homelessness was a problem the State Government could not ignore.
“All of the service providers we speak with are reporting that numbers are growing and the problem is getting worse, particularly for young people,” Dr Clark said.
“Nothing has changed in terms of the number of crisis beds being available.
“Crisis accommodation is not adequate across SA ... the state government is fully aware of this issue and it’s not satisfactory to simply turn a blind eye.”
A spokesperson for Communities and Social Inclusion Minister Zoe Bettison said the government provided about $15.2 million per year to 13 youth specific homelessness services.
“The youth services provide a wide range of responses and supports for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including crisis and medium term accommodation,” the spokesperson said.
The minister did not answer questions on whether more crisis beds were needed in the southern suburbs to help 578 youths who were considered homeless last financial year.
The spokesperson said if public housing was not available, Housing SA may offer applicants help with bond and rent in advance to access private rentals.
Housing SA figures showed there were 7820 public housing properties in the region, 129 of which had been built in the past three years.
Charities feeling the pressure of demand
Charities are being stretched to the limit providing warm meals and financial assistance in the south.
St Vincent de Paul Society and Anglicare both say more people are struggling to make ends meet. St Vincent de Paul chief executive David Wark says its greatest demand is for its Fred’s
Van service, which provides free, hot meals at 10 locations.
The Aldinga van, which opened in March last year, fed 751 children in 2015 – the most children helped at any of the Fred’s Van sites.
The Adelaide CBD van is the most utilised, serving 13,486 meals last year, followed by the Christies Beach van, which served 3273 meals.
Fred’s Van volunteers Mary and Bob Dittmar have been donating their time at the Christies Beach meal service for 13 years.
“Recently our meal numbers went up by 500 a year and there’s a lot more families coming than before,” Mrs Dittmar says.
AnglicareSA chief executive Rev Peter Sandeman says 573 people have sought emergency assistance, such as food, clothes and help paying medical bills, so far this year. Mr Sandeman says the service is running at capacity. “In February, we had 50 walk-in visits ... at the same time last year we had 15,” he says.
To volunteer: anglicaresa.com.au or vinnies.org.au
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