Rough sleepers identified in Adelaide Zero Project aim to tackle street homelessness

THE state of rough sleepers in Adelaide city has been revealed in the most comprehensive survey aimed to end street homelessness.

A volunteer surveys homeless people on Hutt St. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

• South Australia’s worsening hidden homelessness crisis
• Census data reveals almost a quarter of homeless people have jobs
• Project aims to get all rough sleepers off Adelaide’s streets

ONE in three people sleeping rough in Adelaide have been living on the streets for more than two years, according to a new study.

The disturbing plight of the homeless has been revealed in a comprehensive audit by the Adelaide Zero Project, which aims to eliminate street homelessness by 2020.

Data showed 143 people were sleeping rough in the CBD — an 18 per cent increase compared with the 121 recorded in the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census.

Led by the Don Dunstan Foundation and Hutt St Centre, more than 200 volunteers spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights wandering city streets, identifying rough sleepers and their needs.

About 60 per cent of homeless people surveyed were aged 26 to 54.

Nearly three quarters of them reported a physical health problem, while almost half suffered from a mental health condition. Two in five had substance abuse issues.

About 25 per cent of the rough sleepers were either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, despite making up only 3 per cent of the population.

Project co-chair the Rev. Peter Sandeman said the audit was a definitive count that would be a baseline for future surveys.

He said the project wanted to achieve “functional zero” street homelessness, which is when there are enough or more places to accommodate the number of homeless people.

“Now we can begin to work on placing those people and to ensure that we have sufficient housing supply, and the services required to make those tenancies available in the long-term,” he said.

“This data will be used to create a by-name list, a critical first step towards prioritising and co-ordinating housing and other supports for those in need.

“We need to find a way of ensuring that nobody is homeless in our city. It’s not a big task, it’s only 143 people.”

The project is supported by 35 organisations including Adelaide City Council, inner city homelessness services, the State Government and University of Adelaide.

Mr Sandeman said ending homelessness was possible if welfare organisation worked together.

“We used to be a little competitive with the way funding is allocated, we need to overcome that tendency,” he said.