CentaCare NQ, Cootharinga NQ to work closely with Townsville veterans
Additional services will be opened up to Townsville veterans as the number of homelessness rises nationally.
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Additional services will be opened up to Townsville veterans as the number of homelessness rises nationally.
For the first time ever, Australia has gained an insight into the number of veterans facing homelessness with the release of a recent inquiry into the issue, which found about 5800 ex-serving men and women are homeless each year.
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In response to the findings a new set of industry standards, training materials and a toolkit to be developed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) has been announced to address the issue.
And with the largest army base in Australia, Herbert MP Phillip Thompson said this move by the Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister Darren Chester would help find locally based solutions for former serving personnel who don’t have permanent suitable accommodation.
“This is about ensuring that when DVA is made aware of a veteran who might need some support when it comes to housing, these organisations will co-operate to make sure they’re being looked after,” Mr Thompson said.
“This means organisations in Townsville like CentaCare North Queensland and Cootharinga North Queensland Ltd will be able to work hand in glove with the veteran community to help find solutions.”
At present there is no single source of data on veterans’ homelessness but it is expected to change with the inclusion of Australian Defence Force former and currently serving personnel to be included in the 2021 census.
Originally published as CentaCare NQ, Cootharinga NQ to work closely with Townsville veterans