Government recognises all who work To address homelessness

The amazing work of so many people who are making a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable Tasmanians must be celebrated, writes Guy Barnett

HOMELESSNESS can affect anyone – our friends, family, or colleagues – due to changes in circumstances or life events, such as family breakdown, mental illness, trauma or our young people moving to adult independence.

Housing is a basic human need and is crucial to our community’s health, wellbeing and financial stability.

Homelessness Week (August 1-8) is a stark reminder that all Tasmanians deserve a roof over their heads and that many Tasmanians are struggling with accommodation and cost-of-living pressures.

As we enter National Homelessness Week 2022, I want to personally acknowledge those in our community who are doing it really tough and face uncertainty over where they will sleep tonight. This is a very real situation facing some Tasmanians, and as we come together for Homelessness Week we can’t lose sight of the fact that this is the circumstance for some in our community every night.

Homelessness Week is one week a year that asks all of us to recognise the need to take action to eliminate homelessness. “All of us’’ means government, businesses, support and accommodation services, and each of us as we go about our daily lives.

Since becoming Housing Minister in April, I have been visiting housing and homelessness services across the state, witnessing the amazing work of so many people who are making a real difference to the lives of vulnerable Tasmanians.

Homelessness Week is a chance to recognise each and every one of you who work within our housing and homelessness services – your outstanding efforts and unwavering support for Tasmanians in need makes a difference to lives every day.

We know homelessness is a whole-of-community issue, but you are on the front line.

The support you offer, day in day out, to Tasmanians at their most vulnerable is such important work and we recognise you and celebrate your contribution this Homelessness Week.

The theme of this year’s Homelessness Week is “To end homelessness we need a plan’’. And the Tasmanian government has a plan – our $1.5bn housing package will deliver 10,000 new social and affordable homes over the next 10 years. That’s 10,000 new houses for Tasmanians in need. Housing is the key that ends homelessness, and we are delivering on those houses, including a further 1500 new homes by June 2023.

While the government is embarking on the most ambitious and comprehensive social and affordable housing program in the state’s history, I acknowledge homelessness is an incredibly complex issue that requires a shared and strategic community response.

Earlier this month, Premier Jeremy Rockliff, parliamentary secretary Lara Alexander and I met with the major community stakeholder groups as a Ministerial Reference Group to discuss and identify any gaps that exist in our housing and homelessness response and work on collaborative solutions. The major outcome of this initial meeting is ensuring we continue to

increase our housing supply.

The reference group will also work with government on a strategy for housing for the next 20 years, building on their knowledge and expertise in the sector to create a longterm plan for the future.

This plan will guide our new housing authority in delivering more homes for more Tasmanians, helping to end homelessness.

However, we know there are many Tasmanians who are doing it tough right now. Now more than ever, more people are seeking housing support and the stability and affordability of social housing.

To address this, we are investing record amounts into new housing and homelessness programs with more funding per capita than any other state at $375.13 per person, which is nearly 70 per cent higher than the national average of $222.22 per person.

This investment has ensured Tasmania has the lowest rates of homelessness in the country, and we are the only jurisdiction to increase our social housing stock to keep pace with population growth, even at the recent record levels of almost 50,000 people between the 2016 and 2021 censuses.

Our wraparound services, on which we spend $36m a year, are designed to ensure those who need support are getting the help they need. These are provided through 17 specialist homelessness services, including Housing Connect Front Door and Support, as well as crisis shelters and supported accommodation. In addition, $6.9m has been allocated specifically for our Safe Spaces and connected support services, providing 99 sleeping spaces a night across the state.

Many of these support services are provided in partnership with community service providers. These organisations have exceptional skills and experience in building affordable and social housing and providing the services vulnerable Tasmanians require.

Ending homelessness truly does involve all of us. I believe that by continuing to work together we can provide more housing opportunities and also work with community groups to provide wraparound support services for vulnerable Tasmanians.

If you are at risk of homelessness, please contact Housing Connect by phoning 1800 800 588.

Guy Barnett is the Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing.