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Let’s give them shelter

HE time for talk is over. As a community we need to act now on homelessness.

Winter is suddenly upon us and as anyone who shivered through the long weekend will tell you, the days are definitely colder and shorter.

Shivering through every day in winter is becoming the stark reality for more and more people on our streets, with as many as 120 people sleeping rough each night in the greater Hobart area.

Plus there are many who are caught in limbo. Those are the people who while having the means to pay simply can’t find a place to rent. They are forced to “couch surf” – to stay with friends until they can find a home – or even pitch a tent in a hidden part of the Domain.

A report released late last week by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute had gathered data from 2001 to 2016. It showed Hobart experienced a 54 per cent increase in the rate of homelessness in areas where there had been a shortage of affordable private rental housing – placing the state’s capital alongside Melbourne and Sydney as places where the problem is most acute. There were 26.1 homeless people per 10,000 people in 2001 and that had jumped to 38.6 by 2016. We all know that the problem has become considerably worse since then.

Homelessness is becoming more visible with more people huddled in doorways and on park benches. They can been seen collecting their scant belongings as commuters begin their work day and even begging for money at Salamanca Market.

At a time when thousands of visitors are pouring into the city to celebrate Dark Mofo it’s embarrassing that we haven’t been able to work together to find a way look after our own. The sight of well-heeled

Shivering through every day in winter is becoming the stark reality for more and more people on our streets

tourists out enjoying themselves as others struggle to stay warm provides a stark contrast in our community.

TasCOSS chief executive officer Kym Goodes said in a strong economy no Tasmanian should be sleeping rough.

“It’s difficult to imagine how long and hard your days and nights are with nowhere to call home.”

The Hobart City Council’s declaration of a homelessness emergency and convening a meeting to find solutions is a good start.

There have been suggestions of using repurposed shipping containers and opening up public buildings like the City Hall or churches.

No options should be ruled out. If shipping containers can be redesigned and used for university student housing, surely it can be done elsewhere.

The Government has committed to bring forward funding to for its Affordable Housing Action Plan which promises to release more land, build more affordable homes and to provide more supported accommodation. That’s good. But frankly, that’s not going to happen soon enough.

As Tex, a 48-year-old man spending his nights exposed to winter in Hobart, puts it: “Of course I’d appreciate a home through the winter. It’s hard looking at empty buildings throughout the city that are just collecting cobwebs while I lie cold trying to sleep outside.” It’s a clear message and there’s no time to lose. Let’s work together and fix this problem.