The lives of older people experiencing homelessness, particularly older women, will improve markedly if the NSW Government implements the recommendations handed down today by the Social Issues Committee inquiry into homelessness amongst older people aged over 55.
Two key recommendations are to:
Fund a specialist older person’s housing information and support service that comprises both an early intervention and crisis response, similar to Victoria’s Home at Last service.
Build more social and affordable homes that meet the needs of older people.
It’s appropriate that this report is launched in Anti-Poverty Week. Too many older people are living in poverty, at risk of homelessness and for some, homelessness is a traumatic reality. Safe, secure housing is fundamental to good health and wellbeing.
As a member of the Ageing on the Edge NSW group, we look forward to working with the NSW Government in implementing these recommendations.
The Productivity Commission’s review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement was released on 30 September. The report examines how well the Australian, State and Territory Governments have achieved the objectives, outcomes and outputs set out in the Agreement, and the suitability of the Agreement for the future.
The Committee described the current agreement as ineffective at providing access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing. It noted that the agreement does not foster collaboration between governments or hold governments to account.
It noted that ” the next intergovernmental Agreement (and the proposed National Housing and Homelessness Plan) is an opportunity for governments to work together on a national reform agenda to make housing more affordable. Rising rents and low vacancy rates are placing private renters under pressure, which increases demand for government-funded housing and homelessness services.
The focus of the next Agreement should be on improving the affordability of the private rental market and the targeting of housing assistance. Improving the capacity of low-income renters to pay for housing and removing constraints on new housing supply are key to making housing more affordable.”
⇒ 1st prize: Ava W. from Emmanuel College Warrnambool
⇒ 2nd prize: Anjani M. from Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College
⇒ 3rd prize: Emma K. from Orange High School NSW
The calibre of entries was very high and judging was difficult. We are very grateful to Kyle Tink MP, member for North Sydney, who was a great help with judging. Kylea is passionate about climate change, the subject for this year’s awards.
Another 11 entries were awarded Highly Commended prizes, from the following schools:
This brand new report from Anti-Slavery Australia shines light on the contribution that survivors of modern slavery can make to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Australia’s response to modern slavery. This report challenges our current response to modern slavery and offers us the means of developing effective responses, that are led by the guidance and wisdom of survivors. The Mercy Foundation proudly supported this research through our grants program.
Drawing on survivor-authored or informed literature and interviews with survivors, survivor advocates and organisations working with survivors, this report charts the push — led by survivors — to engage with survivors in meaningful, ethical, and trauma-informed ways to improve responses to modern slavery.
This important research recognises that survivors have much to share that goes beyond their story. It recognises and values their expertise and their wisdom. Effective responses to modern slavery will only be developed with the input, guidance and in collaboration with survivors.
We congratulate Frances Simmons and Jennifer Burn for this detailed, valuable and actionable report, and sincerely thank the survivors who generously shared their wisdom and insights.
The latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery reveal that 50 million people are living in modern slavery. Of this group, 28 million are in forced labour and 22 million are trapped in forced marriage.
Of great concern is that 12.5 million children are living in modern slavery, representing 25% of total numbers.
These devastating numbers represent a significant increase of 25% or 10 million people since the last estimates, 5 years ago. Modern slavery is found in every region of the world.
The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery are produced by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Walk Free and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
According to the ILO,
Forced Labour
86% of cases of forced labour are found in the private sector
23% of cases are forced commercial sexual exploitation where almost 4 out of 5 are women and girls.
63% were in other forms of commercial exploitation
One in 8 of all people in forced labour are children, and more than half are in commercial sexual exploitation
Migrant workers are more than three times likely to be in forced labour than non-migrant workers, indicating their vulnerability as a result of irregular or poorly governed migration, unfair and unethical recruitment practices.
Forced Marriage
22 million people were living in forced marriage, an increase of 6.6 million since 2016.
The true incidence of forced marriage is likely to be much greater.
ILO Director- General Guy Ryder said:“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving. Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights. We know what needs to be done, and we know it can be done. Effective national policies and regulation are fundamental. But governments cannot do this alone. International standards provide a sound basis, and an all-hands-on-deck approach is needed. Trade unions, employers’ organizations, civil society and ordinary people all have critical roles to play.”
Causal factors: Compounding crises
According to the Executive Summary of the report,
“The COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts and climate change have led to unprecedented disruption to employment and education, increases in extreme poverty and forced and unsafe migration, and an upsurge in reports of gender-based violence. Together, these serve to heighten the risk of all forms of modern slavery. It is those who are already in situations of greatest vulnerability, including the poor and socially excluded, workers in the informal economy, irregular or otherwise un- protected migrant workers, and people subject to discrimination, who are most affected.”
Urgent and widespread action is needed now. We must do more to counter this unacceptable increase in numbers and devastating impact on lives.
Ending Modern Slavery
The report proposes the following recommendations that would make a significant impact on ending modern slavery:
Improving and enforcing laws and labour inspections;
ending state-imposed forced labour;
stronger measures to combat forced labour and trafficking in business and supply chains;
extending social protection, and strengthening legal protections, including raising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exception.
addressing the increased risk of trafficking and forced labour for migrant workers,
promoting fair and ethical recruitment,
greater support for women, girls and vulnerable individuals.
The report in response to the NSW Committee on Community Services inquiry to improve access to existing and alternate accommodation to address the housing shortfall in NSW was released on 18 August 2022.
There are currently 50,000 applicants on the social housing wait list in NSW as a result of a chronic shortage of social and affordable housing.
The inquiry made a number of recommendations including:
The NSW Government should continue to increase investment in the provision and maintenance of public and social housing to address the critical shortage of housing options for those who are eligible for it.
That the Department of Planning and Environment co-designs with housing and homelessness experts, a framework for meanwhile use that covers suitability of the property, support services for tenants, minimum timeframes, types of buildings, conversion costs and factors, and local community consultation.
That the Department of Planning and Environment provides grants to local councils and housing providers for innovative housing programs, such as home sharing and tiny homes while longer term solutions are developed.
That the Department of Planning and Environment works with local councils and community housing providers to reduce barriers to the provision of meanwhile use, social and affordable housing.
That the Department of Planning and Environment consults with local councils on ways to speed up the planning approval process for meanwhile use.
That the Department of Planning and Environment works with community housing providers and local councils to address policy barriers that hinder the use of government land for social and affordable housing.
That the Department of Planning and Environment reviews data on vacant private dwellings and considers reforms to maximise the use of unoccupied dwellings.
The Mercy Foundation’s submission cautioned the Committee about the use of stop-gap, short term and transitional forms of housing, especially for older women who require secure, permanent, affordable and appropriate housing to age in place well and remain in their community. People experiencing chronic homelessness require permanent housing and access to services so that they can lay down roots, look to the future and address any challenges they may face. Families need an affordable, appropriate and secure home to thrive.
A Grant to End Homelessness was awarded to QShelter and Zonta to provide a better understanding of home ownership options for older women on low incomes, who are at risk of homelessness. The report included a deep dive into shared equity schemes along with research with 166 women to learn more about their current financial status to better understand their ability to repay a loan.
The report included financial modelling of a number of scenarios for women at different ages, income levels, available savings for deposits, various mortgage terms and property values.
The results showed that a shared equity scheme may be suitable for:
single women aged 45 – 55 years
earning $55,000 – $80,000
property price: $300,000
equity share: 50%
maintenance costs per fortnight: $200
mortgage term: 15 years
deposit available: up to $30,000
Modelling showed that shared equity would be affordable for this cohort of women in terms of housing cost (less than 30% of income) and cost of living benchmarks (less than 80% of gross income).
QShelter has shared the research with the private sector, financial sector and community sector representatives to investigate alternative ways to finance housing, including shared equity for older women.
QShelter plans to continue running workshops and making presentations to State and Federal Government and other key stakeholders with a view to piloting a scheme in the near future.
The Give Me Shelter report by Housing All Australians in partnership with SGS Economics provides an economic analysis of the long term costs to Australia if we do not provide sufficient housing for everyone.
The study shows that the lack of investment in housing has led to a decrease in social housing from 6% to 4% of housing stock. That’s an actual decrease of 33%.
The report estimates that the failure to act on shelter needs will cost the community $25 billion per year by 2051. The economic return is stated as ‘every $1 the Australian community invests in social and affordable housing will deliver $2 in benefits.’
The report makes the case for investing in social and affordable housing as offering strong economic and social returns. And it’s the right thing to do.
The USA’s Trafficking in Persons report for 2022 was recently released. The annual report includes topics of special interest, such as forced labour and clean energy transition and the climate crisis and its impact on trafficking. The report ranks each country by tier, with tier 1 being the highest and 3 the lowest. The tier is determined by their government’s efforts to combat trafficking. The report provides a narrative for each country with recommendations.
Australia is given a tier 1 ranking and the report offers a number of recommendations, including:
increase efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups
further de-link the provision of service from participation in the criminal justice process
continue efforts to train police, immigration officials and other front line officers,
increase efforts to investigate and hold accountable foreign diplomats posted in Australia suspected of complicity in trafficking
establish a national compensation scheme for trafficking victims.
A report from Monash University to inform the next National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 was released on 14 July. The report places housing at the forefront of the next National Plan, requiring significant investment in social housing and affordable housing that is tailored to the meet the needs of the family or individuals impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence.
Housing is viewed by stakeholders as the foundation to healing and recovery from domestic and family violence.
The key findings on desired outcomes for housing are:
Housing must be at the forefront of the next National Plan.
The Commonwealth Government should undertake a national review to determine the level of demand, supply and cohorts’ needs for a fully funded safe housing system.
The next National Plan should commit to delivering a significant investment into social housing for individuals impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence. This must include investment in long-term housing (covering at least a two-to-three-year period).
There is a need to deliver specialised and inclusive housing options, including for First Nations populations, LGBTQIA+ communities, and for individuals from migrant backgrounds
The Safe at Home program should be expanded, and evaluations embedded to determine effectiveness to enhance women’s safety and economic recovery from COVID-19.
Housing options for perpetrators removed from the home should be expanded to increase feasibility and safety of women and children remaining in the home.
Domestic and family violence is a key driver of women’s homelessness. Many stakeholders voiced concern that there was no section on housing in the previous National Plan and the desire for housing to be a key area of focus in the next National Plan.
