Ending homelessness in Australia: an evidence and policy deep dive
I attended an online presentation on February 2, 2022 that launched this report which is a collaboration between the Centre for Social Impact, the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Australia, and Swinburne University. The presentation was spoken by Paul Flatau (Uni WA), Jessica Dobrovic (Advance to Zero -AtoZ), Karyn Walsh (Micah Projects), David Pearson (AAEH - Australian Alliance to End Homelessness) and Shane Jakupec (NEAMI International), and a person called Leigh who had been without a home for 20 years, but is now housed and working as an outreach worker.
Apart from the report, which looks outstanding and can be accessed here: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2022-02/apo-nid315326.pdf
I noted the following from the presentation:
- 70% of rough sleepers had periods of out of home care as children
- 36% had been in prison at some stage
- 20% had been in youth detention when younger
- People experiencing homelessness can find it very difficult to know what services and resources are available to them.
- People who have found homes after a period of homelessness still need services and resources as they may not have the skills and experiences that enable them to live well in a home eg. shopping, cooking, washing clothes, keeping well.
- There are 48 beds available in transition housing in NSW for people exiting the prison system. There are 19,000 people leaving prison each year in NSW.
These are the ideas I had about how libraries could contribute to supporting people experiencing homelessness or insecure housing:
- Libraries are often open beyond normal business hours
- Some have associations with social workers
- Outreach into prisons to connect with homeless supports before release
- Libraries as a place to unite the silos
- Places to engage with distance education
- Outreach services could include home visits to recently housed people and families
- Libraries can be a safe space for families and children experiencing homelessness
- Libraries can include peer-support workers
- Libraries can provide meeting places for community buddies
- Streamline communication
- Local government is important in providing services and interventions and libraries are already part of this network so can be involved in direct service delivery
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