Question:
Discuss about the Initiat Homelessness and Affordable Housing Policy in Australia.
The report analyses the various aspects that influence the government policies. Here in Australia, the state and territory government as well as commonwealth government are responsible for the service delivery to its citizen. The aim of this report is to discuss the social, economic and ecological factors that influence the policies associated with homelessness issues in Australia. To solve this growing homelessness problem, a systematic effort has been initiated through affordable housing by the state and the commonwealth government.
The Federal government of Australia has started to take initiatives to introduce long-term affordability reforms in housing sector. This includes establishment of new social housing and community housing plans (van den Nouwelant et al., 2015). The government’s policy to establish a UK-style bond aggregator aims to encourage greater investment both private as well as institutional, which will offer long-term and cheaper finance to the registered providers of low-cost housing.
Affordable housing fulfils the basic needs of shelter and leads to both physical and mental health as it reduces stress and threat of infectious diseases. The affordable housing of communities can reduce air pollution, traffic congestion and road expenditure as well as enables the local workforce to stay nearer to their work places.
In Australia, more than one hundred thousand people are homeless. The government policies aim to advocate equitable and affordable housing system where these homeless as well people with low income can access. For providing safe, affordable and secured housing, the government has taken policies like-
The complex issue of homelessness has been recognised by the government. The issue needs long-term effort across the community, agencies and sectors. The state and territory governments are supported by commonwealth for providing various services to the homeless as well as those who are on the verge of being homeless (Heerde, Broderick & Florent, 2012). The various aspects of social problems influence the policy. The need of new homes for the homeless and improve the housing is the chief element of the government policy. To solve these issues, national agreement for affordable housing and partnership agreement on homelessness have been initiated as well as revised.
The NPAH funding allows the state government and territories to demonstrate and form effective model (Milbourne & Cloke, 2013). This practice model will prevent and end homelessness in Australia. social issues relating young people and women along with children at the risk of homelessness have great effect on development of National Homelessness Strategy.
The government’s program to fight against homelessness involves the issue of welfare of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. The policies involve measures that helps minimising the number of indigenous people from becoming homeless. This factor influences the government policy for allocating the support to the aboriginal people and providing an ethnic responsive model to these people who are either homeless or at the risk of homelessness.
The affordable housing policy has been influenced by the National Homelessness Strategy. This strategy urges for formation of an integrated service model which will set up a collaboration among homelessness, affordable housing and aged are services. Therefore, the policy will felicitate the aged people prioritising the vulnerabilities and prevention of homelessness.
Among the homeless, a high amount of illicit drug usage has been found but it is not the drug addiction problem for which they have become homeless. Rather the brutality and frustration originated from homelessness issue are the reason for increasing drug addiction among the youth.
The problems of the people with disabilities who are also homeless, have greatly affected the government policy of affordable housing. The government has engaged with National Disability Insurance Agency and has developed strategies (Davison et al., 2014) This will increase government’s quick intervention and effective response to the homeless disabled people.
The need for social housing of the homeless people and the young as well as women influenced the government in policy making, from which the Housing First idea originated. The housing first approach is the recovery oriented action that helps the Australian government to end homelessness by quickly moving the homeless people into a permanent and independent housing.
Addressing affordability of building house has pose to be a challenge of policy makers. This is because Australians invest most of their wealth in construction their houses. Therefore, affordable housing policy can affect other areas of economy. The policies of Australian government have provided a sustainable platform for future growth (Gaetz, 2014). The establishment of Investment Corporation has formed a bond aggregator to issue bonds to the investors and this fund helps to lend to the social and community housing. The commonwealth has committed to encourage the proposals for using the land for constructing affordable houses. Combined with this, the budget has open the opportunity for the state and territory governments to increase the supply of community and social houses (Lawson, Hamilton & Pawson, 2014).
These policies have good aims for social welfare, but insufficient to manage current homelessness crisis in effective way. The factors like rent assistance and housing for the low income people as well as homeless have a great impact on financial aspects of the government policy. For the Australian homeless services, the government funding has aggravated the problematic issues (Flatau et al., 2013) Firstly, the funding has made some effort to address the homelessness issues but the problem has tip over into the disadvantaged Australian. In addition to this, the lack of affordable housing has increased the existing homelessness issues difficult to cope up.
Secondly, the policy funding contains some punitive reform measure that has affected the homelessness. The funding measures have penalised the welfare recipients by targeting the illicit drug abusers. The government has reduced or cancelled the payment or funding of these homeless people and stopped the services as well as social housing system (Chamberlain, Johnson & Robinson, 2014). This financial issue has a great impact on the government’s policy making. This crisis needs to be handled in a prudent way. According to the social welfare groups, instead of taking punitive measures, the government needs to invest in drug treatment services as it is an effective and evidence based method to treat these homeless people effectively.
The affordable housing approach to solve the homelessness issue can be seen from the ecological framework. An ecological and contextual approach negates exclusive focus on the individual features. This ecological framework helps in better recognition of the factors that hinder the development of homelessness and community integration (Wood, Batterham & Mallett, 2014). The reasons behind the homelessness are complex as well as multi-faceted. Mental illness and substance use issues are the chief risk factors for homelessness. The stressful or frustrated perspective of future, family conflict and major financial problems contribute to enhance threats for homelessness welfare services in Australia (Hulse, Reynolds & Yates, 2014). The government’s weakness for supporting to these people and fast growing poverty issue influence the policy making process. The lack of affordable housing, relationship with the hosing environments as well as house support services contribute to increase the problems (Milligan et al., 2015).
Construction of houses in the integrated neighbourhood including access to diverse resources such as inexpensive transportation and local amenities, affect positively on housing environment. The issues regarding higher standard of living influence on the affordable housing policy. The housing stability, community participation and psychological wellbeing are the factors associated with solving the homelessness issue (Petersen et al., 2014). The integration of the homeless people with disabilities and mental illness within the communities must be the chief goal of supported housing policies. The mentally ill people are affected by rejection and isolation, therefore, do not access the opportunities to engage in their community activities and develop social relations.
The psychological integration of the women and children who are affected by mental and physical violence is need of time. The affordable housing can be an optimistic solution to this problem. The policies have a range of invention as well as prevention initiatives to address the domestic violence and violence due to homelessness. Counselling, therapeutic services and healthcare for the children are the factors that influence the government. Bedside these, proper care for contagious diseases, availability of medicines and cater for complex health ned of the aged people are ecological factors that have a great impact on the governmental programs.
In order to create a series of modular ecological and affordable housing prototypes, the involvement of the welfare agencies and support of the government’s program are necessary. to demonstrate the environmental as well as ecological potential of affordable housing an interdisciplinary team of engineers, architectures, investors, environmental scientists, planners and economists need to participate in the designing, constructing and evaluating of the project (Parsell, Jones & Head, 2013). The non-profit affordable housing organizations can help in building homes which will be distributed to the low-income families with governmental subsidies for financing (Fairchild, Thompson & McFerran, 2016). The process of determining the environmental impact of these houses during the life cycle, active perceptions of the owners and their neighbours, energy efficiency of the equipment and design and the economic viability of the production are influencing factor of the government policy.
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the above analysis it can be concluded that the homelessness is a burning issue that the Australian government itself recognises and terms it to be very complex problem to solve. The welfare agencies and non-governmental organisations that work on this problem, have predicted that seventy thousand people will be homeless in this year in Australia. However, very little progress has been observed by the service recipients in comparison to the commitment of the government and needs more involvement.
References:
Chamberlain, C., Johnson, G., & Robinson, C. (Eds.). (2014). Homelessness in Australia. UNSW Press.
Davison, G., Legacy, C., Liu, E., Han, H., Phibbs, P., Nouwelant, R. V. D., … & Piracha, A. (2013). Understanding and addressing community opposition to affordable housing development. Australian Housing and Urban Research Insitute Final Report Series, 211, 1-173.
Fairchild, R., Thompson, G., & McFerran, K. S. (2016). Exploring the meaning of a performance in music therapy for children and their families experiencing homelessness and family violence. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(1), 36-49.
Flatau, P., Conroy, E., Spooner, C., Edwards, R., Eardley, T., & Forbes, C. (2013). Lifetime and intergenerational experiences of homelessness in Australia.
Gaetz, S. (2014). Coming of age: Reimagining the response to youth homelessness in Canada. Canadian Homelessness Research Network.
Heerde, J. A., Broderick, D., & Florent, A. (2012). Associations between leaving out-of-home care and post-transition youth homelessness: A review. Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, (32), 35.
Hulse, K., Reynolds, M., & Yates, J. (2014). Changes in the supply of affordable housing in the private rental sector for lower income households, 2006–11. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute at Swinburne University of Technology and The University of Sydney, 8.
Lawson, J., Hamilton, C., & Pawson, H. (2014). Enhancing affordable rental housing investment via an intermediary and guarantee. Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Melbourne.
Milbourne, P., & Cloke, P. J. (Eds.). (2013). International perspectives on rural homelessness. Routledge.
Milligan, V., Pawson, H., Williams, P., & Yates, J. (2015). Next moves? Expanding affordable rental housing in Australia through institutional investment. City.
Parsell, C., Jones, A., & Head, B. (2013). Policies and programmes to end homelessness in Australia: Learning from international practice. International Journal of Social Welfare, 22(2), 186-194.
Petersen, M., Parsell, C., Phillips, R., & White, G. (2014). Preventing first time homelessness amongst older Australians. AHURI Final Report???, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Melbourne.
van den Nouwelant, R., Davison, G., Gurran, N., Pinnegar, S., & Randolph, B. (2015). Delivering affordable housing through the planning system in urban renewal contexts: converging government roles in Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. Australian Planner, 52(2), 77-89.
Wood, G., Batterham, D., & Mallett, S. (2014). The spatial dynamics of homelessness in Australia 2001–2011.
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