Current Issues Impacting On The Prs

Cowan D & Marsh. 2001. A Two Steps Forward: Housing Policy into the New Millennium. Policy Press

Homelessness is an issue which stems from a large range of external factors which by themselves are difficult to address. One such contemporary factor in NSW regarding homelessness is the affordability of adequate shelter with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting the median price in Sydney to be $1.15 million. This has made it harder for individuals to afford homes which are adequate as per the requirements of article 11

“One diverse population that has continued to increase over the quarter of a century is composed of people who are homeless” (Baggerly & Zalaquett, 2006, p.155). Homelessness has become a growing problem in society because more and more people are finding themselves to be homeless and not knowing where to turn. Many people do not

Homelessness is all our responsibility. Waking every morning in a warm bed in a secure house for some Australians is only a dream. Every day more and more people are becoming or are at risk of becoming homeless as the global economy crumbles away and monetary resources become harder to find. What is homelessness: the Australian Government Department of Health (2005) defines homelessness as a person who is without a conventional home. Homeless Australians have become disconnected from family and friend and has few, if any resource and very little prospect of achieving financial independence without Government assistant. This assessment will talk about Australia’s history with homelessness, it will go onto to talk about the Government’s role

Families on a low income can be placed in local authority housing. If the family grows then this can cause overcrowding within the home. It can result in child having no privacy or space which can affect the child homework. If the home is within a dangerous area then this may result in the children becoming isolated, as their parents may be fearful of letting them out to play or they may themselves become involved in anti-social behaviour and criminal activities.

Families require stabilized housing that is affordable, safe and maintained. If they don’t have stabile housing they are moving more often and this can effect the children’s education when being moved from school to school. The parents are unable to focus on the other areas of their lives when they are unable to find decent housing.

This may result in overcrowding, for example being housed in a bedsit or home with insufficient bedrooms. This means the child has no privacy, or personal space. They may struggle with homework and course work because of the lack of a quiet space in which to complete it. The housing provided may be of a poor quality – suffering damp or be in disrepair. This could have a detrimental effect on the child’s health – causing asthma or frequent colds and coughs. It will probably be in a less desirable area or could be in an area with social disorder problems. This may result in the children becoming isolated, as their parents may be fearful of letting them out to play or they may themselves become involved in anti-social behaviour and criminal activities

21.9% of renter households spend more than 50% of their income on shelter putting them at serious risk of homelessness. (http://www.wesley.ca/cmfiles/Onanygivennight.pdf). As Gaetz, Donaldson, Richter, & Gulliver (2013) reveal the fact in their report ‘The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013’ that approximately 30,000 individuals are counted as homelessness every night. Among them, around 3,000 individuals are found totally unsheltered and spend each night outside on the street, in parks or in an open place without even any shade overhead. Oudshoorn , Ward-Griffin & Berman (2013) say that whenever people are exposed to homelessness for any of the factors, they try to look for service agencies. Naturally, these 10% of total unsheltered homelessness are the result of government’s inappropriate policy to reach them as rest other are somehow managed by different

For many individuals the difference between their current income and the cost of increasing housing in their neighborhood puts them at a risk, houses need to be affordable for people with even lower incomes before they consider being homeless. As stated in the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders it has been said that, “ Homelessness is an acute version of residential instability, which can be compared or contrasted with definitions of poverty” (Homelessness). Homelessness and poverty have similar factors, difficult choices have to be made when individuals have a limited amount resources to provide for themselves and their families. The problem of insufficient incomes has been attributed to the growth of homelessness in the country. Those individuals that are employed are continually at risk of being homeless because by the time they pay their rent and utilities, there is not enough money to buy food or necessities. It is a disparaging thought that many homeless people are living on the streets due to them not receiving an equal opportunity to afford housing. It is equally discouraging when you have a job and still unable to sustain a valuable life, that will not lead you to being homeless. In a recent study, authors Doug Smith and Shelby Grad wrote that, “More than 2 million households in L.A. and Orange County have housing costs that exceed 30% of income, according to data from

Homelessness has been a globalised concern for centuries. In United Kingdom homelessness predominantly describes in the lines homeless legislation such the Housing Act (2004) and Homeless persons Act (2002) Burrows, Pleace and Quilgars, (2004). This in predominantly surrounding who is perceived as homeless based certain criteria whereby the individual cannot be intentional homeless. However, priority is given to women who have children and women who are vulnerable, in cases such as domestic violence, abuse and mental illness (Fitzpatrick, Kemp and Klinker 2010). Despite this, evidence demonstrates that increasingly women are affected by homelessness; particularly single female-headed households, whereby single female often has to define their vulnerabilities.

Housing demand includes household growth, real incomes, real wealth, tax concessions to both owner-occupied and rental housing, concessions to first homebuyers, returns on alternative investments, cost and availability of finance for housing and the institutional structure affecting housing finance provision (Yates, 2008). The growth in the number of households and in real income results in the increased pressure on housing demand.

Homelessness is increasing more every year. In fact, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, over 640,000 people experience homelessness every

The risk of individual who may currently have a home, but are at the brink of homelessness is high. It is often easier to ignore people who are homeless or even ignore that homelessness exists in our society because it is easier for society to blame the individual rather than society itself. It is important to advocate for those who are not able speak up for themselves. The article by the National Homeless Coalition (2009) states that there is a decline in public assistance for individuals who are homeless; therefore it is integral that we as a society seek assistance for these individuals and help promote awareness of the rise in homelessness.

In today’s society children becoming homeless and having to fend for themselves is wide-spread but homelessness in families also tends to be common (Jewel 2). This issue affects the human population in a very grave way which leaves one out of every fifty children experiencing this immense epidemic (Crary 1). The current recession, has caused sixteen percent of homeless children to be present in our country today and with the economy worsening this statistic will increase (Kingsbury 1).

(Reeves, 2005) furthermore, illustrates how differences in economic performance in different regions of a country affects demand and supply of housing. He compares London and the South-East to the Midlands and the North-East, stating that the economic growth in London and the South-East (coupled with sustained shortages in skilled labour) created a rise in average wage levels and a consequent rise in house prices as demand for private ownership of houses rose beyond supply. And that fluctuating growth levels negatively