Facts about Sole Parents and Homelessness

Sole parent families are over-represented among users of homelessness services, reflecting the fact that sole parents often contend with many causes and effects of disadvantage - including unemployment, poverty and family violence.

Housing stress is defined as:

�          Living with the threat of eviction or being forced to move.

�          Not having a house to live in, including staying with relatives

�          Being housed in emergency shelter accommodation

�          Being housed in accommodation which is distressing or unsuitable.

A qualitative study into homelessness was conducted by a final year social work student from Flinders University in South Australia. The participants (10) interviewed ranged in age from 19yrs to 44yrs, with a mean age of 32 years.

(Due to issues of confidentiality the entire report is currently unavailable to readers)

Findings

• Nine of the ten women were totally reliant on a government pension as their main source of income. Of that nine, two receive maintenance, one has a small part-time job, and the remaining participant earns fifty percent of her income from a part-time permanent position.

• Only three of the ten had been able to access the private rental market, but none had been able to afford to stay there, with rents ranging from $160 - $170 per week.

• Of that three, two cited sub-standard property maintenance combined with cost as a reason for exiting this market.

• Rental costs for SAHT homes ranged from $55 per week with rent assistance, to $90 without rent assistance.

• Domestic violence - both physical and emotional was cited as the causality of housing stress in nine out of ten cases.

• On-going housing stress was reported to have been related to:

• Child sexual abuse (n=3)

• Neighbourhood violence/disputes (n=3)

• All women (n=10) cited clinical depression as a direct result of their housing stress.

• Accompanying disorders were reported in individual cases including hyper-vigilance, migraines, diarrhoea, loss of self-esteem, chronic fear, guilt, eating disorders, uncontrollable shaking.

• All women with school age children (n=4) felt that their children�s educational performance had been negatively affected by too many moves.

• 80 percent of mothers reported that their children had developed breathing disorders (asthma, psychosomatic asthma) accompanied by skin rashes (hives, eczema) as a causality of housing stress.

• Behavioural issues including aggression and depression were reported by mothers whose children had experienced housing stress.

 �While the women have to leave their homes, families, relations and friends, the children have to leave their toys, their schools and their friends. The children are tremendously affected by the trauma and I think the motel is the worst stage. For a start they have to leave their room when it is being cleaned - they�re out of school, they�ve got nowhere to play and they have to have their meals out. It�s really a difficult time.�  (Family Support Worker, Domestic Violence Shelter.)

South Australian scenario

Data from 1999-2000 shows that children accompanied clients to South Australian Assisted Programmes (SAAP) agencies on 31,600 occasions that year. (1) The majority of these children were in sole-parent families headed by females, with family or domestic violence cited as the main cause of homelessness.

 �Last financial year (2000 - 2001) we spent $200,000 just on motel accommodation for domestic violence clients. Sometimes women have to stay in a motel for up to 14 days until we can find them something. Meanwhile they are severely traumatized, not to mention the children who are distressed and traumatized and just want to go home to their dads, their toys and their own rooms.� (Housing Support Co-ordinator, South Australian Housing Trust)

In South Australia the Housing Trust is the state�s largest landlord, accommodating 48,500 tenants in a mixed stock of 51,250 homes and units.

However, more than 24,700 people are waiting up to eight years for a Housing Trust home as stocks plummet to their lowest level in 18 years (Clarke, 2002). Under the Liberal government over 11,000 Trust homes have been sold over the past 10 years, earning the government more than $482 million, while last year only 173 new homes where built. (Clarke, 2002). Added to this is the potential impact of a further reduction of 1,400 SA Housing Trust residences announced in the state budget (2002). This minimisation of stock impacts on those who cannot afford to access the private rental market and therefore have no alternative accommodation.

(1) Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness - Working Towards a National Homelessness Strategy, 2001.

National Scenario

In order to address the rising number of homeless families and children, the Commonwealth government instigated a National Homelessness Strategy in 2000 and appointed a Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness. Task forces were appointed in each state and territory and in 2001, the first National Housing Conference was held in Brisbane.

However, as yet no new housing policies have been introduced. No money has been allocated towards this problem in the recent Federal budget (2002), while the South Australian state budget announced a further cut of 1,400 SAHT homes. The crucial outcome of extensive research and hopefully a solution to this escalating crisis, lies in the Commonwealth�s renegotiation of CSHA in 2003.

National data on Homelessness

A recent survey (2) found that there are 105, 304 people homeless on any given night in Australia. Of this number:

• 20, 579 are in improvised dwelling or sleeping rough.

• 23, 299 are living in boarding houses

• 12, 926 are in government provided (SAAP) accommodation

• 48, 500 are living with friends or family, many in this group are young people, moving constantly from place to place. (Chamberlain, 1999 in 2).

(2) Mission Australian Research and Policy, 2002.

Clearly the situation for many Australian families is critical while we await further decisions from the Australian Government.  Below is a comprehensive bibliography on this issue.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, J., 2001;Housing Creates (w) health and wellbeing. SACOSS; Shelter SA.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999; Housing Characteristics, Costs  and  Conditions. Catalogue No. 4182.0

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1998; Australian Housing in Brief. Catalogue No. 1319.0.

Australian Federation of Homeless Organsiation., 2002; News. 5^th Edition.

Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations., 2000 - 2001; Annual Report.

Beed, A., 1999   Housing Investment and the Private Rental Sector in Australia. Urban Studies, Vol 36, No. 2: 255 - 269.  

Burke, T & Hulse, K., 2001   Sole Parents, Social Wellbeing and Housing Assistance �Our Homes, Our Communities, Our Future�. Paper, National Housing Conference, Brisbane.

Campbell, J., 2001   �The Indigenous Housing Sector and Why it Needs a Peak Body� National Housing Action, Vol 15, No.2.  

Cass, B., 1991  �The Housing Needs of Women and Children.� Discussion Paper. The National Housing Strategy. Sydney University.

Clarke, C., 2002 �Housing Trust Slashes homes To 24 year Low.� Sunday Mail, March 24.

Croce, C., 2001 Creating the Links between Housing, Employment and Income Support. National Shelter Inc. Adelaide.

Community Housing: Building on Success; policy directions for community housing in Australia. October, 2001.

Commonwealth Advisory committee on Homelessness: Working Towards a National Homelessness Strategy. Department of Family & Community Services, Canberra. 2001.

Direen, R., 2001 Indigenous Homelessness Research Project; National Housing Action, Vol 15 No1,

Dutreix, C., 2001 Post Release Homelessness: Housing Policy and Crime: Release, No 117.

Fewster,S., 2002 Special Report: �Every Night, 8,000 People Need a Bed.� The Advertiser. Feb 25.

Front Lines: A Newsletter on Violence., 2001,  Issue 4, Nov. Department of Human Services  

Haran, P., 2002   �Housing Crisis Hits Bush,� The Sunday Mail. March 8.

Hensley, T., 2001   Urban Regeneration and Its Impact on Homelessness: National Housing Action, Vol 15, No1.