The average cost of shelter is now out of reach for one in three Aussies with disability

Key points:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed Clare O’Neil as the new Minister for Housing in the recent ministry changes
• Organisations such as Homelessness Australia call for the government to improve social housing in the Everybody’s Home campaign
• Approximately 25,900 clients who receive support from specialist homelessness services live with disability, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Homelessness Week is being held between August 5 and 11, 2024 by Homelessness Australia to raise awareness of homelessness in the community and highlight the solutions required to end it.

Organisations such as Homelessness Australia are calling on the Australian Government to improve the number of social and affordable housing options in Australia through the Everybody’s Home campaign.

Approximately 25,900 clients who received support from specialist homelessness services live with disability, according to recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

With the recent appointment of Care O’Neil as the new Minister for Housing, representatives from the Everybody’s Home campaign are hopeful that this could initiate change in the current housing crisis.

Everybody’s Home campaign spokesperson Maiy Azize spoke about the expected collaboration with Minister Clare O’Neil and the impact on Australians.

“A new minister presents an opportunity to build on the government’s plans for housing. We look forward to working with Minister Clare O’Neil on what we hope will be an ambitious policy agenda ahead of the next federal election,” Ms Azize said. 

“Australians are relying on the government to be bold in their ambition. To make a lasting impact, we must drastically scale up social housing to meet the 640,000 shortfall.

“The government must also prioritise housing fairness by scrapping investor tax breaks and coordinating protections for renters. 

“Making housing more affordable for more Australians is possible if the government has the ambition and the willingness to act.”

You can sign the petition to ‘call on the government to fund a pipeline of at least 25,000 social and affordable homes each year’ on the Everybody’s Home website. 

Approximately 32 percent of Australian adults with disability have a low personal income, classified as $383 dollars or less per week. 

The average weekly housing cost is $493 dollars for Australians with mortgages. 

Federal Members of Parliament such as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten have signed the Everybody’s Home pledge to support investment in more social housing.

However, the current housing crisis and rental stress may contribute to Australians finding themselves at risk of homelessness.

Approximately six percent of households spend more than 50 percent of their combined income on housing costs. 

Orange Sky is a free mobile laundry and shower service that caters to Australians experiencing homelessness or are struggling financially. 

Data collected by Orange Sky indicates that approximately 57 percent of Australians struggle to make ends meet annually.

Co-founder of Orange Sky Nic Marchesi explained why the free laundry and shower service can make such a big difference in the lives of Australians experiencing homelessness.

“No one deserves to go without essentials — clean clothes, a hot shower and a safe place to sleep. However, rising costs are increasingly forcing everyday Australians to choose between living essentials, bills and rent and people who may have never thought they would be struggling financially are turning to us for help,” he said.

“We have seen a 21 percent increase in demand for our services since last financial year and this increase is coming from families, retirees, students and middle-aged women and men — even people with current employment are coming to us for help.

“[…] Homelessness can impact anyone and as we see financial hardship escalate, all it could take is one unfortunate circumstance for you or someone you know to fall on tough times,” Mr Marchesi said.

Approximately 41 percent of Australians with disability receive income from paid work, compared to 73 percent of peers without disability, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.  

An estimated 18 percent of Australians have disability, as per recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 

However, organisations such as Building Better Homes are also asking Australians to sign an open letter to NSW political leaders to improve housing opportunities for people with disability. 

On August 8, 2024, keynote speakers will address the need for accessible housing for people with disability in NSW and the signed open letter will be presented to NSW politicians. You can sign the open letter on the Building Better Homes website.

Read more about the open letter and how it could improve housing for people with disability in this article: NSW political leaders could improve housing accessibility for Aussies with disability in upcoming meeting. 

If you are experiencing homelessness or think you might be at risk, help is available.

A comprehensive list of helplines and support centres for each state and territory is available on the Homelessness Australia website. 

Additionally, you can check Orange Sky service locations on the official website. 

Are you a person with disability who has experienced homelessness? What are your thoughts on making housing more accessible?

Let the team at Talking Disability know on social media. 

For more information related to disability news, subscribe to the FREE weekly newsletter. 

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