- Rudd Government launches plan to reduce homelessness
- News Dot Com
- 21/12/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
HOMELESS services will be overhauled under recommendations of a new Rudd Government White Paper, which calls for the halving of the number of homeless and accommodating all those sleeping rough by 2020.
The white paper on homelessness, The Road Home, was launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today, with a pledge of $1.2 billion over four years to build new housing and increases to prevention services.
The $1.2 billion will be jointly funded by the Commonwealth, states and territories, with $800 million going toward homeless prevention and $400 million to building more housing.
The Commonwealth will fund $800 million of the new program, and the states and territories $400 million - a 55 per cent increase in existing funding for homeless services, Mr Rudd said.
The funding comes on top of the Government's $6.1 billion affordable housing program.
"A country like this should not have this problem," Mr Rudd said.
"It's time we had a decent solution to this problem that has been around for a long time.
"Every night in Australia, 105,000 people are homeless. About 16,000 of those sleep rough on the streets.
"As a nation we can do a lot better than that."
The white paper sets out goals for 2013 and 2020, with a Council of Homelessness to be appointed by the Prime Minister to monitor the scheme.
The council will report to the Mr Rudd every year.
Mr Rudd said the $1.2 billion funding would help create up to 10,000 jobs, a much needed economic injection during the global financial crisis.
The new scheme will aim to prevent homelessness before it occurs, and provide support to those susceptible to homelessness to break the cycle of life on the streets, Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said.
Markers such as the numbers of people sleeping rough and and the number of those presenting to homeless services would be used to determine the program's success, she said.
"The markers that we've got between now and 2013 will tell us whether we are on track to meeting our 2020 goals, they'll give us a good insight into whether we need to lift effort in a particular area," she said.
With the additional $1.2 billion in funding the Government has promised to help up to 9000 children at risk of homelessness stay with their families, and provide 2250 early intervention services for 2250 families.
There will also be 2700 additional houses built for people at risk of homelessness, while an additional 4200 homes will be built in remote indigenous communities.
Chair of the steering committee appointed to oversee the white paper's implementation, Brotherhood of St Laurence executive director Tony Nicholson, said the plan was "by far the most substantial commitment to tackling homelessness that we have ever seen in Australia".
"After many years Australians have become accustomed to glib, political promises attached to grab bags of initiatives and this stands in great contrast to that approach," Mr Nicholson said.
"It stands out as a coherent, well thought-out practical strategy that does have a realistic chance of making huge inroads on homelessness in Australia."
Mr Nicholson praised the focus on prevention, saying it was much overdue.
"For too long we have intervened after the event in Australia," he said.
"This emphasis on prevention is going to mean that tens of thousands are going to avoid the trauma of homelessness."
The white paper on homelessness, The Road Home, was launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today, with a pledge of $1.2 billion over four years to build new housing and increases to prevention services.
The $1.2 billion will be jointly funded by the Commonwealth, states and territories, with $800 million going toward homeless prevention and $400 million to building more housing.
The Commonwealth will fund $800 million of the new program, and the states and territories $400 million - a 55 per cent increase in existing funding for homeless services, Mr Rudd said.
The funding comes on top of the Government's $6.1 billion affordable housing program.
"A country like this should not have this problem," Mr Rudd said.
"It's time we had a decent solution to this problem that has been around for a long time.
"Every night in Australia, 105,000 people are homeless. About 16,000 of those sleep rough on the streets.
"As a nation we can do a lot better than that."
The white paper sets out goals for 2013 and 2020, with a Council of Homelessness to be appointed by the Prime Minister to monitor the scheme.
The council will report to the Mr Rudd every year.
Mr Rudd said the $1.2 billion funding would help create up to 10,000 jobs, a much needed economic injection during the global financial crisis.
The new scheme will aim to prevent homelessness before it occurs, and provide support to those susceptible to homelessness to break the cycle of life on the streets, Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek said.
Markers such as the numbers of people sleeping rough and and the number of those presenting to homeless services would be used to determine the program's success, she said.
"The markers that we've got between now and 2013 will tell us whether we are on track to meeting our 2020 goals, they'll give us a good insight into whether we need to lift effort in a particular area," she said.
With the additional $1.2 billion in funding the Government has promised to help up to 9000 children at risk of homelessness stay with their families, and provide 2250 early intervention services for 2250 families.
There will also be 2700 additional houses built for people at risk of homelessness, while an additional 4200 homes will be built in remote indigenous communities.
Chair of the steering committee appointed to oversee the white paper's implementation, Brotherhood of St Laurence executive director Tony Nicholson, said the plan was "by far the most substantial commitment to tackling homelessness that we have ever seen in Australia".
"After many years Australians have become accustomed to glib, political promises attached to grab bags of initiatives and this stands in great contrast to that approach," Mr Nicholson said.
"It stands out as a coherent, well thought-out practical strategy that does have a realistic chance of making huge inroads on homelessness in Australia."
Mr Nicholson praised the focus on prevention, saying it was much overdue.
"For too long we have intervened after the event in Australia," he said.
"This emphasis on prevention is going to mean that tens of thousands are going to avoid the trauma of homelessness."
Source: https://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24830328-421,00.html
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