Homelessness in Australia is getting worse. It’s no longer just city centres where people are forced to sleep rough, live in their cars or rely on temporary shelter. The most recent census showsouter suburbs and regional areas are feeling housing pressures like never before.

More often than not, communities in these areas just don’t know what to do. Increasingly, residents are asking small, stretched local councils to go beyond their traditional responsibilities of rates, roads and rubbish and do more to tackle homelessness.

Yet local government lacks the mandate or the money to do so. Often, the only tool at local councils’ disposal is enforcement of local laws on behaviour in public places.

And when councils do get involved in the problem of homelessness, it’s often too late. They are reacting when homelessness has reached crisis point, instead of working to prevent it.

Now, with the federal government developing Australia’s first National Housing and Homelessness Plan, there is growing recognition that state and federal governments must give their local counterparts a seat at the table. My new report on what local government can do to end homelessness suggests councils — more than 500 of them across the country — could be the missing link in efforts to solve the homelessness crisis.

As the closest level of government to the people, councils have a unique perspective on homelessness that other levels of government are just too far away to see. Executed properly, this national plan could be the biggest opportunity we have ever seen to not only address homelessness, but also for local councils to help prevent the problem at its roots.

Housing everyone isn’t a simple task​

The causes and manifestations of homelessness are complex. We know from experience that it can’t be “fixed” by the action of one group. Collaboration in key.

We also know Australia needs more social and affordable housing. As of June 2022, there were 174,624 households on waiting lists for public housing, 13,724 for Indigenous housing and 41,906 for community housing. And the waiting lists don’t include everyone who needs housing.

But houses can’t be built overnight. Even with the best efforts to increase the supply of social housing, we will likely remain in deficit for a long time. This is why we need local government involvement to prevent homelessness in the first place.

Yet too often we see reluctant councils explaining that homelessness is not their issue to solve. But, when we see it on local streets, in public parks and other shared spaces, this is a flimsy argument.

Local councils are often best placed to identify people at risk before they end up sleeping on the streets. Leanne Mitchell, Author provided

We can learn from the successes overseas​

Prevention is tricky. It takes many partners and many types of effort to implement, and it is difficult to measure. But, as my report shows, we can learn from the successful efforts of local governments overseas.

For example, in less than ten years, Newcastle City Council in the UK has prevented homelessness in more than 24,000 households. It has achieved this by working with local government workers and services to identify the triggers leading to homelessness and the opportunities to intervene before a person loses their home.

And in US cities, including San Francisco, Washington DC and Baltimore, social workers and people with past experience of homelessness, mental ill-health and drug and alcohol use are successfully working in public libraries to help people at risk access support and services.

Identifying potential homelessness before it turns into crisis is something that well-connected and informed Australian council workers can do too. Working deeply in communities, they often know their customers and can see early warning signs.

Concerted efforts are needed to educate local council workers so they know how to connect into specialist services that might help someone find housing, get emergency funds to cover bills, or access health services. These actions could stop homelessness before it happens.

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But, first, councils need to be part of the plan​

The federal government seems to have taken on board recommendations from the 2021 parliamentary inquiry into homelessness in Australia and identified local government as an untapped resource and partner.

A national plan that recognises and defines the unique contribution that local councils can make to preventing homelessness, and puts some money behind it, could be a game-changer.

Local government does not have to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, or the cleaning crew.

If councils are truly recognised, ready and resourced to take on this role in preventing homelessness, it might also reduce the amount of social, temporary and emergency housing needed further along the line. It might even bring about an end to homelessness in Australia.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by Leanne Mitchell, Churchill Fellow and PhD candidate from Charles Sturt University

 

[Rob44]

Back in the good old days in the UK, Councils used to build "Council Houses" and rent them out at affordable rents. I suppose Parliament voted money for that purpose and the housing was built using both government builders and private builders. That system ensured that between 200 000 and 300 000 "Council houses" were built per year between 1945 and 1979, when Thatcher basically stopped social support for the poor etc and started the trend of privatising social housing to those who could afford to buy it.

Public housing in Australia is left to State Governments such as those who prefer to house "footie" games at $750 million of public expense in unwanted and unnecessary stadiums on public land, so maybe State governments can't be trusted with public money. And no doubt, this being Australia, local Councils would "outsource" the job of building public housing to their little mates who run building and construction companies, as they have "outsourced" so much other essential public work, such as building inspection etc. It seems that this is a feature of Australian culture.

 

[Jennylolo]

and how do they intend to housing the incoming 800K + migrants over the next 5 years. Will they take priority on the lists. I know a couple who have been on the list for 20 years and he's priority 1 medical. There is something really wrong with the system.

 

[Rob44]

and how do they intend to housing the incoming 800K + migrants over the next 5 years. Will they take priority on the lists. I know a couple who have been on the list for 20 years and he's priority 1 medical. There is something really wrong with the system.

I undersand that these migrants are cashed-up enough to pay for their visas which are rather expensive and also likely to be cashed-up enough to either rent or buy houses of their own.

 

[Gsr]

How are councils going to stop homelessness when there are not nearly enough houses for people to rent. They can’t magic up extra housing. My sister has been living in a shed for eighteen months, applying for rentals every week without success. Now the shed owner wants her to leave, hopefully she can find somewhere to rent or she could easily end up living in a tent or her car. Or couch surfing between family and friends. She is almost 60 and in poor health due to a severe work injury, she is on job seeker as not disabled enough for a disability pension, a decision by some Centrelink staff member who has probably never laid eyes on her. Being on such a low income doesn’t help her secure a rental either. She can’t manage stairs anymore, unfortunately all us family have stairs in our houses so could not accommodate her long term even if we had the room.

 

[Rob44]

How are councils going to stop homelessness when there are not nearly enough houses for people to rent. They can’t magic up extra housing. My sister has been living in a shed for eighteen months, applying for rentals every week without success. Now the shed owner wants her to leave, hopefully she can find somewhere to rent or she could easily end up living in a tent or her car. Or couch surfing between family and friends. She is almost 60 and in poor health due to a severe work injury, she is on job seeker as not disabled enough for a disability pension, a decision by some Centrelink staff member who has probably never laid eyes on her. Being on such a low income doesn’t help her secure a rental either. She can’t manage stairs anymore, unfortunately all us family have stairs in our houses so could not accommodate her long term even if we had the room.

Centrlink is a cheapskate outfit that should be replaced by a government-run organisation such as was the CES. Having experienced staff able to advise would help.