World Homeless Day 10 October 2022

World Homeless Day is observed internationally on 10 October 2022 and its purpose is to draw attention to the needs of people who experience homelessness locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness. 

What defines homelessness and why are they homeless?  Homelessness means being without a secure stable and private space to live.  There are a number of reasons why people find themselves without a home.  Amongst them is a lack of affordable housing and the cost of house prices rising faster than incomes.  During the pandemic homelessness services in some areas were in high demand, with many who had lost their jobs and were experiencing homelessness for the first time.  Being without a home has other traumatic effects, making those without a home distressed, leading to mental health problems, leaving them unable to find employment and for some they are unable to look after their children.  How can they plan a future for themselves? 

It has been estimated that approximately over 100 million people across the globe are homeless and another 1.6 billion people are living in inadequate housing.

In Australia, the Census of 2016 showed 25,000 Victorians were without a home on any given night; 116,000 nationally*.  New Census data from the 2021 collection we hope will be released before the end of 2022.   The top three reasons for homelessness in Victoria are family and domestic violence, financial difficulties and housing crisis.  More than one in five people supported by Victorian homelessness services in 2020-21 were children under the age of 18.

Council to Homeless Persons is the peak body in Victoria representing organisations and individuals in Victoria with a commitment to ending homelessness.  Learn more about the works of the Council to Homeless Persons and how you may be able to make a difference by visiting their website.

The homelessness of thousands of Australians goes unrecognised and the fastest growing group of homeless is women over the age of 50.  A new documentary Under Cover, narrated by actor Margot Robbie, shares the lives of an eclectic group of women throughout Australia.  Under Cover shines a light on a devastating reality – women over 50 being the fastest growing cohort experiencing homelessness in Australia. These moving but optimistic portraits reveal the struggles these women face, and lay bare the flaws in our society, as well as our economic fragility in the modern world. Available in selected cinemas including Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn and Cinema Nova, Carlton.  Read the review and watch the trailer on the Australian Catholics website.

Read and listen to stories of those who are homeless in Boroondara by visiting BCO Kew – Boroondara Community Outreach.  BCO Kew is a not-for-profit organisation with all activities funded by donations from the Uniting Church, Boroondara Council, Philanthropic bodies, community groups and individuals. 

St Vincent de Paul announced in August 2022 they have moved into the build phase of their first major community housing project which will deliver 92 new safe, secure and affordable homes in Footscray in partnership with the Victorian Government’s Big Housing Build.  Read more about this project.

Find out what Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH) are doing to provide affordable homes in the community especially to older women in our community.  Read more…

Visit the World Homeless Day website to learn more and support the Everybody’s Home campaign which calls for an additional 500,000 social and affordable homes to be built in Australia by 2026.

Lastly, let us not forget about the pets of the homeless.  Quite often emergency and crisis accommodation do not permit pets resulting in many pets being abandoned or surrendered to shelters.  Pets of the Homeless offers foster care and emergency boarding so they may be reunited with their owners once suitable accommodation has been secured.  

There are many other organisations that assist the homeless, these are just a few of the ways in which we can help and learn.

By Kate Baines 

*Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018): Census of Population and Housing: Estimating homelessness, 2016