Homelessness In Australia

771 Words4 Pages
Good afternoon everyone, today the social justice issue that I will be talking about that I will be writing my essay on is homelessness in Australia. The ongoing issue of homelessness is evident in the 2001 census, showing that over 100 000 people living in Australia are experiencing homelessness (Human Rights Commission, 2008). Homelessness was once viewed as a result from social and economical structural factors, until the end of the 20th century when the focus shifted more towards individual characteristics and explanations (Bullen, 2015). This conversion of the understanding of homelessness was due to competing ideologies of state welfare – the introduction of a neoliberal society (Bullen, 2015). Australia has failed to provide national…show more content…
A shelter-based youth has made it clear that health care was of no priority until the persons became ill or injured (Dawson et al., 2013). Homeless people have extremely limited access to necessities such as medical care, food, clothing, and social support; therefore it is very common for repeated abuse, violence, and unsafe sexual practices to be reported (Kids Help Line, 2012). Homeless people who suffer from substance abuse or mental illness also lack access to effective treatment options, due to deinstitutionalisation (Boundless,…show more content…
It impacts on the education of children, health, and political participation (Catalyst, 2011). In 2001, there are about 12 230 homeless secondary school students, and studies have shown that children experiencing homelessness unfortunately have exceptionally poor educational outcomes (Hollows & Keenan, 2011). The long-term effects of this include unemployment, lost productivity to the economy and reduced life opportunities (Hollows et al., 2011). Another example of inequity are the health outcomes, the continuous undersupply of affordable housing stock across Australia is a key factor to homelessness (Hollows et al., 2011). The poor health is directly linked to poor housing, and lack of housing affordability is especially associated with mental health issues (Hollows et al.,
Open Document