The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP Prime Minister of Australia The Hon Barnaby Joyce, MP Federal Parliamentary Leader of the Nationals The Hon Bill Shorten, MP Federal Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Labor Party Senator Richard Di Natale Leader of the Australian Greens As the leaders of the largest providers of homelessness services in Australia, we have been drawn together to urge you to make reducing homelessness a national priority. We believe all Australians should have access to safe, secure and affordable accommodation. In this election we are seeking a commitment from each of the major parties to halving homelessness by 2025. Over 100,000 Australians are homeless – including more than 44,000 children and young people. As homelessness services providers, we confront the reality behind the statistics. Each day, we hear from thousands of individuals and families seeking our help. While each story is unique, there are recurring themes and challenges among those seeking support. Each day, we see young people fleeing unbearable family situations who have nowhere safe to sleep. Around one in three people seeking our services’ help are women and children escaping domestic and family violence, yet all too often they cannot find the crisis accommodation and support that is vital if they are to rebuild their lives. A growing number of older women are living in precarious situations, in fear of rising rents and landlords ending their lease. Without affordable and appropriate alternatives, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are forced to live in overcrowded households in substandard dwellings. People with disabilities face increasing difficulties achieving sustainable housing due to limited accommodation which meets their specific needs. It is heartbreaking that, increasingly, we must turn away people desperately needing help. In 2014- 15, homelessness services had to turn away over 230 people each day without the support or accommodation they needed. All our services are stretched and there is a critical shortage of affordable housing that can be found for people in need. Faced with this national challenge, we are calling upon all sides of politics to demonstrate leadership on this issue and are seeking your commitment to halving homelessness by 2025. Combining the drive and dedication of each of our major political parties, the service providers’ knowledge about what works, and the commitment of those experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness, we believe this is an achievable target in helping people rebuild their lives for a sustainable future. Together, we can halve homelessness within the next decade, by secure and adequate funding for programs that have proven to work, and an ongoing commitment to prevention and early intervention. We are inviting you to a forum in mid-June where you will hear the personal stories behind the statistics and where we will be seeking your commitment to halving homelessness. We all seek a future where everyone has a home and no one individual or family is excluded from this basic right and security. Details of the forum will be provided to your office shortly. Yours sincerely, Kasy Chambers Catherine Yeomans Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, Anglicare Australia Mission Australia Commissioner Floyd Tidd Dr John Falzon Territorial Commander, Chief Executive Officer, The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory St Vincent de Paul Society National Council Martin J Cowling Rev Dr Keith V. Garner, AM Associate National Director, Chief Executive Officer, UnitingCare Australia Wesley Mission VOTE HOME: HALVING HOMELESSNESS BY 2025 BACKGROUND FACTS Homelessness in Australia We have unacceptably high, and growing, rates of homelessness in Australia. Every night, 105,000 Australians don’t have a place to call home. That’s one in every 200 people. On average, over 17,800 children under 10 are homeless. 400 children are homeless every night. Each year, more than 250,000 people seek help from homelessness services. Homelessness services are unable to keep up with demand. In 2014-15, homelessness services had to turn away over 230 people each day without the support or accommodation they needed. Faces of homelessness Most people who end up homeless are fleeing domestic violence or family breakdown. Over 40% of the homeless population are under 25 years of age. One seventh of all homelessness is experienced by those over the age of 55. Indigenous Australians make up a quarter of the homeless population, even though they comprise only 2.5% of the general population. Other groups at particular risk of homelessness include people with mental health issues, people with a disability, refugees and asylum seekers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with substance abuse issues and those in contact with the justice system or exiting out of home care. Lack of housing affordability puts low income earners at increased risk of homelessness Over 150,000 people in private rental are in extreme rental stress - paying more that 50% of their income on housing costs, even after receiving rent assistance. People on low incomes, such as government payments and the minimum wage, are struggling to compete in the Australian rental market. Just 21 out of the 75,410 rental properties available on one weekend in April 2016 were affordable for single adults living on Newstart, and only one was suitable for young people living on Youth Allowance. We know what works to prevent and respond to homelessness In a prosperous nation like Australia there are adequate resources to ensure everyone has a home. We are calling on all parties to commit to halving homelessness by 2025. Parties should commit to a renewed plan to end homelessness, which addresses the drivers of homelessness, rapidly rehouses people who are homeless, and provides adequate and flexible support for those needing help to sustain housing. This strategy should include the following elements: • The National Partnership on Homelessness funding is secured and is part of the ongoing funding for homelessness services as part of the overall National Affordable Housing Agreement. It is vital to end the cycle of uncertainty over funding that has dogged the homelessness sector in recent years and hampered efforts to improve services. • Expand prevention and early intervention services to “turn off the tap”. These should include strategies aimed at identified risk factors and population groups including women and children escaping domestic and family violence, young people leaving care, and older people in the private rental market. • Continue pilot programs such as Reconnect that have proved effective and take these to scale. .