Homeless services are seeing a new demographic of clients
“Rough sleepers” is an Australian label given to those experiencing homelessness and sleeping on the streets. As in every country, the causes of homelessness are numerous and complex: mental illness, substance abuse, addiction, and financial instability. Following the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s hefty $20 million investment in community housing organizations in 2022, homelessness in Sydney has improved. The funds allowed homeless shelters to improve their outreach programs and get “rough sleepers” off the streets and into shelters. However, a 10 percent spike in real estate prices since 2020 around Sydney CBD, has resulted in a decline in affordable housing and in an increase in the number of people who can’t pay rent and are even facing eviction.
Organizations that work with the homeless are encountering a new demographic of people. In the previous years, most of the clients were older men. More recently, however, entire families have begun entering the system due to housing unaffordability. “Traditionally, a homeless person will be an older male with an alcohol issue,” said Macklin. “Now, we’re seeing families where [both] family members are working but they just can’t afford it.”
Emerging post-Covid, the pressure on families is driven by increasing rents, growing cost of living expenses, and higher electricity prices.” It just seems to be the perfect storm,” said Brett Macklin, director of housing and homelessness at St. Vincent de Paul Society in Woolloomooloo, Sydney’s dockside city suburb.
The challenge for organizations working with “rough sleepers” is complicated. These individuals need more than a bed, so they don’t drift back into the streets due to addiction, loneliness, or mental illness. “We want to make sure we just don’t house them and then walk away,” said Macklin.
The main challenge that St. Vincent’s faces is getting individuals to engage with the resources available to them. “It depends on the client entirely,” he said. “Those that are newly homeless tend to want to work with us quickly so that they get back into accommodations. If they’ve got undiagnosed or untreated mental [illness] that could be a barrier to engaging with the service.”
When a client comes to St. Vincent’s, the first goal is to provide them with housing, and secondly, to help them secure stability. St. Vincent’s works nationally within Australia, with over 200 programs designed to help those in need. Along with housing services, St. Vincent’s delivers food to households, provides drug and gambling addiction services, aged care, disability employment, and financial counseling. These services are available to those living at the homeless shelters but are also open to the public. Pathways, one of the organization's housing services offered, is a program for single women and their children who are homeless. The program aims to assist women who have experienced domestic violence.
With over 20 homeless shelters in NSW, St. Vincent’s works with neighboring services to offer long-term solutions. “We are reliant on community housing providers-- working with real estate agents, working with the private sector for any opportunity to get someone an accommodation that is affordable,” said Macklin. “The rest is pure luck.”
Macklin began at St. Vincent’s over 20 years ago as a support worker in the Drunk Tank in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. At the time, the Drunk Tank was the gateway to the homeless shelter, serving as an intoxicated persons unit. “One of the things that I took away is that I don't know the answers, the clients know the answers,” he said. “I have not traveled their journey, but I can work with them to provide options and help them get to where they need to go.”
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