Reducing Homelessness: One year on

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Tanya Plibersek MP

Member for Sydney

Reducing Homelessness: One year on

As we all know, homelessness touches many in our community. Before the last election, the Prime Minister made a strong commitment to reducing homelessness right across Australia.

Just twelve months ago the Prime Minister and I launched one of the most comprehensive strategies ever put together by a Government to address homelessness.

The Government’s White Paper, The Road Home, set out the Australian Government’s vision for reducing homelessness. It’s a vision we are delivering on.

Nationally we have introduced programs to assist homeless Australians and those at risk of homelessness so they have access to:

• education and training programs;
• legal services, especially for domestic violence, debt and tenancy issues;
• financial counselling;
• emergency relief; and
• programs like the Jobs Fund and the Innovations Fund to help homeless job seekers overcome employment barriers.

Locally, we’ve announced exciting initiatives to reduce homelessness including:

• a capital grant of $16 million to build a specialist aged care facility for homeless people in Redfern;
• a specialist Job Services Australia provider in Surry Hills to provide targeted employment help to homeless and disadvantaged job seekers;

Local Centrelink Offices have also employed Centrelink Community Engagement Officers to provide fast tracked, specialist outreach services to Centrelink customers at risk of becoming homeless.

They work with non-government organisations like drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, mental health services, hostels, boarding houses, refuges and drop in centres.

As a government, we have set ambitious targets to halve homelessness in Australia and offer accommodation to all rough sleepers who seek it by 2020.

We are committed to meeting these ambitious but achievable targets and have invested, since 2007, $7 billion to tackle homelessness in Australia.

Authorised by Tanya Plibersek MP

Labor Member for Sydney

111-117 Devonshire St,, Surry Hills NSW 2010 9357 6366 | Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au

Source: South Sydney Herald February 2010 www.southsydneyherald.com.au