Councils nationwide have been clamping down on people camped illegally, pitching tents and sleeping in vans in parks and reserves across Australia.
But for many sleeping rough, there is nowhere else to go, with homelessness now reaching “record levels”, a new report from the Red Shield Appeal shows.
More than 122,000 people are now experiencing homelessness across Australia, while almost 289,000 people sought support from The Salvation Army’s homelessness services in the past year.
Until recently, Sunshine Coast man Russel was living rough and sleeping in a tent after being evicted from his rental.
According to 7News, he spent five months without a roof over his head, resorting to sleeping in the park and in a car. Sadly, he’s not alone.
A woman from NSW shared what it’s like living in her car with The Salvation Army.
“I cannot cook properly as I am living in my car,” she said. “I have many sleepless nights worrying about where my next meal is going to come from or how I am going to put fuel in the car for the next day to be able to drive to a toilet.”
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Brisbane council workers recently removed homeless tents from along the city’s river. Source: ABC
Parks, car parks and roadside reserves across Australia have become homes for many people who have nowhere else to go. Clusters of tents are now commonplace, replacing homes for thousands of Aussies.
According to the Salvation Army, nearly 169,000 households remain on public housing waitlists nationwide, highlighting a housing system under immense strain.
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The Salvation Army’s Head of Homelessness, Jed Donoghue, said the organisation is seeing increasing numbers of Australians who never imagined they would need homelessness support.
“Rising rents, limited housing and ongoing cost-of-living pressures are pushing more Australians to breaking point. We’re seeing working people, families, older women and young people seeking homelessness support because they simply can’t afford a safe place to live,” Dr Donoghue said.
“Homelessness is about much more than sleeping rough. People are living in cars, couch surfing or staying in overcrowded homes because they have nowhere else to go.”
Deb is living in a tent on Memorial Drive, Perth, with her four children after becoming homeless.
(7News)Clusters of tents pop up across Australia
Last month, a family of five with nowhere else to go were among hundreds of homeless people living at a makeshift campsite along a Perth road dubbed the city’s “street of despair”.
In April, only a handful of caravans and tents could be spotted along Memorial Drive in Rockingham, 50km south of Perth, but the number of rough sleepers has doubled, or even tripled, in recent months.
In Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, the council recently cleared out two riverside campsites occupied by rough sleepers, as homelessness continues to strangle the town.
Campers were given move-on notices and told to make alternative arrangements.
A similar approach is being used throughout parts of Queensland.
Rough sleepers camped out along the Murrumbidgee River in Wagga Wagga, NSW, have been forced to clear out by the council.
(7 News Riverina)What’s needed in Australia to curb homelessness?
Despite popular belief, sleeping rough makes up only 6.2 per cent of the nation’s homeless population.
The vast majority are actually trapped in severely overcrowded housing, which accounts for 39 per cent of Australia’s homelessness crisis.
Women and children account for almost three-quarters of people seeking assistance from The Salvation Army’s homelessness services, while more than 50,000 young people required support last year, the Red Shield Appeal report shows.
The organisation is calling for early intervention and a homelessness prevention program to help combat the worsening crisis. It is also urging an increase in investment in social and affordable housing.
“We’re calling on governments, communities and Australians to work together to increase the supply of safe, affordable housing and ensure people have the support they need before they reach crisis point,” Dr Donoghue said.
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