Federal Government to halve number of homeless people

THE Federal Government will spend $1.2 billion over four years to halve the number of homeless people in Australia.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will today launch a white paper on homelessness - The Road To Home - outlining measures to help the 16,000 Australians who sleep on the streets each night.

By 2020, the Government is promising to build 50,000 affordable rental homes for low- and moderate-income earners, 2700 homes for people who are at risk of homelessness, and about 9000 homes in indigenous communities.

Helping the homeless has been flagged by Mr Rudd as a key priority - it was one of the Prime Minister's three new year's resolutions last year.

The $1.2 billion in funding over the next four years represents a 55 per cent increase in current government investment in homelessness.

The white paper will identify interim targets by 2013.

Mr Rudd said in a country as prosperous as Australia, no one should be homeless.

"Domestic violence, a shortage of affordable housing, unemployment, mental illness, family breakdown and drug and alcohol abuse all contribute to the level of homelessness in Australia," he said.

"The white paper sets an ambitious target to halve homelessness by 2020 and offer supported accommodation to all rough sleepers who need it."

Data shows there are 2250 Australian families at risk of becoming homeless, the effect of years of escalating interest rates and the rising cost of living.

The federal Government will initially focus its resources on these families by providing them with early intervention services.

Under the Government's strategy, about 9000 12- to 18-year-olds, who have been alienated from their families, will be given access to education, training and employment.

Mr Rudd will hold the states to account by monitoring improvements in homelessness level against high-level performance indicators.

The federal Government will also turn its attention to state and territory tenancy laws by encouraging the introduction of compulsory Centrelink rent payments for tenants in public housing to remove the threat of eviction from not paying the rent.

Centrelink will introduce a "flag" system to identify and provide assistance to people at risk of homelessness.

The Government will also regulate tenancy databases by June, 2010 to ensure people are not being excluded and review the impact of state tenancy laws on the homelessness rate.

Source : Here