Homeless children 'a national scandal'

The number of Australian children seeking help from homeless organisations is a
"national scandal", a peak homelessness body says.
Women experiencing domestic violence were also in urgent need of more support after
new figures showed family violence was the main reason Australians sought help from
homeless services.
More than 200,000 people around the country sought the assistance of specialist
homeless support services in 2008-2009, figures released by the Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Friday showed.
Of those, 79,000 were children.
The report showed domestic violence was the main reason women and children
experienced homelessness.
"These figures show that women experiencing domestic violence are in urgent need of
more support," Homelessness Australia policy and research officer Travis Gilbert
said in a statement.
"The high number of young children experiencing homelessness remains a national
scandal."
In Victoria, a record 23,000 children last year sought emergency housing assistance.
The numbers of children accompanying their parents to homelessness services in the
state increased by 9.3 per cent, from 21,400 in 2008, which had previously been the
highest year on record.
Victoria now has the highest number of children accompanying a parent for
homelessness assistance in Australia, followed by NSW (18,600).
Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Michelle Burrell said homelessness
services were operating at capacity but the numbers of children presenting for help
was increasing.
"The numbers are extreme, they are numbers we have seen for years steadily
increasing, and now the system is absolutely at capacity," Ms Burrell told AAP.
The federal government's commitment to halving homelessness by 2020 was "terrific"
but needed to be sustained, Ms Burrell said.
Homelessness Australia chairperson Narelle Clay said the figures showed the federal
government's goal to halve homelessness by 2020 would be an enormous challenge.
Stephen Nash, chief executive of Victorian homeless service provider HomeGround,
said the real solution was permanent housing combined with support.
The report showed people under 25 years frequently sought the support of homeless
services for relationship issues, while women aged 25 years and over also presented
particularly because of family violence.
For men aged over 25 years, drug and alcohol abuse was the main reason they sought
homelessness support.
Greens youth spokesman Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said her party would introduce a
bill into federal parliament to establish a Commonwealth Commissioner for Children
and Young People.
"We need a national voice for kids," she said in a statement on Friday.
"They need a strong advocate for their needs and rights, a simple form of complaint
for ill-treatment, and a much-needed avenue of communication with government."



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