Domestic violence and family breakups have become the greatest contributors to homelessness, a social issue that now affects well over 100,000 Australians, says a senior researcher for St. Vincent de Paul.
While the lack of affordable housing has added to the crisis, Dr. Andy Marks says the charity group has seen a number of disturbing trends in homeless populations recently, mostly a result of domestic violence and family breakups.
“We are seeing younger people,” he told The Epoch Times, “and more and more women in the homeless population.”
St. Vincent de Paul is at the forefront of homelessness, operating 35 specialist homeless services including hostels, women’s refuges, night patrol, and family services in New South Wales alone.
Nearly half of Australia’s homeless are women, and around 30 percent are children, Dr. Marks said, adding that more than half of Australia’s homeless population are under 25 years of age.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 54 percent of homeless people seeking supported accommodation are turned away.
The social demographics of homelessness has also expanded beyond the lower socioeconomic groups.
“We constantly hear people say they are two to three pay cheques away from living on the street,” Dr. Marks said, partly a result of the “debt burden society,” we live in.
A rise in domestic violence and family breakups has been a large contributor to the problem. “We are seeing more and more domestic violence,” he said “and that is a great equalizer affecting all backgrounds and cultures, rich and poor.”
CEO Sleepout
Dr. Marks says homelessness is a national issue that is not just within responsibility of government and charities. It is for this reason that Dr. Marks’s group is again hosting its annual CEO Sleepout fundraising event.
The event has been a great success since its inception in Sydney’s Parramatta four years ago. This year will see a national Vinnies CEO Sleepout on June 17, involving the chief executives of Australia’s top companies in venues in all of the country’s capitals.
The 2010 CEO Sleepout has already passed $1 million in donations, with the amount continuing to rise. To date, there are around 600 chief executives committed to the event.
“The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is rapidly gathering a momentum, as evidenced by its national rollout,” said Dr. John Falzon, the National CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“The night is not an easy one,” Dr. Falzon explained. “Participants literally bed down on a sheet of cardboard on the ground, with only a mug of soup to sustain them, on what is usually one of the coldest nights of the year. Last year it rained nonstop, but still most of those who were there have indicated they will come back again this year.”
Participants include leaders from media, real estate, law, accounting, transport, hospitality, pharmaceutical, mining, medical, financial, and sporting industries, he said.
Among those braving the cold winter night on June 17, on their bit of cardboard and a slip of blanket will be Roy Gori, CEO of Citibank, Paul Broad CEO of AAPT, Mark Scott managing director of the ABC, Andrew Fagan CEO of the Brumbies Rugby, and Bob Katter, federal member for Kennedy in North Queensland.
Dr. Marks said while the money raised goes to providing better facilities for the homeless, the idea of involving chief executives of top companies was to create awareness about the extent of the problem and to spread the word among that strata of society.
The sleep-outs, he explained, were not only a matter experiencing bedding down on a hard cold place for the night, but a place where chief executives could hear homeless individuals share their stories.
Following on from past CEO Sleep-outs a number of chief executives had taken a personal interest in individual cases, he said, supporting the progress of the individuals back to a positive cycle.
This year’s the event will be held in Sydney (Luna Park), Canberra (National Museum of Australia), Melbourne (Etihad Stadium), Adelaide (Adelaide Zoo), Perth (WACA), Darwin (The Gardens Oval), and Brisbane (Suncorp Piazza, Southbank). Tasmanian CEOs will sleep out at the Melbourne event.
