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Home > CW National > Article
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Call for Govt to sustain crisis housing
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| 1 August, 2010 |
The St Vincent de Paul Society has called on the Government to sustain emergency and medium term housing services as it struggles to keep up with demand from singles and families experiencing homelessness.
Dr Maria Degabriele, State policy manager for NSW Vinnies, said Government policy and funding are “increasingly geared towards providing much needed affordable, sustainable, long term housing”.
“However, this takes time, and a family who is freezing in a car at night cannot wait. By the time it takes to plan, develop and release more affordable housing, another generation of children will have experienced the trauma of homelessness.
“This is why we need to sustain emergency and medium term housing services for singles and families. All agencies are experiencing the pain of constantly being unable to meet demand for homeless services.”
A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says homeless families are being turned away from shelters because of a shortage of beds.
And as many as 80 per cent of new applications for temporary housing by couples with children cannot be met on a daily basis.
Dr Degabriele says the Society has seen an increase in families and individuals seeking all of its services.
They are sleeping in cars, on friends’ sofas or moving from one friend or relative to another, she said.
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