Urban indigenous homelessness: much more than housing

Key points Australia-wide, one in 28 Indigenous people were homeless at the time of the 2016 Census. The Indigenous homelessness rate is 10 times that of non-Indigenous people (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] 2019; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW] 2019a). The Indigenous population in Australia is expected to grow to around 1,060,000 by 2031. Housing policy frameworks and investment must account for this growth in population. A continuity of dispossession, racism, profound economic disadvantage and cultural oppression shapes the lived experience of many Indigenous Australians today. Indigenous homelessness is culturally distinct. The drivers of Indigenous homelessness and the entry and exit points to accessing services are different. The notion of ‘home’ and ‘homelessness’ are culturally mediated terms. There is a lack of dedicated services for Indigenous Australians experiencing homelessness in urban areas, despite their acute over-representation. This combines with other systemic barriers to explain their acute over-representation among specialist homelessness services. Indigenous-led services need to be supported and enabled to work more closely with housing and homelessness organisations. Th 1000 ere is a policy tension between prioritisation of adequate supply of housing and the services and supports needed to assist people retain housing. Family violence, community dislocation and economic pressures combine to escalate issues of sleeping rough, overcrowding and intermittent or cyclical homelessness. Wraparound trauma-informed holistic support is needed for up to a year for Indigenous women and children impacted by family violence. The over-representation of Indigenous people in Australian prisons increases the risk of homelessness post-release. Indigenous people transitioning out of prison need secure and culturally safe accommodation support, as well as wraparound services that provide pathways out of vulnerability and risk. A strengths-based approach focussing on the interplay between Indigenous-controlled support services and homelessness support can generate more holistic and culturally safe responses. Indigenous-led responses to urban Indigenous homelessness are culturally appropriate and thus likely to be more impactful and lasting. Key findings Homelessness among Indigenous people arises from a clustering of vulnerabilities that easily spiral out of control. Minor problems, such as a broken fridge or a parking fine, can rapidly escalate to a major problem of rent arrears, court appearances and failed tenancies. This breakdown places a further barrier to housing access as a failed tenancy means individuals can be placed on the Tenant Information Centre Australia list, which landlords access to check on the status of housing applicants. Poverty is part of this vulnerability, as a proportion of the homeless Indigenous population have ‘nothing but the clothes they are standing in…’ (RD1, Manager Community Service Organisation), are unable to pay bonds, or meet their basic needs. As crisis beds become more difficult to find, so frontline workers must spend excessive time placing their clients. Hostel managers and shelters describe turning people away, leaving clients with little option but to sleep on the streets. For legal services, finding appropriate accommodation for individuals exiting custody or jail is ‘their number one problem, right across the state’ (RQ2, CEO Indigenous SHS). Inadequate funding for homelessness services, limited crisis and transitional accommodation, the shortage of affordable housing, barriers to housing access and inadequate attention to tenancy sustainment, create a revolving door of housing and homelessness for many Indigenous people. Although problems of discrimination, mental illness and poverty make it difficult for Indigenous people to access and sustain housing, it is the barriers resulting from problems and limitations of the housing and homelessness system that merit greatest attention. Other barriers to accessing priority housing (and waiting lists), include: lack of identity documents low incomes problematic housing histories, including rent arrears and other housing debts, warnings for disruptive behaviour criminal history lack of a tenancy history low tolerance for completing forms as well as low literacy—which makes it difficult to understand forms lack of a stable address, making it difficult to keep appointments. One of the characteristics of Indigenous homelessness is the extent to which some people move between different forms of housing insecurity and homelessness, effectively cycling through the system rather than progressing through it towards long-term housing. Addressing their needs requires more housing and a more assertive approach to sustaining tenancies. While issues of overcrowding may have a cultural dimension, we note that while connection is cultural, abuse is not. Funds available to housing managers make no provision for the intensity of support required to manage unapproved occupants, who are often highly transient and with complex needs. The pressures of managing the service mean that managers have little choice but to implement a regulatory response rather than a social justice response. The introduction of the National Disability Ins 1000 urance Scheme (NDIS) has been counterproductive for many homeless people for multiple reasons, as plans cannot be accessed unless the individual has a fixed address. The NDIS is predicated on residence at a stable, fixed location and makes no provision for those in unstable housing circumstances. If you have no home, NDIS support plans are of little value. Cultural safety and cultural awareness training are imperative to good practice in the homelessness sector. A specifically Indigenous approach to service provision—including the affirmative approach to Indigenous employment—means the experience of clients accessing the service can be distinct from mainstream services, overcoming barriers of distrust and establishing reputational credibility. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, services need to adapt to local requirements. Strategies and practices need to be adjusted to fit local client socio-demographics, such as ethnic or language group mix and local service profiles. Partnering with Indigenous community-controlled organisations is key to ensuring good practice for clients. The intersectional nature of Indigenous homelessness means people are doubly hard to reach, as both homelessness and Indigeneity can be characterised by a distrust of formal institutions. This lack of trust requires an awareness that, as well as ensuring cultural safety, it may be necessary to work with clients long-term. The very high rate of Indigenous incarceration is a critical area for policy attention. There is insufficient coordination between specialist homeless services and the criminal justice system. A formal protocol for advising crisis accommodation services is needed, as is support for sustaining tenancies. Developing and maintaining strong networks with local and peak Indigenous health, welfare, legal and financial services is critical to providing effective services. To provide an appropriate and culturally safe service to homeless Indigenous individuals and families requires services to establish strong relationships with Indigenous/mainstream services, and to find ways to work together rather than be siloed. One way to strengthen Indigenous homelessness services is for Indigenous community health services to play a greater role in the housing and homelessness sector. Indigenous-led services are critical to the success of initiatives to address Indigenous urban homelessness. Policy development options A range of policy development options flow from this research, clustered around the three key themes of the study: Theme 1: Indigenous homelessness is different 1. Cultural responsibilities and expectations can result in fluctuating levels of crowding, and mobility between communities and localities. This can result in situations that fit ABS definitions of homelessness, but which may not be homelessness from an Indigenous perspective. Culturally appropriate responses must respect Indigenous perspectives and focus on safety and understanding ahead of non-Indigenous concepts of home and culturally embedded imperatives. 2. Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) need to be central to efforts to meet the needs of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. This requires resources and needs to be supported. 3. Co-designed programs and responses to Indigenous homelessness are critical: ‘nothing about us, without us’ is an important principle in this context, as an expression of the need for self-determination. 4. Lived experience of Indigenous homelessness needs to be recognised and supported as a key form of expertise in the homelessness workforce. Employing Indigenous staff is a key priority. 5. There needs to be a targeted, resourced strategy that establishes goals, standards, and frameworks for supporting the cultural safety of homelessness services. This needs to be at both Commonwealth and state levels. Theme 2: Inflow into Indigenous homelessness requires situationally specific and culturally appropriate responses 1. As with the broader popula 1000 tion, domestic and family violence is the largest driver of homelessness for Indigenous women and children. This highlights the importance of enhanced links between homelessness and domestic and family violence services.