Homelessness is a concern that has received widespread attention in Australia’s social justice framework. Individuals frequently are forced to find alternative, safe homes for various social reasons, and occasionally, this need to move may lead to homelessness. Human services providers and public housing are difficult to access for those suffering long-term homelessness. Organizations addressing the issue are under great strain because of how serious the problem is throughout the nation. Regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic background, or location, victims seeking aid need high-quality assistance from professionals with the necessary skills.
Social Justice Approaches to the Problem
Throughout the last decades, many states, including Western Australia, have shifted the perspective of an entitlement-based approach to social security provision. The government of Western Australia often provides shared hostel lodging as a response to homelessness, with little motivation at the Commonwealth level to engage in affordable social housing to solve the structural causes of homelessness. (Parsell et al., 2020). Preventive and early intervention programs received significant attention due to The Road Home White Paper by the Commonwealth Government and following initiatives financed by the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (Kaleveld et al., 2018). There are numerous specialized services available that provide specialized services for at-risk groups. The goal is to meet person’s immediate needs while creating solid foundations for them to live with an emphasis on integrated support linked to job and health services. At the same time, the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness is a group of united institutions to end homelessness (Mollinger-Sahba et al., 2020). The community services, health, mental health, justice, and education sectors will all work together to address the root causes of homelessness and meet the needs of individuals (DVNSW, 2020). Hence, they have real and better opportunities for earnest participation and consultation about decisions affecting their lives.
The issue is also evident in the culturally-oriented context. Zufferey and Parkes’ (2019) studies suggest that local service providers emphasize the value of family support when offering accommodation, particularly to Aboriginal families moving to the city from another region. Overcrowding in public housing is a problem that affects both urban and regional geographic situations (Michelle & Wendt, 2022). Regional service providers, however, focused in particular on housing issues related to overcrowding for Aboriginal families, which might draw the attention of housing authorities and lead to possible evictions.
Therefore, homelessness remains an important issue that needs to be addressed by authorities. There are various reasons for increasing statistics throughout Australia. Regarding established government principles, social justice is based on the framework for working with communities affected by domestic and family violence, entailing reliable encouragement of inclusivity, diversity, and nurturing surroundings that include and accept people.
Homelessness issues among Western Australian Aboriginal People
The Closing the Gap policy framework focuses on social and health disparities for Aboriginal Australians. The well-being of families and children is supposedly prioritized by the Income Management policy framework, which applies to all Australians who receive government income support (Martin et al., 2018). By concentrating on Indigenous Australians, second being pertinent given that the majority of Aboriginal people spending time in the parks were receiving financial assistance, and third outlining a paternalistic policy approach of “doing to,” rather than creating the conditions for self-determination, these initiatives provide the background for the experiences of the homeless individuals. It also reflects demands for policies, interventions, research, and responses that prioritize Indigenous self-determination made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their allies. The State-based Patient directly touched many people in the parkland Assisted Transport Scheme (PATS) program, which made it easier for them to relocate to the city for medical treatment. The program offered subsidized travel aid to individuals from regional, municipal, or far-off areas needing specialized medical care.
Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness
The five key focus areas of the Western Australia Strategy to End Homelessness are housing, prevention, a solid and coordinated approach, data, research, and targets, as well as building community capacity. The strategy was developed collaboratively by representatives from human services, people experiencing homelessness, funding agencies, and society representatives. The Australian Alliance to End Homelessness invited influential city leaders to participate in developing the “Advance to Zero” initiative at the beginning of 2019 (Spinney et al., 2020). Together, individuals and organizations who assist those experiencing troubles analyze what is effective and modify service delivery to achieve more significant results.
Another aspect of the program includes the permanent supportive housing approach, which offers inexpensive accommodation and supportive services. Social and medical aids are just two examples of the many services available (Canham et al., 2021). Although some people experience moving into PSH as stressful, research indicates that individualized, person-centered engagement and case management enhance healthy behaviors.
Human Rights and Group Work
- International human rights policy is built on the concept of human rights universality. This suggests that fundamental rights belong to all people equally. This principle is maintained in various human rights protocols, declarations, and initiatives after being initially highlighted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- All international human rights policy is based on the principle of non-discrimination. According to the human rights treaty bodies, all people have the right to perform their rights without being subjected to any form of discrimination based on factors like gender, nationality, age, language, religion, ideological or other opinions, national or socioeconomic origin, assets, birth, or other condition.
- Working in a group cultivates the analytical reasoning, problem-solving, negotiating, conflict management, and decision-making abilities that a person will require to advance and succeed in life.
- Working in groups has the crucial advantages of increasing cooperation and assisting individuals in identifying their strengths and shortcoming.
References
Canham, S., Humphries, J., Moore, P., Burns, V., & Mahmood, A. (2021). Shelter/housing options supports, and interventions for older people experiencing homelessness. Ageing and Society. 1-27.
DVNSW. (2020). Good Practices Guidelines Review. Web.
Kaleveld, L., Seivwright, A., Box, E., Callis, Z., and Flatau, P. (2018). Homelessness in Western Australia: A review of the research and statistical evidence. Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities. Web.
Martin, R., Fernandes, C., Taylor, C., Crow, A., Headland, D., Shaw, N. & Zammit, S. (2018). “We don’t want to live like this”: The lived experience of dislocation, poor health, and homelessness for Western Australian Aboriginal People. Qualitative Health Research, 29(2). 159-172. Web.
Michelle, J. & Wendt, S. (2022) Developing an intake assessment for domestic and family violence supported accommodation, Australian Social Work.
Mollinger-Sahba, A., Flatau, P., Seivwright, A., Kaleveld, L., Bock, C., Baron, J., Cull, O. & Thomas, L. (2020). The Western Australian alliance to end homelessness outcomes measurement and evaluation framework. Centre for Social Impact. Web.
Parsell, C., Clarke, A. & Kuskoff, E. (2020). Understanding responses to homelessness during COVID-19: an examination of Australia, Housing Studies.
Spinney, A., Beer, A., MacKenzie, D., McNelis, S., Meltzer, A., Muir, K., Peters, A. & Valentine, K. (2020) Ending homelessness in Australia: A redesigned homelessness service system, AHURI Final Report, 347.
Zufferey, C. & Parkes, A. (2019). Family homelessness in regional and urban contexts: Service provider perspectives, Journal of Rural Studies, 70. 1-8. Web.