Introduction
The healthy development and functioning of society critically depend on its ability to address most topical issues threatening its future and address them. It requires high levels of collaboration between various agencies and forces within communities, policy-makers, and local and state governments to establish an effective change agenda and implement the necessary issues. Thus, for Australia, the problem of homelessness is critical and is one of the essential concerns that should be addressed. At the same time, it is vital to consider various aspects of the problem to avoid general solutions that might be ineffective for groups with specific needs and unique characteristics. Thus, the number of homeless single older women in Australia continues to grow, which can be considered an important policy issue requiring specific measures.
Policy Agenda
Diagnosing
In Australia, the problem of homelessness is an important social issue. It can affect people of all ages and genders, including children (“Homelessness in Australia Statistics,” n.d.). At the same time, community members, policy-makers, and authorities might not understand the problem’s importance and impact on the nation’s well-being (“Homelessness in Australia Statistics,” n.d.).
The scope of the problem is evidenced by the average monthly number of specialist homelessness service (SHS) users increased from 84,800 individuals in 2017-18 to 91,300 people in 2021-2022 (Pawson et al., 2022). This means that regardless of the attempts to create a welfare state, the existing policies are ineffective in addressing and supporting the problem. Moreover, the situation is worse for specific groups and remains underresearched, requiring additional investigation and attention.
Moreover, speaking about homelessness, there is a problem that some of its types remain hidden from the official statistics. It occurs because of the differences in views on the issue and the lack of effective policies to regulate it. For this reason, it is vital to establish a practical policy agenda to address the problem (Jansson, 2017).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics views homelessness as the state where a person does not have financial, physical, psychological, or personal resources to access alternative accommodation, and their dwelling is inadequate to meet basic needs (“Homelessness in Australia Statistics,” n.d.). Following this definition, there is a critical increase in homeless older women. In 2019, this category became the fastest-growing group of people without dwelling in Australia (Older Women’s Network, 2020). Furthermore, the situation is worse for single older women as they cannot seek shelter with relatives (Pawson et al., 2020). This means that the group requires specific help and policies to protect them.
Currently, the Australian government implements specific solutions to address the problem of homelessness; however, they might be too broad. For instance, in 2021-2022, the government spent around $8.4 billion on housing support and homeless services (“Homelessness,” 2020). These include $5,5 billion in Commonwealth Rent Assistance to help eligible citizens to meet their rental needs (“Homelessness,” 2020).
The National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) also establishes the framework for addressing the issue by considering the needs of this cohort and helping people representing it (“Homelessness,” 2020). It includes helping women and children facing domestic violence to find secure shelters (“Homelessness,” 2020). Moreover, the Reconnect program is focused on assisting young people who risk becoming homeless (“Homelessness,” 2020). This means that a stream of problems and solutions can be used to improve the sphere and protect vulnerable population groups.
However, the problem remains topical and affects numerous people in Australia. The current research emphasizes that homelessness remains stable nationally while its distribution becomes more nuanced (Batterham et al., 2022). It has become more urbanized, while a growing number of couch surfers use this strategy to find temporary shelter (Batterham et al., 2022). Moreover, there is a tendency towards the increase in new groups of homeless people, meaning the problem becomes more complicated.
At the same time, the current political realities imply a focus on this aspect of the nation’s well-being. The Parliament of Australia has a specific strategy for managing the issue and supports the programs and incentives to promote positive change (“Addressing homelessness,” n.d.). In such a way, developing a practical policy agenda to promote positive shifts and help the homeless older single woman might be viewed as well-timed and highly measured.
Softening
The research and the recent policy incentives prove the scope and significance of the problem of homelessness in Australia. Moreover, some groups, such as elderly single people, remain underresearched, which introduces the need for additional investigation and a more in-depth approach (Sutherland et al., 2021). Considering the high speed of the group’s growth, immediate action and establishment of an influential policy agenda are required to attain success and avoid further deterioration. Moreover, the context is beneficial for implementing solutions as they would help the nation to continue its evolution.
The existing evidence proves the topicality of the problem and its scope. Thus, older and single women face the highest risk of becoming homeless in Australia (Older Women’s Network, 2020). There is a lack of understanding of the exact number (Older Women’s Network, 2020).
Thus, recent research shows that about 240,000 women aged 55 and older are at risk of becoming homeless (“Older women and homelessness,” n.d.). The situation is worse for single females as they do not have relatives or families who might support them and provide temporary shelter (Older Women’s Network, 2020). The risk factors include the death of a partner, divorce, loss of housing or employment, sudden injury, or a progressing mental health disease (Older Women’s Network, 2020).
Statistics also show that older single women have lower salaries and savings than men or other groups (Older Women’s Network, 2020). Furthermore, they more often suffer from different forms of violence (“Homelessness in Australia Statistics,” n.d.). For this reason, the existing research proves the topicality of the issue.
From the broader context, the problem can be linked to social and political factors. First of all, according to the population projections released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2041, lone-person households will comprise around 27% of all households (Faulkner & Lester, 2020). This means that 3 or 3.5 million Australians will live alone, while female lone-person households will increase by up to 58.5% (Faulkner & Lester, 2020).
From the social context, the growing number of single women will create the basis for the increased topicality of the problem (Faulkner & Lester, 2020). Moreover, the aging of the population complicates the problem as the proportion of the older population is expected to grow (Faulkner & Lester, 2020).
From a political perspective, cultivating a welfare state requires a focus on sustainability and humanistic values (“Addressing homelessness,” n.d.). From this perspective, addressing the problems of vulnerable groups is critical for communities and might help political forces to become more popular. It means that developing the policy agenda for addressing homelessness is timely and comes from the context.
Thus, the decision to implement the proposed policy can lead to significant improvement. First, investing in creating affordable and secure housing for a single older woman might help protect this population group and ensure they do not face the problems typical for this cohort (Older Women’s Network, 2020).
Second, by addressing the causes of homelessness among single women, the government and authorities can improve the overall state of communities (Older Women’s Network, 2020). Reducing causes of violence, offering additional protection for women of this cohort, and ensuring they have a chance to acquire assistance from local authorities or social organizations are vital for improving the situation and guaranteeing it becomes controllable. Under these conditions, regardless of dramatic forecasts, positive change remains attainable.
As stated previously, the causes for the significant rise in the number of homeless single older women differ. This means that their addressing might be ineffective and require too many resources. Instead, it is vital to invest in increasing housing affordability and securing it for eligible females (Older Women’s Network, 2020).
Narrowing the focus leads to determining the manageable issue the government can resolve. Moreover, local organizations and agencies might help find available housing that can be provided to women who belong to this cohort. Investing in the given solution, it is possible to stop the further increase in the number of homeless single older women and guarantee they can enjoy the social protection guaranteed by the government.
Nevertheless, the proposed policy might be criticized because of several reasons. The most likely objections might focus on the need for additional and high investment, which might be too costly for the government. Moreover, it can reduce spending on other social incentives because of the necessity to find funds needed to support a single older woman who does not have a secured shelter.
Furthermore, the rejections might emphasize existing programs that provide protection and additional services to homeless people. The establishment of the new one considering the needs of the outlined population group might be excessive and lead to overspending. The local and state governments might also fail to find an agreement because of the need for additional financing.
However, the objections can be addressed and rejected by given specific arguments. First, by investing in affordable housing, it is possible to resolve several issues simultaneously. Along with the primary goal of protecting elderly homeless women, the shelter can also be provided to other groups if it remains available (Older Women’s Network, 2020).
In other words, reducing the number of females representing the group will allow other citizens to use them as timely shelters. Furthermore, finding investors and cooperating with local agencies can reduce the financial burden and guarantee that the required costs will be met. Finally, homelessness is a systemic problem, meaning improvement in one of its aspects will enhance the situation in general. For this reason, it is possible to anticipate positive alterations.
Activating
Considering the scope of the problem, its importance for Australian communities, and the current context, the timing is perfect for implementing the proposed policy. The number of homeless older women continues to grow, which means that in several decades, the situation might become more complicated and require more substantial resources. Moreover, homelessness might lead to the emergence of other problems, such as crime, drug abuse, and health concerns (Padgett, 2020). For this reason, the offered response is appropriate and timely as it implies working with the issue once it becomes too complex and resolving it using available resources.
Moreover, today, it is possible to observe a specific window of opportunity that justifies the need for a solution. Australia has always been known as a shelter for numerous immigrants. Nowadays, a new wave of immigrants can be expected because of the instability in various regions of the globe. It might aggravate the problem of homelessness in Australia and create the basis for new, more sophisticated challenges that Australian society and governments will face. Under these conditions, it is critical to resolve the problem of homelessness before the mass income of new individuals looking for shelter. Otherwise, critical social problems might emerge and lead to the destabilization of the situation in the state and negative outcomes.
The proposed policy will also acquire broad media coverage because of the importance of the topic and its relevance at the moment. Sustainability and humanistic topics are popular nowadays, especially in Australia, where the concept of a welfare state is fundamental (McClelland et al., 2020). Moreover, the attempts to improve women’s living conditions, protect them from violence, and support their rights are critical to numerous communities globally (McClelland et al., 2020).
Under these conditions, the most influential Australian newspapers and media can be interested in covering the topic and explaining the proposed policy to a broader audience. Media can also be employed as a potent tool to attract social agencies’ attention to the issue and gather their support to ensure more organizations and individuals will focus on the problem and provide data about homeless and single women older than 55 who require protection. For this reason, the media will likely support the policy.
Furthermore, addressing the outlined problem makes it possible to address another critical issue. Thus, homelessness is one of the factors linked to the work of the healthcare sector. The lack of shelter leads to a critical decrease in people’s health (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021).
For instance, patients in the emergency department are sent back to the streets when necessary care is provided (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). It increases the chance of adverse effects, negative outcomes, and new visits (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). In such a way, it becomes a significant financial burden, and states have to respond to it.
That is why by protecting single homeless women older than 55, it is possible to improve the work of the healthcare sector and guarantee it has more resources for working with other cases. Additionally, homelessness, mental health, and drug abuse are interconnected, which means that a reduction in the level of women from this cohort will lead to the improvement of the problem of drug use (Padgett, 2020). In this regard, the policy implies numerous positive impacts on Australian society.
Numerous social agencies and organizations can also support the change. For instance, Mission Australia and similar charity units show their concerns about homelessness in the state and the necessity to address it (“Homelessness in Australia Statistics,” n.d.). The government and Parliament also recognize the critical importance of the theme and the lack of effective mechanisms to help all affected individuals. Under these conditions, the proposed policy might benefit from the support provided by various actors, organizations, and authorities. The financing and data acquired from these sources are essential to make the policy part of the legal environment and ensure that homeless older women with no partners or relatives are protected and have a chance to enjoy an appropriate quality of life.
The private sector and non-government organizations (NGOs) are other vital actors that might take part in the policy’s realization. The private sector has considerable resources to impact public opinion and support the policy (McClelland et al., 2020). It means that available housing can be created by finding investors from this sphere (McClelland et al., 2020). Moreover, numerous multinational firms work in Australia, meaning they can support the policy to acquire benefits from the government (Béland & Cox, 2016). In such a way, the institutional context of the proposed social policy implies cooperation between private and public sectors to attain success.
Conclusion
Altogether, homelessness is one of the topical problems in Australia. Although the state has some programs and policies to address the issue, they lack effectiveness as specific groups remain excluded. Older and single women are Australia’s fastest-growing category of homeless individuals.
It means that there is a need to create more available housing for the eligible category to ensure they are protected from violence and sheltered. Addressing the problem might also help to reduce the financial burden and create the basis for further improvement of the situation with homeless people in the state. The proposed policy agenda proves the need for change and justifies the necessity of actions aimed at helping older single women feel protected.
References
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