Vinnies shines spotlight on homelessness

16 Apr 2015

By The Record

Vinnie’s CEO Mark Fitzpatrick with CEOs Justine Colyer (Rise), Barry Felstead (Crown Perth), Shane Ball (Swan Group), Lisa Bayakly (KPMG) and John Wood (National Lifestyle Villages). PHOTO: Supplied

The St Vincent De Paul Society launched the 2015 CEO Sleepout at its Passages Resource Centre in Northbridge last week.

A number of CEOs who signed on to take part this year joined Vinnies WA CEO Mark Fitzpatrick to enjoy a BBQ breakfast with some of the young people currently being assisted at the Centre.

Passages Resource Centre is one of Vinnie’s services that provides marginalised and street present young people between 12 and 25 years of age with assistance to transition off the streets and adopt safer and healthier lifestyles.

There are more than 105,000 people experiencing homelessness in Australia and 44 per cent of these are women, many accompanied by young children. In addition, around 60 per cent are under the age of 35 and in the prime of their life.

More than 17,000 Australian children under the age of 12 have no home, representing 17 per cent of the overall homeless population.

Thirty-nine per cent of Australians experiencing homelessness are living in severely crowded dwellings; 17 per cent are staying temporarily with family and friends; 18 per cent are living in boarding houses and other temporary accommodation; six per cent are sleeping rough on the streets; and just 20 per cent find a bed in the homeless service system.

Mr Fitzpatrick said homelessness is intrinsically linked to a lack of social and affordable housing as women and children cannot find alternative accommodation as they flee situations of domestic and family violence, the leading cause of homelessness.

“It is crucial that affordable and social housing be made available to people at risk of homelessness or already experiencing homelessness so that we can offer them viable options to lead independent lives.

“Providing wrap-around services to people in secure accommodation is a far more effective way of ending the cycle of homelessness,” he said.

“It is shameful that, in a country as prosperous as Australia, we should have so many people living in such a vulnerable situation. But what is truly shocking is that so many of these people are women and children. The Society will continue to call for action to be taken in addressing affordable housing and fixing a social housing system that is broken.”

The 2015 Vinnies CEO Sleepout will take place across the country on Thursday, 18 June. For further information, including the current list of business and community leaders participating, go to www.ceosleepout.org.au.