The latest Census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics paints a concerning picture of homelessness and domestic and family violence in Australia.
The latest Census data, released in March 2023 shines a light on some concerning data in relation to homelessness and domestic and family violence in Australia. The data reveals an upward trend of homelessness in Australia, with an increase of over 5% from the previous census. While the majority of those experiencing homelessness were males, the number of women experiencing homelessness has increased by approx. 10% from 2016. Equally alarming is that an estimated 41% of people aged 18 years and over have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 15. Of these, an estimated 27% of women aged 18 years and over have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15.
Homelessness and domestic and family violence are complex problems. The inter- connectivity of homelessness, domestic and family violence, mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction is clear, and, as reflected by the Census data, the demand for our services has never been higher. As Gabriel our CEO reflected;
“The latest Census data tells us what we are already feeling on the ground. People are doing it really tough. We’ve seen an enormous increase in demand for our services; year on year, we have served 60% more meals at Roughies, seen a 70% increase in our legal case work, and received a record number of referrals for domestic and family violence case work at Banksia Women.”
The long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the cost of living in Australia has resulted in a huge squeeze on organizations providing support to people experiencing homelessness or domestic and family violence. With upward pressure on our resources and downward pressure on volunteers and funding, we face a number of unique challenges.
Feeling the squeeze
The high cost of living has impacted our ability to raise funds as donors feel the impact of consecutive interest rate rises and high inflation. Our ability to recruit volunteers has also been impacted as volunteers face their own challenges so are less available to volunteer. Research from Volunteering Australia and the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods found that voluntary work was impacted harder by the COVID-19 recession than paid work, and overall volunteer numbers have dropped sharply. This is consistent with what we are experiencing here at St John’s Community Services.
While the Census results are concerning, our programs continue to make a significant contribution to the lives of those impacted by homelessness or domestic and family violence. Our network of dedicated case workers and volunteers continue to support hundreds of patrons in our local community every single day. As one patron recently told us:
“I think there would be quite a few people that would be absolutely lost without Rough Edges.”
Find out more about how you can help support our community, from volunteering your time through to corporate or regular donations.
