Spare a thought for the “hidden homeless” this Christmas

Of the 105,000 people who are homeless every night in Australia, about a quarter are families with children.

With this statistic, staff attending last week’s Westpac Christmas party in Sydney were reminded that not everyone had safe and secure homes to return to that night.

Before the end-of-year festivities, Westpac’s Head of Stakeholder Communications Sean Glover joined Mission Australia Community Services Executive Leader Lincoln Hopper and Missionbeat Manager Daniel Petsalis on stage to provide an insight into family homelessness.

The 20-minute discussion to raise awareness about this “hidden homelessness” came a week after Westpac and Mission Australia launched a partnership to combat family homelessness.

“What makes it [family homelessness] worse is that eight out of 10 families can’t be helped and that tears the fabric of Australia apart,” Mr Hopper said. “It’s a horrible problem that we have to solve and thankfully we are starting to make inroads into that.”

Mr Hopper said a lack of affordable housing was a central cause of family homelessness, but the loss of a job, a financial setback, divorce and mental health problems contributed.

“If you don’t have a job and you’re homeless it’s awfully difficult to find another one. Your kids won’t be going to school, and it’s going to be difficult to do anything but try to search for somewhere to live. That repeated day in and day out takes people into a spiral,” he said.

“People start to rely on the family and friends network… but after a couple of months you’re going to wear out your welcome.”

Mr Petsalis recalled a homeless mother and five children who “outwore their welcome” with family a few days before Christmas 2009: “I made the trip out to pick up her and her five kids. And being a dad of four kids of similar age and knowing this Christmas these kids were not going to be spending it at home, and there was going to be 12,000 kids Santa wouldn’t find, it was sad to see…”

Fortunately, Mission Australia placed the family in accommodation before Christmas and linked them to support services. “It was just by that contact with us that we were able to start that ball rolling, because they were going to hit the streets the next day,” Mr Petsalis said.

Westpac staff were moved to tears when Leslie Butt, Mission Australia Operations Manager Adult Accommodation and Support, shared a poignant story about a young family she assisted at Fairfax House – an accommodation service in Sydney’s west for families in crisis.

“I know how heartbreaking it is to see anyone that’s homeless, but if you’ve ever experienced seeing a homeless child, a homeless family and not be touched by that… Everybody wants to have good things for their families.

For the past eight months, the family had been living in temporary housing and in their car, so they were relieved that a two-bedroom unit was available to them:

“The car had broken down and wasn’t on the road so they had to come in by train and all their belongings were in plastic bags,” Lesley recalled. “And I remember this little girl, she would probably only be about four, came up the pathway dragging her little bag and said ‘Can I stay here?’

“I said ‘Of course darling you can stay, and she was so happy. It stuck in my mind that a little four-year-old girl was asking to stay with her belongings in a rubbish bag.

You can help Mission Australia to overcome family homelessness by supporting our Christmas Appeal.

Mission Australia and Westpac tackle family homelessness together

Mission Australia and the Westpac Group yesterday have launched a long-term partnership aimed at addressing family homelessness over the next decade.

Families make up a quarter of all homeless people (105,000 homeless Australians on any one night) and up to 80 per cent of homeless families seeking crisis accommodation are turned away from government-funded homeless services.

The partnership was officially launched yesterday at the Mission Australia Centre in Sydney’s Surry Hills, with Mission Australia Chairman Ewen Crouch and CEO Toby Hall; Westpac’s Peter Hanlon, Group Executive, People and Transformation, and the Hon Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Social Inclusion and Human Services in attendance.

They were joined by representatives from Housing NSW, MA Housing as well as Mission Australia and Westpac staff.

In the first stage of the partnership Westpac has agreed to provide $1 million over three years to Mission Australia for specific projects to address homelessness. Westpac and Mission Australia will also work together to launch a social innovation fund, targeting capital funds to be used to develop more affordable housing nationally.

Mr Hall, said the partnership was unique in Australia and displayed a shared commitment between the two organisations to tackling one of the nation’s major social problems.

He said addressing family homelessness required a three-pronged approach - prevention strategies to “turn off the tap” to homelessness; the provision of crisis accommodation services like the Mission Australia Centre to give longer-term support and offer breathing space, and the delivering of more affordable housing .

“Australia’s lack of affordable housing is one of the most significant factors influencing family homelessness,” Mr Hall said.

“Westpac’s support for this partnership will make a huge difference to our work and in the lives of countless homeless families – and those at risk of homelessness – now and in the years to come.”

At yesterday’s launch Mr Hanlon said Westpac was proud of its century-long association with Mission Australia and was committed to addressing homelessness, which is “not just about shelter – it’s also about self-esteem and inclusion”.

Above photo from left: Ewen Crouch, Mission Australia Chairman; The Hon Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Social Inclusion and Human Services; Toby Hall, Mission Australia CEO; and Peter Hanlon, Group Executive, People and Transformation, Westpac.

Media Release: New partnership offers hope for homeless families

A new strategic partnership announced today between The Westpac Group and Mission Australia will address family homelessness and help deliver more affordable housing across the country over the next decade.

In the first stage of the long-term partnership Westpac has agreed to provide $1 million over three years to Mission Australia for specific projects to address homelessness.

In addition Westpac and Mission Australia will work together to launch a social innovation fund, targeting capital funds to be used to develop more affordable housing nationally.

The partnership was launched at an event in Sydney this morning by Gail Kelly, The Westpac Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Toby Hall, Mission Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, and Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Social Inclusion.

In launching the new partnership, Mrs Kelly said: “As an active supporter of communities all around Australia, The Westpac Group believes it has a responsibility to help address the issue of homelessness.

“I am particularly proud to be announcing this strategic new initiative with Mission Australia, which we are hopeful will deliver real difference over the next decade.

“In partnering with Mission Australia, we have chosen a caring and dedicated organisation whose expertise The Westpac Group and its employees can draw upon to help make a genuine difference to the lives of the homeless.”

Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall, said the partnership was unique in Australia and displayed a shared commitment between the two organisations to tackling one of the nation’s major social problems.

“Australia’s lack of affordable housing is one of the most significant factors influencing family homelessness,” said Mr Hall.

“Westpac’s support for this partnership will make a huge difference to our work and in the lives of countless homeless families – and those at risk of homelessness – now and in the years to come.

“Westpac and Mission Australia enjoy a long, shared history – Westpac has been Mission Australia’s bank of choice for close to 150 years. It’s wonderful to see this strong association develop to a new level.”

Other important aspects of the partnership include:

• In-kind and pro bono support from Westpac to Mission Australia.
• Engagement of Westpac’s 40,000 staff on the issue of homelessness and through a range of activities (eg: volunteering).
• Strategic advice from Mission Australia to Westpac on how best to leverage its activities and harness innovation to address homelessness.

“There’s a stark challenge facing the country – families make up a quarter of all homeless people (105,000 homeless Australians on any one night) and up to 80% of homeless families seeking crisis accommodation are turned away from government-funded homeless services.

“This partnership couldn’t have come at a more crucial time in meeting that challenge head on and making a difference in the years to come,” said Mr Hall.

Westpac media contact: Jane Counsel (02) 8253 3443 or 0416 275 273

Mission Australia media contact: Paul Andrews (02) 9219 2080 or 0409 665 495