Inside Australia’s hidden homelessness crisis

This is sponsored content for Mission Australia

Sleeping rough is the most visible form of homelessness, but according to Mission Australia, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. 94 per cent of homelessness in Australia is hidden — otherwise known as “insecure accommodation”. This can include living in an overcrowded space, relying on temporary accommodation or unsafe environments.

In the next hour, 3000 Australians will reach out to homelessness services like Mission Australia for help, according to statistics gathered from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

In the next hour, 3000 Australians will reach out to homelessness services for help.

Ruby’s* family was one of those. She was only eight when her single-dad Justin lost his job at the same time their rent increased. After exhausting his savings, they were evicted from their home and had to move into a friend’s garage.

“We could only take a few things — like school and cooking stuff. We slept in the garage, it was awful. I had to say goodbye to my home,” Ruby says.

“Dad wanted me to keep doing well at school. I tried to do my homework but there wasn’t much space. I was embarrassed and I didn’t want my friends to know I was living in a garage.”

Never too early to seek help

Mission Australia found Justin and Ruby temporary accommodation in time for Christmas and helped them buy basic furniture, bedding and a fridge. They also ensured Ruby had presents to unwrap on Christmas morning.

Missionbeat Sydney team leader, Patrick Crawford agrees. His team provides rapid response crisis intervention for everyone from rough sleepers to those in unstable housing.

“Lack of knowledge and embarrassment at their situation cause people to not seek out appropriate assistance in the early part of their journey,” he says.

“We consistently find that if people can come in contact with professional services earlier, such as when their tenancies become unstable, we can provide information and guidance on how to react to circumstances and make them feel not alone.

“If people retreat because of embarrassment, they generally linger longer in unstable tenancies which then has various physical and mental health impacts that further entrenches them in homelessness.”

He likens it to being stranded in a country where someone doesn’t speak the language, know the processes or where to go for help.

“That sense of disconnection, isolation and disorientation is the feeling that people who are often unexpectedly thrust into homelessness feel,” he says.Hidden homelessness is at risk of rising, because if you can’t see the issue, you can’t fix it.

Homelessness services in high demand

Justin and Ruby were affected by unemployment and rent increases, but it can also be triggered by increasing cost of living pressures, unexpected illness, the death of a loved one, mental illness or domestic violence. All of these things can impact a person’s employment and their ability to pay rent or a mortgage.

“We often see, due to financial stress, people seeking lower accommodation costs and coming together, particularly in extended family groups. But the social impact of these groupings can lead to family conflict and relationship breakdowns,” Crawford says.

Demand for Mission Australia’s homelessness and housing services increased by 26 per cent over the past three years.

Crawford believes that resourcing appropriate services is an essential step in intercepting the pathways to homelessness, by identifying those at risk and providing early intervention.

”Missionbeat provides immediate and intense support for people to be able to give them the confidence and direction to assist us to resolve their tenancy issues or remove them from the state of homelessness,” he says.

“As a community, we have to be able to identify that homelessness is more common than people realise. It can happen to anyone, anytime.

“By sharing the stories of people that experience homelessness, we can illuminate that for others so if they, or someone they know, is similarly impacted then they know how to react, what to do and realise their situation isn’t hopeless.

“It’s that overwhelming feeling of hopelessness that prevents people from being able to seek out and receive appropriate support.”

He believes that a community’s empathy and compassion can make a real difference.

“The work that Mission Australia does, and all the organisations out there that support society, is important, but the question is, how much do we as a community care about other people and how much are we willing to resource them?” he asks.

“One day we might find ourselves without support and needing assistance.”

You can help families like Ruby’s by donating to Mission Australia’s Winter appeal.

*Names and images have been changed to protect the identity of the people Mission Australia helps.