Compassion and dignity key to addressing homelessness and mental ill-health crises

This year’s Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Social Justice Statement – Signs of Hope on the Edge – speaks directly to the mission of Catholic Health Australia and its members, who work every day to support the most vulnerable in our society.

Confronting the growing homelessness crisis and the added impacts that mental ill-health has for those who lack safe and secure housing, the Statement includes moving first-hand accounts of people struggling with mental-ill health and homelessness, and challenges Australians to walk in the footsteps of Christ and befriend those who are in need. This means authentically noticing and knowing people living in homelessness and mental ill-health, and making the effort to serve them with love and humility – part of the sacred responsibility entrusted by Jesus to all Christians to reach out to those on the edges of society and offer them loving care.

It is a timely and important intervention. Issues like the cost-of-living and housing crises, systemic public policy failures, and family and domestic violence are forcing record numbers of people into homelessness. In 2022-23, homelessness services supported more than 270,000 Australians, with around one-third of those who received assistance having a mental health issue. Still more people are being forced to rely on family and friends for housing support, or are living in unsafe, unsuitable or overcrowded accommodation. In the worst cases, they are living in tents or sleeping rough on the streets – at even greater cost to their physical and mental health.

At the same time, services to support people experiencing homelessness and mental ill-health are severely stretched, and in many cases are being forced to turn away those in need. In 2023, almost half of the 40,000 young people who sought homelessness support – many fleeing domestic violence and abuse – were turned away from crisis accommodation services due to a lack of resources or available space. A survey of specialist homelessness services in 2024 found many had to close their doors to those seeking help or turn down calls from people in need.

It is utterly heartbreaking to think of anyone – let alone a child or a vulnerable person – being forced to experience homelessness without adequate support, care, or protection.

And yet this is the harsh reality for far too many people in Australia today.

In the face of this worsening crisis, Catholic health outreach and social services, including CHA member organisations, are delivering a proven model of care that is founded in love, compassion and dignity, and inspired by the person and mission of Jesus Christ.

Catholic Health Australia members

On the front line of the homelessness crisis, CHA members like St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney deliver health outreach support to people experiencing homelessness where they are and in ways that work for them, whether that’s on the streets or in emergency housing.

St John of God’s Horizon House offers safe accommodation and support for young people at risk of homelessness, with staff on hand to help residents develop the skills and access the support they need to look after themselves and live independently.

And the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW offers accommodation and specialised assistance to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, with support provided ranging from nutritious meals to specialised housing, legal assistance or healthcare.

These are just a few of the many CHA member organisations providing compassionate care directly to those on the margins of our society. They offer a living example of the Church’s mission by walking alongside people in hardship with grace, respect and a commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind.

Yet as the Social Justice Statement affirms, the growing scale of the crisis demands systemic action at the policy level alongside compassionate frontline care. Increased investment in emergency housing, as well as funding for specialised mental health and homelessness support services is a crucial first step. This must be accompanied by policy reform – such as increased social and affordable housing and a boost to income support payments – to address the root causes of homelessness.

Signs of Hope on the Edge reminds us that people experiencing homelessness and mental ill-health are not problems to be solved, but neighbours to be noticed, known and served. Catholic health and social services show every day what can be achieved when care is grounded in love and delivered with compassion. Governments now have the opportunity to match this commitment by investing in integrated, dignity-affirming models of care.

Only then can the signs of hope grow into lasting and transformative change for those in need.

This article first appeared in The Catholic Weekly