Our Position – Health starts with access to a home

In keeping with our ethos, we believe there is a clear moral imperative for Catholic organisations, civil society and governments to address the housing crisis and prevalence of homelessness that is inflicting harsh conditions on a growing number of people. This should have a particular focus on the most vulnerable in our community.

Having a stable and affordable place to call home provides more than just personal dignity, it drastically impacts the health and wellbeing of individuals. Stable and affordable housing influences how families flourish and affects an individual’s ability to participate actively in their communities. Similarly, the health and wellbeing of individuals is a determining factor on their ability to find stable and affordable living arrangement, especially in the current climate. This can have intergenerational impacts, where housing vulnerability plays a role in the productivity and lifetime income of individuals and their children.

CHA continues to call on Government to address the following:

1. Set tangible goals and targets, to measure progress against every two years and provide support to the health and aged care sector against these.
2. As a priority, build more integrated pathways and links between health and social providers that better services individual support needs, captures more accurate and comprehensive data, and reduces inefficiencies in the current system of care.
3. Expand the focus on prevention, noting the various cohorts and experiences that determine vulnerability and the diverse stages of risk, and require new housing initiatives to consider the complex needs and health experiences of vulnerable people.
4. Implement changes to collaboratively reduce barriers and costs associated with developing social, affordable and crisis housing, to incentivise the charitable sector further and repurpose vacant or unused land.
5. Encourage states to implement a mechanism to cap unfair rent increases and provide boarders and lodgers, as well as their landlord or housing provider, with adequate consumer protections.
6. Immediately explore with a view to implement, rental policies including exemption from salary packaging caps and rental deductions up to a certain limit for properties located within a certain proximity to work for essential workers in health and aged care.
7. Recommend that Federal, State and Territory Governments work together to introduce ByName-List and associated collaboration and coordination methodologies into the provision of homelessness services.