User:Thon de Baai/Activist Atricle

Definition
There are no internationally agreed upon definitions of homelessness, which making it hard to compare levels of homelessness across the globe.

But for the aim of this  article the definition will focus on Australia As follow:

According to the Australian Bureaus of Statics ( ABS) definition of homelessness is informed by an understanding of homelessness as " Homelessness" not rootlessness ,Homelessness is therefore a lack of one or more of the element s that represent " Home" however,homelessness is not simply an individual experience .it is also a structural phenomenon driven by economic imperative beyond the control of those most affected.

ABS data shows that one in six Australians aged 15-24 are living in poverty. Inter generational unemployment and the high rate of youth unemployment significantly affects young people. the report indicate that overall Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are much more likely to experience homelessness than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Their rate of homelessness is 487 per 10,000 compared to 49 per 10,000 in the Australian population, meaning young Aboriginal people have a much higher likelihood of experiencing homelessness in their lifetime

Also the cultural definition of homelessness is now widely used by policy makers and researchers in Australia (House of Representatives 1995; Northwood 1997; Department of Health and Family Services 1997; Charman, McClelland, Montague and Sully 1997; Driscoll and Wood 1998; LenMac Consulting 2005; Shelter WA 2005). The basic idea underpinning the cultural definition of homelessness is that there are shared community standards about the minimum accommodation that people can expect to achieve in contemporary Society.

Furthermore, it has argued that homelessness  youths are victims. Because they are likely to experience violence on the street. And they are also likely to have contact with the criminal justice system. As a consequence, they are vulnerable group as victims of violence describes homeless youth’s experiences in relation to violence on street.

Typically, Indigenous youth homeless are prone to homelessness, due to  many factors such as economic and social factors. According to a report by the department of social services ‘Youth Homelessness in Australia’ which published in 2006, it has found that Northern territory has the highest numbers of Indigenous youth homelessness in the country. According to the Report, youth aged between 12 and 18 are over-represented in youth homelessness. And these youth come from disadvantaged background

Youth homelessness in Australia is a significant social issue, affecting tens of thousands of young people. In 2006, the Australian government estimate, focusing on homeless school children, found some 20,000 homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 18. Another estimate found approximately 44,000 homeless Australians under the age of 25. . Activists maintain that the majority of young people leave home because of family breakdown, often caused by domestic violence and abuse. Swinburne University researchers found that over $600 million is spent each year on health and justice services for homeless youth. Researchers have studied the prevalence of psychological distress and mental illness among homeless youth in Australia. Some experts argue that early intervention services are an effective way to curb youth homelessness. Other researchers have examined the potential solution of youth foyers.

Report:
According to the report of NSW Auditor-General, the Federal Government's  White Paper and the creation of a Strategic Framework for NSW, which is currently being finalized, have been important responses to the issue of homelessness in recent years. As highlighted in the White Paper, there are many causes of homelessness including housing affordability, domestic violence, long-term unemployment, family breakdown and mental health and substance abuse. Homelessness can affect people of all ages, includes men and women as well as people from different cultural backgrounds. It can take many forms, ranging from primary homelessness, including “rough sleeping” to other forms of homelessness such as “couch surfing” at friends' homes. Homelessness is a problem globally, that is not confined to a certain part of NSW and impacts on people in both the city and the suburbs as well as those in rural and regional areas of the State. Domestic violence is a pathway into homelessness for many people to become homeless. This is likely to become of growing concern because of the increase in the reported incidence of domestic violence in recent years. Homelessness involved young people who are homeless if their accommodation does not provided to them with a sense of safety, security, privacy and so on. This requires information about how much space people have in their accommodation and whether they feel safe and secure in their property. However, the Census does not collect evidence about these matters. Chamberlain and Mackenzie developed what has been called the cultural definition of homelessness. This definition identifies shared community standards about the minimum housing that people have a right to expect according to the conventions and expectations of culture. Cultural standards are embedded in the housing practices of a society. According to the cultural definition homeless can be group into three level. The first one is primary homelessness this category conceptualizes homelessness as being roofless. It includes all people without conventional accommodation, for example, people living on the streets, sleeping in parks, squatting in derelict buildings, or using cars or railway carriages for temporary shelter. The secondary homelessness, this category includes people moving between various forms of temporary shelter. It includes people staying with friends, relatives, in emergency or transitional accommodation provided under the Supported Accommodation Program and boarding houses. The third one is tertiary homelessness, this are homeless people who live in boarding houses on a medium to long-term basis. These people do not have a bathroom, kitchen or security of tenure and are categorized as homeless because their accommodation situation is below the minimum community standard ( boarding houses and caravan parks



According to ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistic) policy they have classifies that people are homeless if they lack one or more of the following an adequate dwelling; security of tenure in their dwelling; and access to space for social relations. However, the ABS has an overarching rule that individuals should be excluded from the homelessness count if their living circumstance mirrors that of a homeless person but is one of choice: that being, the person has the capacity and means to live differently but chooses a particular lifestyle. People who lack one or more of these elements are not necessarily classified as homeless. Government response in Australia to homeless issues that there must be four conditions to make identifying the right person who seeks help or chosen homelessness. Homeless person must be shown that the person has sufficient ‘income, wealth and savings that would allow them to access suitable accommodation’. So that the involved of assessing individual has sufficient funds to set up a small flat in the current rental market and takes into account the cost of a suitable property, bond, one month’s rent in advance, fees for connecting utilities and so forth. Additionally, the person must have sufficient disposable income to maintain rental payments and services. The level of information required to make such an assessment is not collected by the Census.

The second policy is whether the person has the physical capabilities to allow them to access suitable accommodation’. The ABS notes that ‘some physical impairments may prevent a person from being able to seek out, access and sustain suitable accommodation. It is not clear what 'physical impairments’ the ABS has in mind, but this sort of judgment arguably is beyond the scope of the information collected in the Census. Finally, it must be shown that a person has the psychological means to allow them to seek out and access suitable accommodation. Some types of mental illnesses or cognitive injuries may prevent a person from being able to seek out, access and sustain suitable accommodation. Similarly, the level of information required to inform such an assessment would be beyond the scope of the Census.

The major Cause of Homelessness in Australia and globally:

 * 1) Domestic violence is leading cause of homelessness.
 * 2) unemployment.
 * 3) Lack of affordable housing'
 * 4) poverty. person living in poverty are mostly at risk of becoming homeless.
 * 5) Low wages.
 * 6) mental health.
 * 7) Substance abuse.

Keywords:

 * Youth Homelessness
 * Whit paper
 * Domestic violence
 * Rough sleeping
 * Accommodation
 * Income
 * Mental illnesses
 * An adequate dwelling.