Homelessness Week - Considering the Children

A sense of security in uncertain times can be hard to come by. It’s one of those things you don’t fully appreciate until you don’t have it. 2023 has been that moment in time for so many Australians. For several years now, we have survived natural disasters and a global pandemic, but this was the year that it came undone for so many because our economic system is now failing to keep ‘working families’ in a secure home.

‘Working families’ was, until recently, a real catch phrase of political campaigns. Every candidate and their dog wanted to appeal to working families. Our airwaves were filled with platitudes about how deserving ‘working families’ were of more opportunities, of more support, tax breaks. Working families were held up as a moral ideal, in stark contrast to unemployed families. Families that were unable to find work, were facing complex health issues, trauma, mental health and substance abuse were consigned as undeserving. It was this moral framework that gave our political leaders tacit permission to neglect public housing and leave unemployment benefits well below the poverty line. The system that we once set up to give families a pathway out of poverty is now barely keeping them afloat. For families suffering multigenerational poverty, this has been a way of life, and, as a society, we’ve been largely comfortable with it.

Enter the financial landscape of 2023. The cost-of-living crisis is placing huge pressure on families with children. Our Penrith Children’s Family Centre in Sydney’s West has seen a 68% increase in food relief requests when compared with last year. Latest statistics show one in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12 (ABS Census 2021). Significant increases in rents mean a whole new set of families are facing homelessness – including ‘working families’. How this will play out electorally is a concern for today’s political leaders. How this will play out socially is a problem for tomorrow’s leaders.

The growth in children experiencing homelessness is, on paper, a simple issue with a simple solution. A strong investment in public and affordable housing would be a good response. But as these families continue to struggle we are looking at more complex problems. Homelessness affects children’s physical and mental health, education outcomes and future employment opportunities. Another factor that pops up in families where there is entrenched poverty is children coming into out-of-home care.

At Barnardos, our highly skilled team works with families who are struggling, supporting them to heal from trauma and create safer homes for their children. In my long career in social work I’ve been privileged to see parents overcome some really complex challenges to improve the lives of their children. Witnessing the change that is possible with the right support enables us to do more and to provide better responses to families facing challenges. However, while I passionately believe in the power of the work we do, we can’t support parents to provide a safe home for their children if there is no affordable housing available.

Putting it simply, change is possible for individuals and families, but we can’t keep asking an increasing number of families to adapt to fit into an economy that is stacked against them. We are facing the kind of challenges that require systematic change. To do this requires serious political will. Our political leaders need to pay more than lip-service to families – working or otherwise – because the next generation relies on their families to succeed. We need change for the children because they are our future.