HomeGround's letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Wednesday 26 November 2008
The Hon Kevin Rudd MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Parliament House
Canberra
Collingwood
St Kilda
68 Oxford Street 122 Chapel Street
Collingwood 3066 St Kilda 3182
Housing T 9417 2500 Housing
Support T 9417 2500 T 9537 7711 F 9537 7797
Outreach T 9419 8355 Support
F (all services) 9419 1876 T 9537 7888 F 9537 7722
Tenancy and Property
Head Office T 9419 8855 T 9537 7999 F 9537 7797
F 9419 1876
Community Room Bookings
T 9537 7890 F 9537 7797
Preston
600 Plenty Road Broadmeadows
Preston 3072
9 Olsen Place
Support Broadmeadows 3047
T 9471 4533 F 9471 4533 Support
Community Development
Community Enterprises
abn 92 102 547 393 T 9309 8467
www.homeground.org.au Fax 9309 1349
Dear Prime Minister,
Request for leadership and action on homelessness
I am CEO of HomeGround Services, an agency focused on ending homelessness in
Melbourne. I have been working in homelessness and housing services for 20 years.
HomeGround is one of Melbourne’s main providers of homeless services with
assistance provided to over 9,000 homeless and at-risk households last year.
HomeGround delivers these services on the frontline of Australia’s battle with
homelessness. Our role extends to advocating for necessary changes to the
homelessness, housing and mainstream service systems. This includes leadership in
the introduction of supportive housing and my role as chair of the Australian Common
Ground Alliance. You would already be aware of the work of the Alliance through
Thérèse’s role as patron.
Six months ago I sat in the audience at the National Homelessness Conference and
heard your passionate recognition of the work our sector does and the traumatic
experience of homelessness in Australia. Members of that audience were deeply
affected by your commitment to tackle this solvable social problem.
After many years of feeling like we were an invisible sector helping invisible people,
homelessness workers have started to accept that we finally have a prime minister
who saw the problems we faced each day and who understood that societies are
measured by the way they treat their most vulnerable members. You created a lot of
hope that day.
This was reinforced through the Green Paper process and engagement with your
housing minister, Tanya Plibersek, who is an inspirational and committed ambassador
for homeless and marginalised Australians.
Victoria is fortunate to also have a housing minister committed to developing solutions
to homelessness in Richard Wynne. Melbourne has very low numbers of rough
sleepers compared with other cities. However, our system still struggles with an
inadequate and deteriorating supply of public housing and the loss of affordable
housing through rising prices.
I am writing to you today with a sense that the hope so evident six months ago is now
slipping away under the influence of Australia’s worsening affordable housing crisis
and a weakening world economy.
housing.homelessness.community development.research.advocacy

Your White Paper on Homelessness has been delayed and there are growing concerns
in our sector that neither it nor the National Affordable Housing Agreement will deliver
a comprehensive vision and funded strategy for reducing homelessness.
You are aware of the need for coordinated provision of housing and support services
as the proven solution to homelessness. This requires federal leadership to break the
impasse with the states and a significant injection of funds to where they are needed
most.
In opposition you criticised the previous government’s removal of around $3.5 billion
from public housing. Restoring this amount is a clear first step. Ongoing investment in
supported housing approaches offers you the chance to change the lives of hundreds
of thousands of individuals and families impacted by, or at-risk of, homelessness.
This response would also deliver major savings and efficiency benefits across other
government services including health, welfare and law enforcement. There would be
both economic and social benefits.
The current economic and political climate necessarily encourages financial restraint in
some areas and the temptation to shelve new initiatives must be strong.
Access to safe, affordable and permanent housing is not a luxury. Please deliver your
long-term vision and provide the resources to implement it.
There are a lot of people holding their breath right now and also hanging on to the
hope created at the conference back in May.
Best wishes
Stephen Nash
CEO
Cc
Tanya Plibersek
Julia Gillard
Wayne Swan
Lindsay Tanner
Jenny Macklin
John Brumby
John Lenders
Richard Wynne
2