PEOPLE IN IMPROVISED DWELLINGS AND SLEEPERS OUT

Transcription

1 PEOPLE IN IMPROVISED DWELLINGS AND SLEEPERS OUT Chris Chamberlain Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT University A report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs June 2012

2 Contents Introduction 3 Census count 4 dwellings and rough sleepers 5 Conclusion 7 Appendices: Numbers of homeless people in each state and territory Appendix 1: New South Wales 8 Appendix 2: Victoria 11 Appendix 3: Queensland 13 Appendix 4: Western Australia 15 Appendix 5: South Australia 17 Appendix 6: Tasmania 18 Appendix 7: Northern Territory 19 Appendix 8: Australian Capital Territory 20 2

3 PEOPLE IN IMPROVISED DWELLINGS AND SLEEPERS OUT Chris Chamberlain Centre for Applied Social Research, RMIT University Introduction This report summarises information from the national project, Counting the Homeless 2006 by Chamberlain and MacKenzie. The national report was published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2008 (available at and reports on each state and territory were published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in 2009 (available at The purpose of this report is to provide background information for the evaluation of four Street to Home programs being undertaken in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The evaluations were funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The main data source for the Census analysis was the ABS Census of Population and Housing However, this data was supplemented by information from the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program () National Data Collection and the third National Census of Homeless School Students. Chamberlain and MacKenzie also carried out telephone interviews with about 500 service providers and public officials across the country. Local informants were selected purposively, in order to check the reliability of Census data in particular communities and to understand more about what was happening on the ground. In most places, three to four people were interviewed. The Census was carried out in August 2006, and aggregated figures from the Census provide an indicator of patterns in the homeless. However, figures from the 2006 Census are not a reliable indicator of the number of rough sleepers at the current time; that is, homeless people sleeping in public places, derelict buildings, tents, cars, etc. and not in improvised dwellings. 3

4 The operational category for primary homelessness ( rough sleeping ) is improvised home, tent and. This category includes: Sheds, tents, humpies, and other improvised dwellings occupied on Census Night It also includes people sleeping on park benches or in other rough accommodation. (ABS 2006, p. 182) This report begins by explaining how the 2006 Census count was carried out. Then it estimates the number of people in improvised dwellings (sheds, garages and cabins) and the number of people sleeping rough (public places, derelict buildings, tents, cars, etc.). Finally, the appendices summarise statistical information on homeless people in 2006, by state and territory. Census count The efficacy of the Census count of rough sleepers depends on Census collectors having good local knowledge. They have to know, for example, whether there are people squatting in empty buildings in their local community, or whether there might be families living in their cars, or whether there could be people camping in the bush. In 2006, there was a special effort to count rough sleepers in all states and territories. People without conventional accommodation are particularly difficult to count because they usually hide away at night to escape the cold. The 2006 Census was carried out in winter, where night-time temperatures were generally low in many areas of Australia. In addition, some homeless people were hostile to the idea of providing information to the government and did not want to fill out official forms. Other homeless people were hidden away in derelict buildings and Census collectors were unaware of their presence. Counting the primary is a major practical challenge. There were a number of components to the ABS strategy. Field staff were encouraged to work closely with local service providers who might know if people were squatting in derelict buildings or sleeping rough in their community. In all states and territories, local services provided intelligence on where people might be found sleeping rough. In some cases, Census forms were handed out at these agencies. It was also widely reported that mobile food vans were a good place to hand out Census forms. This strategy was used in the capital cities and in some regional centres, but implementation varied across the states and territories. 4

5 The ABS also had short Census forms that could be filled out by ABS staff where personal forms were judged inappropriate. The short forms were less intimidating than the longer personal forms. In addition, there was a procedure for filling out a substitute form when a homeless person was observed by a Census collector but was not able to be interviewed. Observation is an accepted method for counting people sleeping rough. Collectors were asked to record sex, estimated age and location. The category improvised home, tent and also included overseas visitors and Australian s who were on camping holidays. International visitors can be identified because they report a usual address overseas, and Australian holidaymakers can be identified because they report a usual address elsewhere in Australia. Once both groups were removed, this left 16,375 individuals in the improvised home, tent and category. In public discussions about homelessness, it is sometimes assumed that there are 16,375 rough sleepers. However, it has been pointed out that the category improvised home, tent and includes a wide range of situations, from someone sleeping in a park, to someone sheltering in a derelict building, to someone living in a shed of some kind. Sheds can vary from broken-down buildings to assembled colour-bond farm sheds and garages. Next, we summarise how Chamberlain and MacKenzie estimated the number of people in improvised dwellings and the number of people sleeping rough. dwellings and rough sleepers The 16,375 people in the improvised home, tent and category made up 9,414 holds. Chamberlain and MacKenzie report that it was not possible to quantify the number of people in improvised dwellings (sheds, garages and cabins) with certainty. Nor was it possible to count the number of rough sleepers exactly. However, Chamberlain and MacKenzie put forward tentative estimates. First, they examined the responses of people in the improvised home, tent, category to the Census question about dwelling tenure. It was found that that 10 per cent of holds were in rented dwellings and 39 per cent were in dwellings that were owned or being purchased. After talking with building inspectors and town planners across the country, Chamberlain and MacKenzie 5

6 concluded that these holds were usually living in improvised dwellings such as sheds, garages and cabins. In the case of owners and purchasers, this was usually their own property, although a few might have been in cars. Chamberlain and MacKenzie found that 51 per cent of holds did not answer the question about dwelling tenure and this probably indicated that they were sleeping rough, squatting in derelict buildings, or living in other forms of temporary shelter. This assumption was in accord with other information from service providers and council staff in local areas. In the capital cities, about 75 per cent of holds in the improvised home, tent, category were sleeping rough or squatting in derelict buildings, compared with 40 per cent of holds in this category in regional Australia. In regional Australia, about 60 per cent of the holds in improvised home, tent, were living in sheds, garages or cabins. Most of these properties were on land that was owned or being purchased, but about 20 per cent of the dwellings were rented. Building inspectors and town planners across the country reported that most people living in sheds were not building s. In many cases, the holder had laid a concrete slab and then erected a metal shed, assembled from a prefabricated kit. It was reported that people in improvised dwellings had often moved into communities where it was possible to purchase cheap blocks of land. However, these were also communities where unemployment was high and the newcomers remained unemployed or marginally attached to the labour force. These families may have dreamed of building a, but the dream had not been realised and they were living in rural poverty. In the capital cities, people in the category improvised home, tent and sleepers out were usually transient and without conventional shelter. People sleeping rough, squatting in derelict buildings or using motor vehicles for shelter are likely to move from place to place. Twenty people may show up in a particular subdivision on Census Night, but a week later they may be somewhere else. It is also important to recognise that most people do not sleep rough on a permanent basis. In a study of 4,200 homeless people, Chamberlain, Johnson and Theobald (2007) found that 2 per cent of their sample was consistently without shelter, but 49 per cent of the sample had slept rough occasionally. 6

7 Conclusion The 2006 Census identified 16,375 people in the category improvised home, tent and. However, this category includes a wide range of situations, from sleeping in a park and sheltering in a derelict building, to living in a shed or garage of some kind. There is no simple way of disaggregating the category, but in 2006 Chamberlain and MacKenzie conducted further research. They examined Census data, and then held many discussions with building inspectors, town planners and service providers across the country. This provided the basis for estimating the number of people in improvised dwellings (sheds, garages and cabins) and the number of people sleeping rough (for example, in public places, derelict buildings, cars and tents). Chamberlain and MacKenzie estimated that in the capital cities about 75 per cent of holds in the primary homeless category was sleeping rough. However, in regional Australia the situation was different. About 60 per cent of holds in this category were living in sheds, garages or cabins, most of which were owned or being purchased. Their living arrangements were below the community standard used to define homelessness, and in the main they were low-income holds, but they were not transient and some were employed in local communities. People sleeping rough or squatting in derelict buildings were more likely to be on their own, whereas people in improvised dwellings were more likely to be in families or group holds. Overall, Chamberlain and MacKenzie estimated there were about 9,900 people in improvised dwellings across the country and about 6,500 rough sleepers, although the latter group was undercounted. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) 2006 Census Dictionary, Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Catalogue No Chamberlain, C., Johnson, G. and Theobald, J. (2007) Homelessness in Melbourne, RMIT Publishing, Informit E-Library. 7

8 Appendix 1: Number of homeless people in New South Wales by statistical division (SD) and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Sydney 1,182 5,883 6,070 2,821 15,956 4,119, ,173 17, Inner Sydney , , , , Eastern Suburbs , , , St George-Sutherland , Canterbury-Bankstown , Fairfield-Liverpool , Outer South West Sydney , Inner Western Sydney , , , Central Western Sydney , , , Outer Western Sydney , , Blacktown , Lower Northern Sydney , , , Central Northern Sydney , Northern Beaches , Gosford Wyong , , Hunter 281 1, , , , Newcastle , , , Hunter SD balance , Illawarra , , , Wollongong , , Nowra-Bomaderry , Illawarra SD balance , Richmond-Tweed , , , Tweed Heads & Tweed Coast , Lismore , Richmond-Tweed SD balance , , ,

9 Appendix 1 (continued): Number of homeless people in New South Wales by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Mid-North Coast , , , Coffs Harbour , Port Macquarie , Clarence (excl. Coffs Harb.) , Hastings (excl. Port Macq.) , Northern , , , Tamworth , Northern Slopes (excl. Tam.) , Northern Tablelands , North Central Plain , North Western , Dubbo , Central Macquarie , Macquarie-Barwon , Upper Darling , Central West , Bathurst , Central Tablelands , Lachlan , Orange , South Eastern , , , Queanbeyan , Southern Tablelands , Lower South Coast , Snowy ,

10 Appendix 1 (continued): Number of homeless people in New South Wales by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Murrumbidgee , Wagga Wagga , Central Murrumbidgee , Lower Murrumbidgee , Murray , Albury , Upper Murray , Central Murray , Murray-Darling , Far West , Missing data , ,715 10,923 7,626 5,110 27,374 6,549, ,104 32, Selected SLAs (incl. Queanbeyan , Broken Hill ,

11 Appendix 2: Number of homeless people in Victoria by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Melbourne 845 5,100 3,739 4,884 14,568 3,592, ,247 15, Inner Melbourne , , , , Western Melbourne , , , Melton-Wyndham , Moreland City , Northern Middle Melbourne , Hume City , Northern Outer Melbourne , Boroondara City , Eastern Middle Melbourne , , , Eastern Outer Melbourne , Yarra Ranges Shire Part A , Southern Melbourne , , , Greater Dandenong City , South Eastern Outer , Melbourne Frankston City , Mornington Peninsula Shire , Barwon , Greater Geelong City Part A , East Barwon , West Barwon , Western District , Warrnambool City , Hopkins , Glenelg , Central Highlands , Ballarat City , East Central Highlands , West Central Highlands ,

12 Appendix 2 (continued): Number of homeless people in Victoria by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Wimmera , South Wimmera , North Wimmera , Mallee , Mildura Rural City Part A , West Mallee , East Mallee , Loddon , Greater Bendigo City Part A , North Loddon , South Loddon , Goulburn , , , Greater Shepparton City , Part A North Goulburn , South Goulburn , South West Goulburn , Ovens-Murray , Wodonga , West Ovens-Murray , East Ovens-Murray , East Gippsland , East Gippsland Shire , Wellington Shire , Gippsland , La Trobe Valley , West Gippsland , South Gippsland , Missing data , ,204 7,414 4,457 6,436 20,511 4,932, ,789 23,

13 Appendix 3: Number of homeless people in Queensland by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Brisbane 591 3,570 2,385 1,450 7,996 1,763, ,694 9, Inner Brisbane , ,070 84, , North West Inner Brisbane , North West Outer Brisbane , , , South East Inner Brisbane , South East Outer Brisbane , , Beaudesert Shire Part A , Caboolture Shire , Ipswich City , Logan City , Pine Rivers Shire , Redcliffe City , Redland Shire , Gold Coast 216 1, , , , Gold Coast North , Gold Coast East , , , Gold Coast West , , Gold Coast SD balance , Sunshine Coast 270 1, , , , Sunshine Coast , , , Sunshine Coast SD balance , West Moreton , Upper West Moreton , Lower West Moreton ,

14 Appendix 3 (continued): Number of homeless people in Queensland by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Wide Bay-Burnett 1,104 1, , , , Bundaberg , Hervey Bay City Part A , Wide Bay-Burnett SD , , , balance Darling Downs , , , Toowoomba , Darling Downs SD balance , South West , Fitzroy , , , Rockhampton , Gladstone , Fitzroy SD balance ,149 76, , Central West , Mackay 708 1, , , , Mackay City Part A , Mackay SD balance ,814 77, , Northern 256 1, , , , Townsville City Part A ,141 91, , Thuringowa City Part A , Northern SD balance , Far North 737 1, , , , Cairns City Part A , , , Far North SD balance , , , North West , Missing data , ,165 12,946 5,438 3,233 26,782 3,904, ,385 33,

15 Appendix 4: Number of homeless people in Western Australia by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Perth 767 3,786 1,097 1,070 6,720 1,445, , Central Metropolitan , , , East Metropolitan , North Metropolitan 262 1, , , , South West Metropolitan , , , South East Metropolitan , , , South West , , , Mandurah , Bunbury , Preston , Vasse , Blackwood , Lower Great Southern , Pallinup , King , Upper Great Southern , Hotham , Lakes , Midlands , Moore , Avon , Campion , South Eastern , Kalgoorlie/Boulder City , Lefroy , Johnston ,

16 Appendix 4 (continued): Number of homeless people in Western Australia by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Central ,276 57, , Geraldton , Gascoyne , Carnegie , Greenough River , Pilbara ,012 41, , De Grey , Fortescue , Kimberley 477 1, ,870 29, , Ord , Fitzroy ,020 19, , Missing data , ,392 7,952 1,652 1,395 13,391 1,959, ,994 15, Selected SLAs (incl. Bunbury , Busselton , Albany Central , Albany balance , Geraldton , Port Headland , Halls Creek , Broome ,

17 Appendix 5: Number of homeless people in South Australia by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Adelaide 251 2,368 1,174 1,420 5,213 1,105, , Northern Adelaide , , , Western Adelaide , , , Eastern Adelaide , , , Southern Adelaide , , , Outer Adelaide , Barossa , Kangaroo Island , Mt Lofty Ranges , Fleurieu , Yorke and Lower North , Yorke , Lower North , Murray Lands , Riverland , Murray Mallee , South East , Upper South East , Lower South East , Eyre , Lincoln , West Coast , Northern , Whyalla , Pirie , Flinders Ranges , Far North , Missing data , ,634 1,369 2,111 7,962 1,514, ,

18 Appendix 6: Number of homeless people in Tasmania by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Greater Hobart , , , Southern , Northern , Greater Launceston , Central North , North Eastern , Mersey-Lyell , Burnie-Devonport , North Western Rural , Lyell , Missing data , , , , Selected SLAs (incl. Hobart Inner Hobart balance , Launceston Inner Launceston Part B , Burnie Part A , Devonport ,

19 Appendix 7: Number of homeless people in the Northern Territory by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Darwin 488 1, , , , Darwin City ,829 66, , Palmerston-East Arm , Litchfield Shire , Northern Territory 1, ,307 84, , balance Finnis , Bathurst-Melville , Alligator , Daly , East Arnhem , Lower Top End , Barkly , Central , Missing data , ,588 2, , , , Selected SLAs 19 (incl. Katherine , Tennant Creek , Tennant Creek balance , Alice Springs Charles , Alice Springs Heavitree , Alice Springs Larapinta , Alice Springs Ross , Alice Springs Stuart ,

20 Appendix 8: Number of homeless people in the Australian Capital Territory by statistical division and subdivision, 2006 (incl. Canberra , , , North Canberra , Belconnen , Woden Valley , Western Creek-Stromlo , Tuggeranong , South Canberra , Gungahlin-Hall , ACT balance n/a Missing data , , ,