THE number of homeless people in Redlands will increase unless government at all levels find innovative solutions, according to the Salvos.
The organisation’s communications and fundraising secretary for Queensland, Major Neil Dickson said homelessness and the lack of affordable housing was a “whole of community problem” in Redlands.
He said there was a role for everyone to play in addressing homelessness.
“Unless we all come together and find innovative solutions more people are going to become homeless,” said Maj Dickson.
He said in the Redlands there were homeless families living in their cars and men “living rough” while they tried to find affordable accommodation.
“It is difficult for people to present for job interviews if they are in an unstable housing situation,” he said.
“They need to be clean and well dressed and have access to computer equipment to be able to submit resumes.”
The Redland City Bulletin reported earlier this month that at least seven men were living in bushland across Redland City.
Maj Dickson was talking after the release of the Salvation Army’s Economic and Social Impact Survey (ESIS) on Wednesday.
The survey of more than 1600 Salvation Army clients found one in five were either homeless or living in temporary accommodation.
Maj Dickson said the survey was not broken down into council areas, but the work of the Salvation Army in Redlands showed there was a need for affordable housing.
A total of 37 per cent of homeless people who participated in the survey had experienced “persistent homelessness” for two years.
The ESIS report revealed family violence led 37 per cent of women surveyed to move in the past 12 months.
One in five people surveyed could not afford medical treatment or prescribed medicine for their children and two in five could not afford an annual dental checkup for their child.
The Salvation Army’s territorial communications and fundraising secretary Major Bruce Harmer said the organisation would work with all levels of government, the private sector and other service providers to develop innovative solutions.
“We need leadership and action from all levels of government,” he said.
“The results of this extensive survey of 1632 people are utterly shameful. It shows the real level of struggle taking place in our ‘lucky country’.”
Maj Harmer said the Salvos crisis accommodation services for women and children were constantly full.
He called for people to donate to the Red Shield Appeal campaign on May 28 and 29.
“We need the support of Australians through the Red Shield Appeal in order to open up more beds for families in need and to implement early intervention and innovative social enterprise schemes so that people in poverty can break the cycle,” he said.
