HOW did the ‘Lucky Country’ get here?
DID it begin with the Howard Govt in the late 1990s opening the floodgates to high immigration?
WHO triggered this?
Frinstance with …
-middle class Chinese lured by ‘Flexible Citizenship’ when they purchased our real estate or education
-that led to a Housing Boom in the early 2000s
-2008/09 following GFC developers could sell 100% of ‘new homes’ overseas (FIRB Ruling)
.up from 50%
-vast range of Visas enabling real estate purchase to gain a Permanent Resident Visa
IS this why there was a huge influx of foreign buyers competing in our Housing Market?
.house prices escalated
.real estate sector exempt from anti-money laundering laws
-NSW Government has sold off much of its Public Housing Estates
.for private redevelopment and overseas buyer market
THAT’s apart from job losses … 1.6 Million Visa Workers in Australia … low stagnant wages … insecure work … 19.7% Unemployment (1 Million unable to find work) …
WHERE’s the Miracle?
Photo: AIMN
IN THE LUCKY COUNTRY WE HAD 70% HOME OWNERSHIP …
Related Article: Report Shows Three Million People in Poverty in Australia and Why we must Act to Support Each Other!
Mental Health Housing and Homelessness Interrelated … AHURI
RESEARCH DINAH LEWIS BOUCHER THU 20 FEB 20
Australia’s housing, homelessness and mental health systems are crisis-driven and not well integrated, meaning many struggle to access required support when needed, reveals new research.
The national study, Trajectories: the interplay between mental health and housing pathways, is one of the first to examine the relationship between the housing and mental health pathways of people with lived experience of mental ill-health.
Undertaken by Mind Australia in collaboration with AHURI the quantitative analysis highlights the impact mental health issues have on a person’s financial situation, and ultimately, directly impacting their housing stability.
“People who experienced severe psychological distress had an 89 per cent increased likelihood of financial hardship in the following year and a 96 per cent increased likelihood of financial hardship within two years,” the report said.
“People whose mental health deteriorated to the point where they experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression and who did not see a health specialist were 65 per cent more likely to face financial hardship, such as going hungry, having to sell possessions or not be able to pay housing costs.”
Highlighting potential points of “practical intervention” and areas for “system improvement”, the research identifies five housing trajectories people commonly experience as a result.
Five common housing and mental health trajectories: AHURI
• Excluded from help required, this trajectory is characterised by a lack of access to housing or mental health care.
• People stuck without adequate support, is a trajectory where they are trapped in inappropriate housing, institutions or services due to a lack of options.
• The cycling trajectory is marked by a downward spiral in which people enter into and drop out of supports repeatedly, which progressively erodes their resources.
• People on the stabilising trajectory have access to secure, appropriate, safe and affordable housing, ongoing mental health support and the social and financial resources necessary to focus on recovery
• People on the well supported trajectory have the type of housing and level of care that is right for them and can achieve their ambitions beyond housing and mental health.
Housing as foundation for mental health recovery
“For people with ill mental health, appropriate housing is housing which allows for control of space,” report co-author Dr Sarah Pollock from Mind Australia said.
“It’s in a safe neighbourhood close to family and friends; and has good access to public transport, services, and opportunities for work, volunteering or study.
“Our research finds that having access to safe, secure, affordable and appropriate housing is the foundation to recovering from mental ill health,” Pollock said.
The research found that housing outcomes for people experiencing mental health issues showed that mediating factors, such as social support, having good general health, and accessing mental health and other health services, can reduce the likelihood of housing instability.
“Stable social support reduced the likelihood of deteriorating mental health to the point where a person experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression by 33 per cent, reducing the length of time a person was unwell by 6 per cent,” the report said.
AUTHOR
Dinah Lewis Boucher
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