The Australian Greens have launched an ambitious national strategy to eliminate homelessness. Leaving No-One Behind is an action plan that would end homelessness by 2020.
Greens Senate candidate and Alderman Helen Burnet said 1579 people are sleeping rough on any given night in Tasmania.
“There are people of any age who are right now homeless in Tasmania. No one should be denied the basic human right to shelter but nearly one in 300 Tasmanians are. Incredibly, the number of homeless Australian grew from 2006 to 2011 by 17 per cent.”
“Our plan will properly resource services and crisis accommodation for homeless people, and at the same time deliver affordable housing to eliminate homelessness in the longer term,” Ald Burnet said.
The work complements the rollout of over 1500 new dwellings already provided across Tasmania by Tasmanian Greens Housing Minister Cassy O’Connor.
The Leaving No-One Behind initiative will:
Double the current funding for specialist homelessness services in Australia;
Provide an emergency package to build an additional 7000 new homes by 2020 – enough to house every person currently sleeping without adequate shelter; and
Include a 50 per cent target of fast build, modular or ‘prefabricated’ housing – which will be significantly faster and more affordable to build.
Australian Greens housing spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam announced the plan after spending the night on the streets of Canberra for the St Vinnies CEO Sleep Out to raise funds and awareness for homelessness.
“Labor promised to halve homelessness by 2020, but the commitment has faded. Tony Abbott refuses to even commit to the target. The Greens have raised the bar and introduced a strategy that could actually get it done,” Senator Ludlam said.
For more information on The Greens Homelessness Action Plan behind go to http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/homeless
Greens Senate candidate and Alderman Helen Burnet
