Homelessness service providers say 2023 has been their most difficult year yet. The cost-of-living, rising rents and a housing shortfall have resulted in more people reaching out for help. While state and federal governments have pledged to increase housing stock in the long-term it's grassroots organisations who are doing the heavy lifting right now.
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00:00 At St Mary's House of Welcome in Melbourne, this daily lunch service is a lifeline.
00:07 I can't afford to eat every day. I can only afford to eat on weekends.
00:12 The house has showers, a garden, even a pool room. It's a safe place for people like Scott Murley.
00:19 It's hard being on the streets, especially when you don't know what's going to happen. You just don't know. It's pretty scary.
00:28 The service has seen a lot of new faces this year, with the rising cost of living pushing some people into homelessness for the first time.
00:37 But a housing shortage has made helping harder.
00:40 You can walk into a homeless service and you're walking out with a sleeping bag. That is the best option. That's what it currently looks like.
00:46 People have really told us that this has been the worst year on record.
00:51 Industry figures suggest about 1600 Australians are becoming homeless each month.
00:56 In a sector-wide survey, more than 90% of workers said their jobs got significantly harder this year.
01:03 Asked how often they had to turn people away, more than three quarters said it was frequently or very frequently.
01:11 A lot of people end up couch surfing with friends or family. A lot of people end up in tents, people sleeping in their cars.
01:20 The federal government's National Housing Accord promises to fund 30,000 social and affordable homes over the next five years.
01:28 But there's currently a shortage of 600,000 homes. It's a big gap for those bearing the growing burden of homelessness.
01:36 Will Hawes and his volunteers serve dinner and a smile at 6.45 each day outside Sydney's Central Station.
01:46 I've seen a lot more families on the street, a lot more old ladies.
01:52 With rent increases predicted to continue into 2024, it's services like these keeping people alive.
02:00 Thank you. Thank you, Wilton Lift. Thank you.
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