Media Release Tuesday 4 August 2015

This week is Homelessness Prevention Week and in the Legislative Assembly 

tomorrow I’ll be calling on the Barr government to develop a realistic
framework by October this year, to address Canberra’s housing crisis, Shadow
Minister for Housing Nicole Lawder said today.

“Having affordable housing, addressing long public housing waiting lists and
targeting support that enables people to sustain their tenancies are the areas that
need work if the cycle of homelessness is to be broken in Canberra,” Ms Lawder
said.

“More than 1700 people are experiencing homelessness in the ACT and many more
are at risk. Being homeless creates a plethora of issues both for the individuals
involved as well as the entire community.

“Homelessness contributes to long term unemployment and chronic ill-health.
Research even suggests the cost of sleeping rough is more than $27,000 per person
per year.

“The government should make it a priority to make housing more affordable and
reduce the public housing list. We are the national capital and the ACT government
should lead the country by example in breaking the homelessness cycle,” Ms Lawder
concluded.

Contact: Joe Prevedello 0402768432