Young, homeless, and raising a child: a review of existing approaches to addressing the needs of young Australian parents experiencing homelessness

In Australia, the rates of homelessness among youth are higher than for any other age group in the country, with young people aged between 12 and 24 comprising 25% of the homeless population. Young parents are making up an increasingly large proportion of this group. This is particularly problematic because individuals who experience homelessness when they are young are more likely to experience persistent homelessness throughout their lives. In this paper, we review the current literature surrounding the types and effectiveness of support services available to such youth, demonstrating that while a number of different approaches exist, various factors can affect the extent to which these services are able to effectively engage and address the needs of their target clients. Ongoing support once individuals leave support services and the provision of education, employment, and training pathways play key roles in helping young vulnerable parents make a sustainable transition from homelessness to a stable independent living environment. These findings can inform the design of future support services aiming at reducing youth homelessness in Australia

Monstrous Domesticity – Home as a Site of Oppression in Crimson Peak

This paper begins by offering a brief overview of the popular culture narrative Crimson Peak (2015), directed by Guillermo del Toro. The analysis focuses on the most compelling Gothic trope del Toro reintroduces, the proverbial mansion, simultaneously displaying Freud’s heimlich and unheimlich elements, oppressing and liberating its inhabitants. Since the narrative revolves around two female protagonists, Lucille Sharpe and Edith Cushing, the paper also refers to feminist socio-cultural perspectives on space, primarily Gillian Rose’s and Shelley Mallett’s, in order to understand the position of the two protagonists within the decidedly Gothic space. This paper aims to emphasize that Lucille’s liberation as the mistress of the house is illusory regardless of the fact that she is represented as the embodiment of domestic corruption. It is precisely because she is a sexually active woman and a disruptor of the patriarchal order that she must ultimately be punished. Even though del Toro subverts the traditional image of the madwoman in the attic by positioning her at the center of the narrative, Allerdale Hall does not reveal itself as a space of female empowerment

Reflecting on loss in Papua New Guinea

This article takes up the conundrum of conducting anthropological fieldwork with people who claim that they have 'lost their culture,' as is the case with Suau people in the Massim region of Papua New Guinea. But rather than claiming culture loss as a process of dispossession, Suau claim it as a consequence of their own attempts to engage with colonial interests. Suau appear to have responded to missionization and their close proximity to the colonial-era capital by jettisoning many of the practices characteristic of Massim societies, now identified as 'kastom.' The rejection of kastom in order to facilitate their relations with Europeans during colonialism, followed by the mourning for kastom after independence, both invite consideration of a kind of reflexivity that requires action based on the presumed perspective of another

Precarious housing and health inequalities: what are the links?

This report presents summary research findings from the quantitative and qualitative components of the VicHealth funded study that explored the relationship between precarious housing and health.   The reports were launched on 4 August with 60 guests from government and the housing, health and community sectors. They are now available for download from the VicHealth and Hanover websites. Findings in the reports include: 10 per cent of Australian households live in unaffordable housing Around 12 per cent of people reported difficulties paying their mortgage/bills One in four people aged 18 to 24 and half of people older than 64-years-old in private rental experience housing stress Unemployed people are 15 times more likely to live in unaffordable housing than full-time employed people Women, Indigenous people and people born in non-English speaking countries are more likely to experience housing affordability stress People with poor physical and mental health are more likely to experience forced moves from rental properties; Around 4 per cent of the Australian population live in unsuitable housing. Authors: Shelley Mallett, Rebecca Bentley, Emma Baker, Kate Mason, Deborah Keys, Violet Kolar, Lauren Krnjack

Ageing in what place? The experience of housing crisis and homelessness for older Victorians

Australia is facing significant demographic shifts over the next decade as the population grows and ages. Currently, services for the ageing population are fragmented with no single government department assuming responsibility for older Australians in all their diversity.   Homelessness and housing services are reporting an increase in aged people presenting for assistance with no (recent) history of homelessness. Older Australians in private rental, or those entering private rental for the first time, appear to be particularly vulnerable. While the population is diverse, these people all have insecure tenure and limited income. In Australia there is no coherent response for older people in housing crisis or at risk of homelessness. In Victoria, the service response for the aged is focused on individuals with chronic health issues and homeless histories. Currently, the homelessness service sector doesn’t provide a clearly differentiated response to those at risk of housing crisis or homelessness who are ageing. Over the past twelve months, Hanover Welfare Services conducted an action research project, funded by the William Buckland Foundation, examining older individual’s pathways into housing crisis and homelessness. Our broad research questions were: 1. What individual systemic and structural factors put older Australians at risk of housing crisis and homelessness? 2. What policies and services exist to support vulnerable older Australians and improve/maintain/protect their health and wellbeing? 3. How do personal circumstances and local policy and services create pathways into and out of homelessness? 4. What policy and service responses are needed to protect older Australians from entering either housing crisis or the homeless service system? Ageing in what place? Stage one: case studies These case studies form part of the final report on Stage One of Hanover Welfare Service\u27s research into the experience of housing crisis and homelessness for older Victorians

Giving up on drugs: homeless young people and self-reported problematic drug use

This is a publisher's version of an article published in Contemporary Drug Problems 2006, published by Federal Legal Publications, Inc. This version is reproduced with permission from Contemporary Drug Problems.Numerous studies have revealed high levels of drug-taking among young people experiencing homelessness. This article draws upon 20 in-depth interviews carried out as part of a five-year longitudinal study of homeless young people (Project i). It is noteworthy that almost all of those who identified their drug use as problematic gave up or reduced their level of use without treatment or professional assistance during the period of the study. The interviews provided insight into the way in which some young people experiencing homelessness view their drug use and the actions they take in light of these understandings. Here we report their stated reasons for giving up or reducing usage and identify some commonalities that may have impacted on the outcomes