|
|
|
|
|
National Homelessness Forum |
| Te Puawai April 2008 | Jill Wilkinson, RN PhD MCNA(NZ)
I had little exposure to the issue of homelessness prior to attending this forum and was intrigued to learn there are ‘webs of causation’ with few exit points that create homelessness rather than the problem being merely a lack of housing. In fact, each of the presentations at the National Homelessness Forum held in Wellington at Te Papa on December 3rd 2007 revealed dimensions of homelessness that completely challenged my assumptions about this growing area of need. When I thought of homelessness, the image conjured in my mind had been of Ben Hana, ‘The Blanket Man’ (a colourful local often seen on the streets of Wellington), but it seems there are many other ways people experience homelessness that are largely hidden from public view. How we imagine homelessness powerfully links to how it is defined. While there are those who are without conventional shelter and live on the streets or parks or in derelict buildings, a broader and more realistic understanding of homelessness acknowledges another group of people who live in temporary accommodation such as night shelters, refuges or from couch to couch in the houses of friends. Women and adolescents fleeing violent or abusive relationships are overrepresented in this group. A third, often older group, live on a medium to long-term basis in hostels or boarding houses largely unsuitable for their needs and without security of tenure. Boarding houses are regularly used by social services as emergency accommodation and although cheap, have inadequate privacy, security and supervision particularly when used by vulnerable women and young people. Director of the Centre for Applied Social Research at RMIT University in Melbourne, Chris Chamberlain, reported at the forum an important characteristic of the homeless population is of moving from one insecure place of accommodation to another, with sleeping rough a measure of last resort. He stressed the importance of knowing how many are homeless, but acknowledged the difficulties of the cultural definition or levels referred to above can be problematic because people have a high degree of mobility between categories. Guy Johnson, also of RMIT, spoke of his interest in people’s pathways into and out of homelessness. He suggested the longer people are homeless, the more likely it is they will transition to long-term homelessness and subsequent substance abuse. Young people are disproportionately at risk of becoming homeless as a result of family breakdown, abuse, or drug use and often experience psychological distress and overwhelming anxiety. They are attracted to the non-stigmatising interpersonal validation offered by homeless people and learn practical tips for becoming street wise. Over time, these new social networks become established and re-housing attempts often fail without the establishment of new networks and long-term support. Doug Banks, manager of ‘Whatever it Takes’ in Hawke’s Bay, put it this way: people find their way to the streets in relationship and they can find their way back in relationship. Working in partnership with Hawke’s Bay DHB and Housing New Zealand, ‘Whatever it Takes’ works with people to support a change in lifestyle and to do whatever it takes to address each person’s ‘problem’ – of which homelessness is usually just one expression. He refuted the argument that homelessness is one of choice, stressing the difference between choices of privilege and decisions of survival. A number of forum speakers spoke of the trauma and distress associated with becoming homeless. The presentation that most profoundly affected me was by Catherine Robson of the University of Technology in Sydney who described the emotional aspects of homelessness as a phenomenon of suffering. The stigma, the grief, the trauma, the sense of rootlessness need to be acknowledged and, while measuring the burden of homelessness is a necessary project, that it is always reductive leads to an authorised view of suffering. Indeed, the burden of homelessness in terms of social science indicators perpetuates the annihilation of the one who suffers. Furthermore, traumatised people whose needs are not met quickly, fail to meet the outcomes of organisations so driven. Catherine argued that services will continue to be under-funded and under-staffed in a context in which the nature of care homeless people may need is misunderstood and the nature of care provided by services is under-valued. Failing to provide care that is individualised leads to the revolving use of services. The New Zealand Coalition to End Homelessness has a vision to end homelessness by 2020. Clare Aspinall, Social Environments Advisor for Regional Public Health Wellington, is Chair of the Coalition which aims to get homelessness on the government’s agenda. Inviting the Minister of Housing, the Hon Maryan Street to speak at the forum was a savvy tactic towards helping the coalition’s aim of developing and implementing a National Homelessness Strategy for New Zealand. Not only a basic human need for survival and a basic human right, a pre-requisite to health is suitable housing. To that end, the integration of housing and health policies is of concern to nurses working with both homeless populations and those most at risk of becoming homeless. Significant health concerns arise from homelessness such as addiction and substance abuse, chronic disease, sexual health, assault and injury and mental health issues and these are compounded by the lack of access to appropriate primary health care services. Further reading Gladwell, M. (2006). Million-dollar Murray. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_13_a_murray.html Leggatt-Cook, C. (2007). Homelessness in New Zealand: A discussion and synthesis of research findings [report prepared for Methodist Mission Northern]. Retrieved December 31, 2007, from http://www.mmn.org.nz/documents/MMNHomelessnessReview2007.pdf
|
Back to Top All rights reserved © College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) Inc. |
