It’s hoped a new campaign will put an end to homelessness in Logan by 2025.
The plan, spearheaded by Logan YFS, is to partner with various community organisations, government, and services to track the growing number of people sleeping rough and properly understand their circumstances,
Initial data has already revealed the complexity of the homeless issue in the region, with most households needing a high level of support to sustain housing.
From 127 homeless people questioned in a local survey, 67% were female, 78% had at least one chronic health condition, 84% had experienced trauma and 65% had experienced some form of violence.
The Logan Zero campaign will use this data to inform service system improvements and advocate for change needed to fill gaps in services.
“By working together across the community to know exactly who is homeless and what their needs are, we can advocate for system improvements to end homelessness in Logan,” said Cath Bartolo, CEO of YFS, host organisation of Logan Zero.
Logan Zero Community Lead Darren McGhee said members are collating a ‘ByName’ list– a key tool which prioritises the most vulnerable and puts “real time data” about individuals’ needs at the centre of decision making
“The second part is we try to measure how in need some of those people are, not just around their homelessness issue, it could be around their health issues or it could be around their risks.
“So if we’re placing someone in housing, and we find out they’ve got cancer or they’ve got a heart condition, or… domestic violence issues, we take all those things into account.
“Because we know if we put them straight into accommodation, they may not succeed, especially if they’re rating what we would call a high acuity rating.”
Domestic abuse survivor Jane, who is in her late 50’s, has been living in a van on the streets with her dog for more than two years. Her experience of long-term homelessness illustrates the complex needs of many people sleeping rough.
“It’s hard if you don’t fit inside a square. We’re all different and have different needs. Organisations need to be more flexible and listen to the person at the end,” she said.
Jane has a disability and significant health issues and has been to Accident and Emergency three times in the last seven months.
“I’m in my situation initially because of domestic violence, and when COVID hit, I just couldn’t get on top of things. When I left my relationship, I lost my job, I lost my home, and I lost my vehicle because I worked for my ex’s family,” Jane said.
Jane, who lives in a caravan “shell” with her dog and survives off Jobseeker payments, said maintaining accommodation is tough.
“I find a place and in six months the rent goes up again and I can’t afford it.
“And I’ve got another five years before I can apply for the pension.”
Mr McGhee said at the moment, Logan has no outreach workers who can step people like Jane through the process of getting food and other resources, and “to do proper assessments for them.”
“Another lady, 49, cannot sleep in her car because of a chronic back condition, so she has had to set up a makeshift camp for her to sleep in, using crates and a tarp in a Logan car park.
“She had a suspected brain injury and multiple mental health issues.
“Some people are on Job Seeker when they probably should be on pensions because their ability to work hard is compromised. People like her would probably benefit from an NDIS package.
“But to get assessed and all that is is an effort and a complication in itself that some can’t afford.”
Logan Zero has partnered with; YFS, Kingston East Neighbourhood Group, Logan East Community Neighbourhood Centre, the Twin Rivers Centre and are in talks with Logan City Council and Queensland Health about coming on board to further the campaign.
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