National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness needs long term, secure funding

The Turnbull-Joyce government's failure to adequately fund homelessness services will drive greater inequality across the nation, the Australian Greens said today.

The Greens are calling on the government to restore the $44 million that was previously cut from the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH), and to guarantee long term funding for the NPAH.

Australian Greens spokesperson for housing Senator Lee Rhiannon said, "While the extension of funding for homelessness services for another year will offer some temporary relief for homelessness services, year-to-year funding is not nearly good enough.

"The Government is still lacking a federal housing and homelessness strategy, it is still lacking a ministerial portfolio for housing and it is still without any policies at the federal level to address the issue of housing affordability.
"Short term, precarious funding guarantees like this one leave service providers in the lurch. $44 million has already been cut from the current agreement and those cuts should be restored.

"The existing homelessness services are already overstretched and underfunded. The sector needs proper funding with long term guarantees," Senator Rhiannon said.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for women, Senator Larissa Waters, said "This will condemn women and children to domestic violence or homelessness, as women's shelters and long term affordable housing need more than one year's worth of funding certainty."

9 December 2016