Issues of Homelessness in Australia

Human Service
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................ 3
Issues of homelessness in Australia........................................................................... 3
Assumptions of the problem....................................................................................... 4
Use of Imagery, language, discourses or metaphor for this issue..............................4
Left Unproblematic with silence and ignored issues...................................................6
Effects of the representation...................................................................................... 6
Alternative to the representation...............................................................................7
Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 8
Bibliography............................................................................................................... 9
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Introduction
Homelessness is considered as a major problem in recent period for Australia. The recent
increasing trend of this problem is featured for last fifteen year from 2001 to 2016 in substantial
quantity with the increased rate of 63% from 48%. The total population of homeless people is
more than 116,000 contributing to 0.5% of total population of Australian population. In order to
solve this problem, the Federal Assistant Housing Minister, Mr. Luke Howarth wanted to give a
‘positive spin’ to this issue. As per him, main emphasis will be given to the people residing at
streets to rehabilitate them with proper scope of accommodation. This effort will reduce the
increasing trend of homelessness in Australia with the set benchmark for this criterion to be
maintained as per Human Rights Commission of Australia. In this article we will highlight the
issues related to this social problem, the assumptions of this problem, the utility of imagery and
other presentation related to this problem, the areas of unattended problems with silence from
government, the impact of representation of this problem and other possible alternative
presentation to place this problem in effective manner to the government.
Issues of homelessness in Australia
Homelessness is not the unique problem prevailed in Australia; instead it is evidently found in
global aspect. This problem has direct impact to the individual in micro level and broader society
in macro level. As per the charity Homeless Link, the criterion of homelessness make individual
feel depressed due to isolation. To get relief from this feeling, majority of homeless people get
addicted to different narcotic items like drugs or alcohol. This habit is directed to health problem
for the affected community of homeless people. To get proper treatment, they rush to the
hospital, which is run by the money of taxpayers. Hence, homeless people are treated by majority
of the society with anger and disgrace. (KMj23, n.d)
As per Mission Australia, this problem has wider implication beyond the problem of
‘rooflessness’. The people falling under the category of homelessness in Australia are mainly
consisting of people sleeping in open place or on the road. Main issues behind this option for the
people are to accommodate in refuges or crisis dwelling or moving from one temporary housing
provision to other; the elderly Australian community who stay with their relatives or friends for
specific period, including people staying at cheap hotels or even in their vehicles; the people
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