Budget 2016: Crisis support workers concerned about lack of funding certainty for homeless
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Crisis support workers are calling for funding certainty beyond 2017 for a homelessness program to ensure those at risk are not left without support.
The Federal Government previously allocated $250 million between 2015 and 2017 to the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, a program jointly funded by the states and territories.
But there was no detail in the budget papers of any deal after that.
While it is not unusual for funding arrangement to be made closer to the expiry date, crisis workers were looking for certainty.
The agreement funds about 180 programs and services, assisting 80,000 people at risk of homelessness including women and children in violent relationships.
Judith Wright from the Australian Services Union said up to 1,000 support jobs were on the line.
"These people are case managers, they're support workers, they work directly with women and children fleeing domestic violence and help them find accommodation," she said.
"We are very concerned about increasing loss of lives if those women and young children are not given the opportunity to find safety and support through these much needed services.
"It's looking extremely bleak for these very vulnerable people."
Calls for more help for domestic violence victims
Ms Wright said she expected the Government to make a greater commitment to domestic violence victims in the future.
"We were expecting to see that funding maintained particularly in relation to this government-stated commitment to women and children fleeing domestic violence," she said.
There were also concerns youth homeless shelters might be forced to scale back services.
Michael Coffey from Homeless Australia said young homeless people might be left without support.
"[That funding] goes towards funding 24/7 youth crisis services so they're providing an initial bed at night for young people who are homeless and all the other support that's needed to get a pathway out of homelessness for those young people," he said.
"The major reason why young people are homeless is not because they're running away from home.
"It's because young people are being exposed to domestic violence as well."
Topics: budget, homelessness, federal-government, domestic-violence, nsw
