Keys Young, 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Context and it's possible Implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program' (Commonwealth of Australia, 1998)

...when assessing the causes and nature of Aboriginal homelessness, we recognise the need to do so within a distinct cultural context .

Subsequent generations continue to suffer the effects of parents and grandparents having been forcibly removed, institutionalised, denied contact with their Aboriginality and in some cases traumatised and abused... Psychological and emotional damage renders many people less able to learn social skills and survival skills. Their ability to operate successfully in the world is impaired causing low educational achievement, unemployment and consequent poverty. These in turn cause their own emotional distress leading some to perpetuate violence, self-harm, substance abuse or anti-social behaviour.

The alienation from culture can create an increase in anger and frustration which can also lead to increases in violence and lawlessness, and we're talking here about a profound sense of alienation... a lack of ego strength, a lack of the capacity to test reality...

-    The life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is about 20 years less than non-Aboriginal Australians. Only 45% of Aboriginal men live to age 65, compared to 81% of non-Aboriginal men. The corresponding figures for women are 54% and 89% (Dodson 1994).

-    Aboriginal death rates are between two and four times those of the general population. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992).

-    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer very high levels of unemployment. The unemployment rate amongst Indigenous Australians is three times that of other Australians (Davidson and Jennett 1994). While across Australia, the average rate of unemployment amongst Indigenous people is 38%, it is as high as 60% or more in certain Aboriginal communities such as Kalgoorlie and Roma (ABS 1997). Furthermore, 60-70% of unemployed Indigenous people have been out of work long-term compared to 46% of all Australians. Almost half have been out of work for 12 months or longer (ATSIC 1994).

-    Aboriginal settlement patterns reflect both an historical association with pastoral work as well as movement back to traditional homelands. About 34% of the population lives in rural areas, compared with only 14% of all Australians (Commonwealth of Australia 1991). Rural economic decline has therefore impacted on a significant proportion of the Indigenous population, which has become increasingly marginalised from labour markets and more reliant on social security benefits.

-    A far higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are affected by unemployment. More than half of Indigenous families do not include an employed adult, compared to 20% of non-Indigenous families (Davidson and Jennett 1994).

-    The average income of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is only 60% of the national average (Dodson 1994).

-    Across Australia, an average of 55% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over receive their main source of income as a government payment (ABS 1997).

-    More than one quarter (29%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over report worrying or sometimes worrying about going without food (ABS 1995).

-    A much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer from certain long-term health conditions compared to the general Australian community (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992). These include asthma, ear or hearing problems, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, serious renal disorders and sexually transmitted diseases. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are admitted to hospital two and half to three times more frequently than other Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992).

-    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have considerable risk factors for ill-health. For example, although the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who drink alcohol is lower than the national average, those who do drink are likely to drink enough to harm themselves (National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party 1989). The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey found that of Indigenous people aged 13 years and over, 59% perceived alcohol to be one of the main health problems in their community. Concern was particularly high in certain parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait area (ABS 1997).

-    The effects of Indigenous status, the historical effects of colonisation and institutional racism have been identified as contributing to the mental health problems of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families (Secretariat National Aboriginal Islander Child Care 1994).

-    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 50% more likely to commit suicide than other Australians (Dodson 1994).

-    The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the 20 to 50 year age group is 10 times higher in Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal people (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992).

-    The death rates for young and middle aged adults from circulatory system disorders are 10 to 20 times higher for Aboriginal people than non-Aboriginal people (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992).

-    The incidence of tuberculosis is 15 to 20 times higher among Aboriginal people than non-Aboriginal (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 1992)

-    One in twenty (5.1%) Indigenous people have never attended school, compared to one in 100 non-Indigenous people (Davidson and Jennett 1994). Aboriginal students leave secondary school much earlier than non-Aboriginal students, and relatively few young Aboriginal people enter higher or tertiary education, although the numbers are growing (Department of Employment, Education and Training 1994).

-    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have extremely high levels of contact with the police, and are considerably over-represented in Australian prisons. While they make up approximately 2% of the national adult population, they represent 15.2% of people in gaol (ATSIC 1996c). The situation of young Aboriginal people is particularly serious. In 1994, Aboriginal children's rate of incarceration in juvenile detention centres was more than 18 times that of non-Aboriginal children (Dodson 1995).

-    It is increasingly being recognised that domestic violence (or family violence) is a major social problem in many Indigenous communities. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (ABS 1997) found that approximately 45% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people aged 13 years and over perceive family violence to be a common problem in their local area. In certain regions (such as Broome, Derby, Kununurra and Mount Isa) this figure was higher than 68%. Indigenous women are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence, particularly fatal assaults, by their partner. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women represent approximately 2% of the Australian female population, but comprise 16% of all female victims of homicide (Aboriginal Women's Legal Issues Conference 1993).

-    The Indigenous population is very young compared to the general Australian community: almost 40% are children less than 15 years of age, compared to 21% of the general population (ABS 1997). Moreover, the fertility rate of Aboriginal women is almost 40% higher than the rate for non-Aboriginal women (Bhatia and Anderson 1994).

Homelessness is not just about housing, there are psychological, sociological and economic aspects that need to be addressed. However, the quantity, quality and security of housing plays a major role in the urban dwelling homelessness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ... Homelessness and inadequate housing are closely interrelated. ... Until the general level of housing provision to urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is improved the number of homeless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in urban areas will not be reduced.