Labor Has Promised To Tackle Homelessness. Here's What Homeless People Say They Need

(MENAFN- The Conversation) The 2025 election is over and now it's time for Labor to deliver on campaign promises to address homelessness.

Action on homelessness is long overdue. Affordable housing options remain scarce and public and community housing waitlists keep growing.

The crisis springs from decades of government policy failures in many areas. Homelessness is linked to poverty, stigma, violence and poor health.

Labor has promised to:

• build more affordable housing
• reduce social housing waitlists
• prioritise groups vulnerable to homelessness
• invest A$1.2 billion in homelessness accommodation.

This is welcome, but it's crucial people who have experienced homelessness are involved in the design of policy and services. They are the experts.

Our recent research involved speaking with 47 people with current or past experiences of homelessness in Victoria and South Australia. The study was co-designed and co-led by people who had experienced homelessness.

See us, hear us

Participants told us their perspectives aren't valued. One said:

Another said:

Many wanted to influence policy and service design. One said:

Respect our expertise

People who've experienced homelessness can“identify things that someone without that lived experience may simply not have thought of in the first place”, one person told us.

They should be involved as staff and leaders in service design and provision. One person said:

One participant who'd experienced domestic violence said navigating all the different non-government agencies was complicated. Decisions were made without her input.

A failure to find this woman housing eventually led to her children being removed.

Respect needs to be at the centre of service provision. One participant described overhearing workers complaining about the smell of homeless people. Another said they'd value practical advice from people who'd experienced homelessness:

Valuing and paying for the expertise of people who have experienced homelessness is vital. One participant said:

Another said:

From prison to homelessness

Around half of those leaving prison exit into homelessness .

Many women in these circumstances must choose between homelessness and returning to violent situations.

Community organisations work hard to keep women housed, but this requires adequate and ongoing funding .

One formerly incarcerated woman told us:

Another said:

People with experience of homelessness are best placed to guide the design and delivery of services, and offer pragmatic solutions.

One participant told us:

People told us a one-size-fits-all, box-ticking approach won't work because:

Another said:

Many services aren't working for homeless people. One participant said:

Many people have no choice but to sleep in their car. Alexander Knyazhinsky/Shutterstock What now?

Our research participants called for policy addressing poverty and for the perspectives of people who'd experienced homelessness to be:

• embedded in housing and homelessness policy, service design and practice
• recognised, valued and properly remunerated
• involved in leading research.

The authors thank the people with experience with homelessness who led our research.

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