Ladder, a joint project of the AFL Player’s Association and AFL Foundation, has been created to tackle the issue of youth homelessness. Ladder seeks to address homelessness by offering young people with histories of homelessness integrated accommodation, support and other opportunities to improve their lives.

This initiative has been warmly received in government circles, the community sector and in the broader community.

Homelessness has become a high priority social policy issue after more than a decade of neglect. In Australia, despite an improving economy and low levels of unemployment about 100,000 men women and children are homeless on any given night. While some people are without shelter, most are sheltered in some form of temporary accommodation and transience is common.

The documentary film The Oasis shown on ABC TV on April 10 struck a chord in the Australian community and has helped stimulate interest in dealing with homelessness.

During 2007-2008, an independent National Youth Commission into Youth Homelessness (NYC) inquiry revisited the issue of youth homelessness 20 years after Commissioner Brian Burdekin undertook his landmark Human Rights and Equal Opportunity inquiry in 1989. The problem has worsened over that 20 year period. The NYC inquiry reported on April 8, 2008 suggesting 80 specific recommendations for action, and a ‘roadmap’ of 10 key strategic policy objectives.

These included:

1. A national strategic plan of action;

2. Community capacity building at the local level;

3. Investment in affordable housing for young people;

4. Improved supported accommodation sector;

5. Major investment in early intervention for young people and families, with special attention to young people who have been in care and protection;

6. New ways of delivering specialist services for drug and alcohol and mental health together with accommodation;

7. A raft of other initiatives to deliver improved education, training and employment services for young people;

8. Use of the Foyer model of housing linked to education and training as well as other life supports;

9. New models and funded cooperative links between specialist health, drug and alcohol and employment services;

10. And finally, longer-term support for people who have experienced homelessness was recommended in recognition of what is required to re-establish people back in the mainstream community.

Before the election, Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party proposed that homelessness would be a major policy area if Labour was elected, with Members of Parliament being directed to visit local homeless services in their local areas.

The Rudd Government has declared its full commitment to resolving homelessness in Australia - releasing a Green Paper at the end of May, with a White paper setting out some of the first initiatives of what will be at least a 10 year plan expected in September.

For more information on Ladder, please contact Mark Bolton – 03 9926 1344 or email mark.bolton@ladder.org.au