women of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait
Islander origin were over-represented, making
up 62 per cent of all self-identified Aboriginal
and/or Torres Strait Islander service users.
reports that Indigenous homelessness may be
under-reported for a variety of reasons, including
a different cultural understanding of `home',
extended kinship networks, and higher mobility
between extended family dwellings.
accommodation, reducing somewhat the rate
of street homelessness. However, this has the
impact of increasing rates of overcrowding.
Low income and housing stress may also
contribute to overcrowding.
increasing the risk of breaching tenancy conditions
requirements and potentially resulting in eviction
and further homelessness.
rental market.
(2012) 55.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Specialist
Homelessness Services, above n 136, 5.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, `Counting the
Homeless', above n 181, 31.
Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, above
n 179, 2-3.
Previous research by the Commission examining the
experiences of people seeking rental accommodation
indicates that some property owners and agents
refuse properties because of the applicant's race.
See, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights
Commission, Locked out: Discrimination in Victoria's
private rental market (2012) 12.
desperation caused by homelessness:
there are waiting lists for emergency
housing. Women have reoffended
in order to pay the costs of their
accommodation or placed themselves
in compromising situations for a bed at
night (such as prostitution).
sleep is the worst feeling in the world.
major issue for Koori women.
prison as a form of accommodation:
issue. It is the worst thing of all...If
the women do not have family to go
back to when they are released they
go back to the streets and the cycle
continues.
Focus group participant, 17 January 2013.
For example, key informant interview, Aboriginal Outcomes
Unit, Department of Human Services, 30 November
2012; key informant interview, Aboriginal Family Violence
Prevention Legal Service, 13 December 2012; key informant
interview, Magistrates' Court of Victoria, 3 March 2013.
Key informant interview, Dame Phyllis Frost Centre,
7 February 2013.
"Source: VicPol LEAP database. Extracted 21
November 2012. Note: The data for Aboriginal
offenders is based on answers to the Standard
Indigenous Question (SIQ) recorded by Victoria Police
and is not comparable to data for the same or similar
measures contained in previous years' reports which
were based on an assessment of racial appearance
by attending officers. Figures from 2012-13 onwards
are subject to change as Victoria Police implements
improvements to the collection and processing of
SIQ data. Note: Contact represents distinct alleged
offenders who receive a caution, arrest, summons or
other". State of Victoria, Department of Planning and
Community Development, `Aboriginal Affairs Report
2012', above n 31, 55.