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Homelessness is a significant issue in Australia, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are disproportionally affected compared to non-Indigenous Australians. In this article, we present new findings into the barriers and enablers of housing stability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Brisbane and Logan areas of Queensland. The aim of the study was to document workers perceptions of barriers and enablers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland when seeking to access housing. We drew on extensive interview data with front-line staff from an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) and in doing so identified five key themes: Bureaucratic Barriers and Inaccessibility of Services; Experiences of Discrimination; Impact of Family Dynamics on Housing Stability; Geographic Location; Comprehensive Support Needs. We demonstrated that consistent with the scholarly literature the interplay of systemic, structural, and cultural factors continues to impact housing stability. These findings suggest more work is required if governments are to address housing stability for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and families.IMPLICATIONSPresenting original data from social workers at an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) contributes to available understandings.In addressing housing challenges, cultural connection and competency are of vital importance.Voices from social workers can provide guidance for policymakers aiming to address homelessness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Presenting original data from social workers at an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) contributes to available understandings.In addressing housing challenges, cultural connection and competency are of vital importance.Voices from social workers can provide guidance for policymakers aiming to address homelessness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims Design, setting and participants Measurements Findings Conclusions Young people accessing alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment experience high rates of treatment disengagement, contributing to poorer outcomes. To improve outcomes, it is important to identify factors associated with treatment retention. This study measured the relationships between client characteristics, treatment characteristics, clinical severity measures and completion of treatment among young people.This study was a retrospective analysis of routinely collected data set in residential‐ and community‐based AOD services in New South Wales, Australia. Routinely collected data from the Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies’ (NADA) database were used. Included individuals were aged 10–24 years and accessed treatment between 2012 and 2023 (n = 17 474).Variables included client‐related characteristics, service characteristics and baseline measures of clinical severity [Kessler‐10 (K10), EUROHIS–QoL, severity of dependence scale (SDS)]. Multivariable binary logistic regression models assessed the relationships between these characteristics and treatment completion.Rates of treatment completion were highest among adolescents in community‐based treatment (57%) and lowest among young adults in residential treatment (35%). Polysubstance use was negatively associated with treatment completion among adolescents [adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) = 0.71, P < 0.001] and adults (adjOR = 0.70, P < 0.001) in community‐based treatment, and adolescents in residential treatment (adjOR = 0.62, P = 0.006), as was housing insecurity (adolescents in community treatment, adjOR = 0.61, P = 0.001; adults in community treatment, adjOR = 0.77, P = 0.002; adolescents in residential treatment, adjOR = 0.42, P = 0.005). Attending youth‐specific services was associated with higher treatment completion rates among adults in community‐based (adjOR = 1.81, P < 0.001) and residential treatment (adjOR = 1.72, P < 0.001). Varying correlates of treatment completion were identified throughout treatment groups, reflecting the differences in population and/or needs across contexts.In New South Wales, Australia, fewer than half of young people accessing alcohol and other drug treatment between 2012 and 2023 completed treatment, and completion rates were lower among those facing barriers such as polysubstance use and housing insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the precarity of creative work iterate with the precarity of creative spaces? In answer, we examine Covid-19 pandemic experiences of workers across diverse creative sectors in Sydney, Australia, drawing upon qualitative mapping research. Our findings highlight divergent experiences of precarity before and during the pandemic: many suffered, others adapted, some even thrived, depending upon the nature of their work, access to socialisation and networking opportunities, plus whether livelihood precariousness was worsened and overlaid with additional geographic factors, including venue loss, tenure vulnerability, housing insecurity, and access to production spaces. Using conceptual insights from labour and feminist geography, we argue that for the creative sectors to flourish and support diverse, well-remunerated and satisfying work, there must also be discussions of the post-pandemic geography of creative work. Space and social relations within and beyond the work sphere are co-constitutive of precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite a significant evidence base illustrating the issue of housing insecurity and homelessness experienced by women over the age of 55 in Australia [Pawson et al., 2018; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2021b; Mission Australia 2022; Per Capita 2022], there continues to be a knowledge gap in the representation of older women in current Federal and New South Wales (NSW) State Government housing and homelessness policies and initiatives. This paper aims to identify the extent and ways in which older women were represented (or not represented) in the Federal and NSW State housing and homelessness policies in 2022. Design/methodology/approach: Of the total primary and supplementary Federal and NSW State policy and strategy documents, 16 were collected through a systematic review and then analysed using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework and feminist lens to explore quotes, phrases, keywords and language choices which suggested prevalent themes, rhetorical devices and dominant discourses. Findings: Three significant themes were identified by the analysis (1) "relinquished responsibility", (2) "inconsistent rhetoric" and (3) "homogenising and ideological cherry picking". These themes presented the authors with three main discussion points to inform policy reform which we have addressed in relation to policy implications, evidence-based policy decision-making and impacts on older women. Originality/value: The combination of a systematic review with CDA provides a unique approach to exploring homelessness policy for older women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how people experiencing persistent housing insecurity hold on to or restore ontological security. Conceptually it recognises ontological security as an "ongoing accomplishment" that is "actively sought", and introduces four coping constructs theorised by Giddens as ways that individuals cope with persistent threats to security. The domestic practices of low-income, single older women living in various forms of insecure housing in Australia are the focus. The paper identifies "emotion-focused" and "action-focused" strategies through which women sought ontological security, including efforts to mentally accommodate insecurity, tenancy practices, through which they engaged with housing risk, and the use of storage facilities as holding sites of identity and routine. These strategies resonate with and extend Giddens' four coping constructs to the housing field, reflecting pragmatic acceptance of housing risk, sustained optimism in the face of housing risk, cynical pessimism, and engagement with housing risk. The paper reveals dynamic and fraught relations between home and ontological security that are frequently an exercise in cruel optimism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that people with psychiatric diagnoses experience disproportionate rates of homelessness. However, few studies have explored the perspectives and practices of mental health social workers in responding to clients experiencing homelessness. This article reports on findings from three focus groups with inpatient mental health social workers in Sydney, Australia. Three themes were identified: stuck in a crisis; reliance on sub-standard housing conditions; and pressures to discharge. The study reveals the challenges experienced by social workers in navigating scarce housing resources, and the limitations of a biomedical paradigm in failing to address the social determinants of mental distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's rates of remand, or pre-trial detention, have grown dramatically in Australia and the rates at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are incarcerated without conviction are particularly high. However, there is little research examining bail and remand practices and their relationship to social inequalities. This article presents findings from research on the drivers behind women's increasing rates of custodial remand in Victoria--a jurisdiction that has significantly restricted access to bail through legislative reforms. Drawing on data derived from interviews with criminal defence and duty lawyers, we outline how bail and remand practices systematically disadvantage women experiencing housing insecurity and domestic and family violence (DFV), increasing their risk of becoming trapped in longer-term cycles of incarceration. Our analysis reinforces the need to move away from 'tough on crime' approaches to bail. It also highlights unintended consequences of DFV reforms, including further marginalising and punishing criminalised women who are victimsurvivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Forgotten Australians" are the estimated half a million children who were placed in institutional care in Australia from the 1920s to the 1980s. Increasing numbers are entering older age but many are poorly positioned to age well and with the supports they need. This is often because the lasting effects of childhood institutional care have contributed to poor housing outcomes, including housing insecurity, reliance on social housing, prevalence of rental stress and experiences of homelessness. This paper presents a review of the evidence on the housing experiences and outcomes of people who spent time in childhood institutional care. The evidence review was complemented by qualitative interviews with community service practitioners and representatives of advocacy groups. Based on the prior evidence and fieldwork, we identify data and service gaps that are likely to undermine the capacity of the housing and aged care sectors to improve the care and supports available for Forgotten Australians. We suggest potential improvements to service delivery for people who experienced institutional care as children and directions for further research. This paper contributes to a stronger evidence base around the housing and care needs of Forgotten Australians in mid‐ and later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]