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| General Project Details |
| Title: |
Inner-City Sydney Aboriginal Homeless Project |
| Start Date: |
01/05/2004 |
| End Date: |
01/09/2006 |
| Description: |
The Inner-City Sydney Aboriginal Homeless Research Project was commissioned by the New South Wales Government's Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) as a part of the Partnership Against Homelessness initiative, which was established to “co-ordinate and improve a wide range of housing and support services for homeless people" (NSW, Dept of Housing, 2002). Its detailed aims were to:
(1) Investigate types of inner-city Aboriginal homelessness;
(2) Map pathways for Aboriginal persons/families/groups in the inner-city into, within and out of homelessness;
(3) Provide strategies to address immediate and on-going accommodation, support or other needs expressed by participants;
(4) Identify effects of government policies on Aboriginal persons experiencing homelessness in the inner-city;
(5) Train Aboriginal researchers so as to build research capacity; and
(6) Inform the Partnership Against Homelessness to support the implementation of targeted projects to address the needs of homeless men and women and to inform the homeless service system generally. (NSW Aboriginal Housing Office, 2004, p. 2.) |
| Researcher(s): |
Paul Memmott
Catherine Chambers
Pam Ingram, Angela Pitts
Richard Green, Col James
|
| Keywords: |
alcohol and other drugs, sexual assault, unemployment, homeless assistance services, physical health, mental health, violence, institutionalisation, justice system. |
| Methodology: |
Social profiles of six distinct Aboriginal homeless groups in the inner-city Sydney region emerged and their social characteristics defined. A written profile was composed for each of the groups and a map was produced showing the territorial ranges of each group. The research project tasks included literature review and analysis, interview data collection and analysis and compilation of service provider profiles. The profiles of service provider organisations were compiled from stakeholder workshops and interviews, a collection of relevant literature, and resources available online.
A total of 53 homeless persons were interviewed using either of two questionnaires designed for use during this project. One-on-one structured interviews and informal interviewing occurred to aid the development of the homeless group profiles, addressing such issues as group identity, territory (‘beat’), accessed services and perceived lifestyle issues. The field research was qualitative, incorporating aspects of participatory action research and narrative data gathering. The process was also reflexive, allowing for changes to be incorporated as work proceeded and as new insights emerged. The locally-based Aboriginal field researchers engaged with the relevant communities and participants over a period of six months.
The methods that were used sought to produce interviews and narratives that provided extensive and in-depth information about the circumstances prior to, during and possibly immediately following homelessness as experienced by a variety of Aboriginal individuals, families or groups in inner-city Sydney. Issues which emerged included socio-historical, political, cultural, policy and racism factors. Also, personal and immediate matters such as physical and mental health, violence, alcohol and other drugs, unemployment and the effects of institutionalisation, and involvement with the criminal justice system were common factors. |
| Research Focus: |
Metro |
| State: |
NSW |
| Host Institution: |
Aboriginal Environments Research Centre, UQ |
| Partner Institution: |
Ian Buchan Fell Research Centre, Department of Architecture, University of Sydney |
| Funding Body: |
Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO), New South Wales Government |
| Publication Details: |
To download a copy of the Executive Summary to the report visit http://www.aboriginalenvironments.com/index.html?page=40492&pid=0 |
| Ethics Statement: |
see main report. |
| Notes: |
This study recommends that a coordination team be assembled to ensure that holistic approaches, relying heavily on partnerships between existing service providers and agencies, are enacted to assist the Aboriginal homeless population of inner city Sydney. This coordination team should comprise an overarching Partnerships Committee that includes all the relevant State and Commonwealth government agencies, and a Steering Committee comprised of the relevant Aboriginal organisations operating in the area, as well as other mainstream services. A solution for the short to medium term may be to fund mainstream organisations to improve their services to the Aboriginal homeless. |
| Project Contact Details |
| Contact Name: |
Paul Memmott |
| Contact Phone: |
(07) 3365 3660 |
| Contact Email: |
p.memmott@uq.edu.au |
| Contact Fax: |
(07) 3365 4744 |
| Contact Address: |
PO Box 6124, St Lucia, Qld, 4067 |
| Contact Website: |
www.aboriginalenvironments.com |
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