Welcome to everyone joining us or reading along tonight. We would first like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the various lands across Australia we are all joining this discussion from. We pay deep respect to the Elders of those Countries, past and present, and we further extend that respect to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people with us tonight, reading along, or reading back.
Ahead of Homelessness Week (from 1-7 August, more on that here), we wanted to create a space to come together as a community and talk about homelessness and housing insecurity. Homelessness can look very different for different people- it could include sleeping in a car or couch surfing for example.
Broadly, what we’re talking about when we say homelessness is a situation where there are no suitable accommodation alternatives and the current living arrangement; has a short or non-extendable tenure and/or is in a dwelling that is inadequate or does not allow for control of and/or access to space for social relations. You can find an expanded definition of homelessness here.
Tonight we are facilitating this discussion with the Forums community as mental health Peer Workers – we are not professionals working in the housing and homelessness space.
We acknowledge the range of experiences and knowledge of housing insecurity and homelessness brought be everyone sharing this space tonight.
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If you are feeling distress at any time during this live discussion, there are support options available to you. You can start a new discussion on the forums and talk to other members, contact the SANE Support Centre on 1800 18 7263, or find crisis support options here. And if you are new to Forums or unsure how to get involved in the discussion, you can check out our How To Guide or message myself or @Former-Member
We will be providing a comprehensive list of resources, supports, and referral options for the community at the end of tonight’s event.
