At Lutheran Care, one of our core values is Social Justice. In line with this, we are committed to championing equity and advocacy and providing a voice for the voiceless.
Our work to change lives and build communities cannot be done in isolation: governments, public and private organisations need to play their part.
Advocacy
2022 SA Election
Ahead of the 2021 SA Election, a committee including representatives from all sections of Lutheran Care developed the following recommendations that with government support, can and will make a meaningful difference to the lives of Lutheran Care clients and others in the general community.
We call on the sitting State Government and Opposition to commit to listening to and actioning these policy recommendations for the betterment of the South Australian community.
Advocacy
Guiding policy principles
As advocates for a fair and just society, in which all people are afforded the resources, supports and opportunities to reach their full potential, Lutheran Care firmly believes that Government policy is to be guided by the following principles:
- Recognition and respect of our First Nations Peoples. The place of history, connection to Country and Culture, self-governing and control towards self-determination and the eradication of disadvantage and poverty
- Authentic inclusivity of people and communities in the creation, implementation and impact assessment of Government policy, as it relates to individuals and communities, including children and young people
- Recognition of International, National and State protections as it relates to human rights, including the right to shelter
- Bi-partisan, accountable and transparent Government in addressing and solving social issues, including ending homelessness, closing the gap between our First Nations Peoples and the wider community
- Government Leadership to ensure connection, promotion and resourcing of initiatives and solutions involving the private sector, not-for-profit sector and government to address, solve policy issues, including the supply of housing for our most vulnerable, disadvantaged communities
- Adequate levels of funding to ensure a strong and effective emphasis on early intervention, prevention, to minimise and stop people falling into ‘crisis’
Advocacy
Our recommendations fall into the following focus areas:
Advocacy
South Australian Election Asks: Ending Poverty in South Australia
Lutheran Care has served the South Australian community for over 50 years.
The programs offered to the community include Foster Care, Disability Support, Financial Counselling, Family and Individual Counselling, Emergency Relief as well as Homelessness Specialist programs.
Witnessing first-hand the impact of social isolation and exclusion, Lutheran Care also offers a range of programs, including our Community Connections program that provides hope and connection whilst promoting and working towards inclusion of all within our community.
The consequences and impact of poverty are both far reaching and long-lasting. This statement is well evidenced and supported by research domestically and internationally.
Poverty often means –
- Housing insecurity,
- Food insecurity, often having no, little or irregular meals,
- Inability to meet raising energy costs,
- Educational disadvantage, impacting significantly on a child’s development, ability to learn as well as participate within the school environment,
- Lack of access to quality health care, and
- A sense of helplessness, failure.
Advocacy
South Australian Election Asks: Housing and Homelessness
- Establishment of a bi-partisan, ‘whole of government’ Premier led Task Force to End Homelessness, comprising of Lived Experience representatives, Not for Profit sector and Corporate Australia.
- Establishment of a 5 year State Homelessness and Housing Strategy, inclusive of targets towards ending street and rough sleeping, increasing the supply of social housing, incentives for private rental investment in low cost housing models.
- Investment to increase the net supply of social housing (publicly owned and community owned/managed). The target, net increase should be a minimum of 20,000 properties over 5 years (Shelter SA: 2021:3).
- Investment to increase the supply of supportive housing as a proven model to end chronic, persistent homelessness.
- Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy of publicly owned housing to improve the life and quality of the asset and build healthy and inclusive communities.
- Increase the Exit of Care age from 18 to 21 and a policy commitment that no Young Person exiting care is transitioned into the homelessness service system.
- Funding of Children Homelessness Specialist positions across the State to work with families and children at risk, and or experiencing homelessness, offering individual case management, secondary consultations to homelessness service providers, training and development to better inform the response to children.
- Targeted funding and ensuring the legal protection, and where it is safe to do so, enabling women and children to remain in the home, whilst removing the perpetrator.
- Minimum energy efficiency standards for private and public rental properties (www.sacoss.org.au/housing)
- Mandatory disclosure of energy efficiency ratings for all rental properties (www.sacoss.org.au/housing)
- Targeted investment to improve the energy efficiency standards of public and community housing (www.sacoss.org.au/housing)
- Increase the Cost of Living Concession for renters to level paid to homeowners (www.sacoss.org.au/housing)
- State Government audit of vacant land, empty and or underutilised buildings to be re purposed, with the Corporate and Not for Profit sectors, for housing over the short, medium and long term, for people at risk, and or experiencing homelessness.
- Review of Residential Tenancy Legislation to ensure a ‘balanced’ approach towards Tenancy and Owner Rights and Responsibilities, including an end to no-cause evictions, making rent more pet friendly.
- Increased investment in Tenancy Education, Information and Advice Services and Resources.
- Establish a South Australian Commissioner for Residential Tenancies.
Advocacy
South Australian Elections Asks: Children and Young People
- Development of policies which are trauma informed and removes the ‘best for’ rhetoric and ensures a ‘best with’ approach
- Geographical spread and overall increase in mental health programs for children and young people
- Implement ‘whole of government’ polices, supported by evidenced based programs to address the disproportionate impact of violence on particular groups
- Increase the Exit of Care age from 18 to 21 and a policy commitment that no Young Person exiting care is transitioned into the homelessness service system (Team please note this is also in the homelessness asks, nothing wrong with saying it twice)
- Ensure mandatory training of all ‘First Responders’ ensuring response appropriateness for the victim (s) and perpetrators of family, domestic violence
- Ensure mandatory training of all ‘First Responders’ ensuring response appropriateness, trauma informed approach specific to children and sexual abuse
- Increased investment in community and health supports specific to the LGBTI Community
- Community education and public health campaigns to raise awareness, destigmatise gender identity and ‘normalise’ young person’s transitions into ‘true identity’
- Investment from government in evidence based trauma informed therapeutic programs that work for children and young people at risk.
Advocacy
South Australian Election Asks: Health and Well-Being Matters in South Australia
- Increased investment in school settings specific to health and well-being prevention and early intervention for children and young people.
- Increased investment in mobile and impactful, assertive outreach responses to people sleeping rough, living on the streets.
- Increased investment in education campaigns and counselling supports for children and young people specific to gender identity.
- Increased investment in education campaigns, supports and resources, including the expansion of the community connections program, to address social isolation, exclusion.
- Increased investment in research and development to improve understanding and responses specific to health and well-being, including mental health on community and specific, vulnerable cohorts.