Dan McKenna has seen firsthand how Australians can create life-changing shelter for people experiencing homelessness when businesses and the community team up.
As chief executive of not-for-profit Housing All Australians (HAA), Mr McKenna and his team are all about creating housing solutions for vulnerable people in need of shelter.
HAA works closely with businesses and the private sector that want to address Australia’s housing crisis, bringing diverse stakeholders together to make a difference to those who need it most.
“At Housing All Australians, we’re all about pushing those big picture system changes to actually happen, and we do this by helping deliver a lot of crisis accommodation for high-needs individuals in our communities,” Mr McKenna said.
“We’re a small team at HAA and a big part of how we operate is engaging the private sector and working with large organisations and big corporates who want to contribute and help those in need, but don’t necessarily have the resources or the time to do so.
“We bring all the parties together to help refurbish existing buildings that might be lying empty, and get people who might be sleeping in their cars into more secure, safe accommodation."
Housing All Australians chief executive Dan McKenna and his team are participating in A Night Without Home this year. Picture: Supplied
HAA continues to look for transitional housing options in unused empty buildings around Australia on a daily basis.
He said the conversation around homelessness in Australia was changing, as more private companies got involved in tackling housing insecurity.
“In the last few months alone, we’ve definitely seen a real shift in attitude and tone from our government and policymakers, right through to the private sector and the broader community who really are trying to understand the depths of the challenges we're in when it comes to the housing crisis in Australia,” Mr McKenna said.
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The struggle to find housing is affecting everyone from pensioners to new home buyers; renters and those on the brink of homelessness.
“We know that people in private rentals are struggling to pay their rent, as are people who are trying to get into the private housing market to begin with. It’s about educating society about the struggle right across the board – it’s a problem for all Australians,” Mr McKenna said.
On any given night, more than 122,000 Australians don’t have a safe, secure place to call home.
More than 122,000 Australians have no safe and secure place to call home on any given night. Picture: Supplied
About 94% of them are hidden – couch surfing, sleeping in their car, or moving from one temporary accommodation to the next.
“We view the housing crisis and homelessness problem as an industry-wide problem,” Mr McKenna said.
It’s why Mr McKenna and the HAA team are among the property leaders taking part in A Night Without Home, a national fundraising challenge held throughout October and November to support the new A Home for All Foundation.
The foundation has brought together the entire property industry to help end homelessness in Australia by driving awareness, raising funds, and supporting long-term housing solutions.
All of the funds raised this financial year will go to charities working to support those experiencing homelessness due to family and domestic violence.
The HAA team is not only participating in this year’s fundraiser, but their executive director Robert Pradolin has also joined the foundation’s advisory committee to help steer where the funds go to have the greatest impact.
The majority of people experiencing homelessness couch surf, sleep in cars, or move from one temporary accommodation to the next. Picture: Supplied
Mr McKenna said affordability was getting worse, making homelessness a bigger threat.
“There used to be this idea that people got pushed further out in regional areas when times are tough in big cities, but that’s definitely not the case anymore,” he said.
“There's lack of services and lack of opportunities in the regions, but in the cities, it’s incredibly cost prohibitive. It’s all due to the economic turbulence of the last few years, but now we’re seeing Brisbane and other major cities take over Melbourne as highly unaffordable cities.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one area, but the statistics are showing some worsening zones in places you didn’t expect.”
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