4735.0 - Discussion Paper: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Perspectives on Homelessness, 2013  
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APPENDIX 2 REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE


LITERATURE REVIEW

To complement the qualitative research undertaken, a brief literature review was conducted. Research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness includes discussion of themes such as kinship, mobility, overcrowding and spiritual homelessness.

The literature states that the notion of homelessness as understood today was virtually non-existent in traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, where the realities of kinship and tribal networks facilitated the natural transient mobility of these groups(footnote 1) . The research tells of the cyclical nature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people moving through different forms of 'homelessness', either staying with family or sleeping rough(footnote 2) .

In the literature reviewed there is reference to the extended family structure that exists in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. An element deeply embedded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, is a person that would otherwise be homeless will usually have family with whom they can stay. However, while this may be viewed by some as a culturally appropriate way of living, by others it is viewed as crowding(footnote 3) . In this context, researchers discussed the strain placed on living arrangements, relationships and tenancy agreements by the overcrowding experienced in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households(footnote 4) .

The highly mobile nature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may help in reinforcing kinship connections, where travel is undertaken to visit family in different locations(footnote 5) . There are reports of differing mobility types according to why and where people move, and distinguishing between these is vital to understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness(footnote 6) .

A view represented in the literature is the distinction between house and home(footnote 7) , and the possibility that while a person may not have a dwelling to occupy, they will not necessarily identify as homeless. In the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context, the absence of housing does not necessarily define homelessness, just as the provision of housing does not necessarily alleviate homelessness(footnote 8) . According to research, home for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is identified more with a connection to land and family than to an actual dwelling(footnote 9) . Although there are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose expectations and aspirations of home are similar to those of the wider community(footnote 10) .

There is debate in the literature about the concept of 'no usual address', the difficulty in understanding and defining a 'usual resident' and 'visitor', and the appropriateness of these terms in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context. For example, it may be considered culturally inappropriate to identify as having 'no usual address' in the Census, particularly when staying with extended family, with the consequence that 'no usual address' may be under-reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people(footnote 11) .

Spiritual homelessness is the term given to describe a person being without identity and having no connection to country or the spirituality of their homeland(footnote 12) . Spiritual homelessness is an important concept in the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness, and provides a perspective which does not easily fit with the wider community's concept of homelessness.

The review of literature provides a snapshot of some of the research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts of homelessness. It is clear that the complexity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness demands further exploration(footnote 13) .

1 Keys Young 1998, Homelessness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context and its possible implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, May, accessed April 2013, <http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/keysyoung_0.pdf>. <back

2 Keys Young 1998, Homelessness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context and its possible implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, May, accessed April 2013, <http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/keysyoung_0.pdf>. <back

3 Sutton P 2009, The Politics of Suffering, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. <back

4 Flatau P, Cooper, L, Edwards, D, McGrath N, & Marinova D, 2005, Indigenous Housing Need and Mainstream Public and Community Housing Responses, Western Australian Housing and Urban research Institute (AHURI) Research Centre, 4th National Housing Conference, 26-28 October, Perth, accessed March 2013, <http://nhc.ahuri.ddsn.net/downloads/2005/DayOne/FlatauP_Paper.pdf>. <back

5 Birdsall-Jones, C Corunna, V, Turner, N, Smart, G & Shaw, W 2010, Indigenous Homelessness, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, AHURI Final Report No.143, March, accessed March 2013, <http://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/p80368/>. <back

6 Habibis D 2011, "A Framework for Reimagining Indigenous Mobility and Homelessness", Urban Policy and Research, Vol.29 No.4, pp.401-414, accessed March 2013, <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08111146.2011.613146>. <back

7 Keys Young 1998, Homelessness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context and its possible implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, May, accessed April 2013, <http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/keysyoung_0.pdf>. <back

8 Memmott P, Birdsall-Jones C & Greenop K 2012, Why are special services needed to address Indigenous homelessness?, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, June, accessed March 2013, <http://homelessnessclearinghouse.govspace.gov.au/files/2012/06/Report-10-special-services-for-Indigenous-homelessness.pdf>. <back

9 Keys Young 1998, Homelessness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context and its possible implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, May, accessed April 2013, <http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/keysyoung_0.pdf>. <back

10 Keys Young 1998, Homelessness in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context and its possible implications for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program, May, accessed April 2013, <http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/keysyoung_0.pdf>. <back

11 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2012, Factsheet: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Homelessness, accessed July 2013, <https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4922.0Main%20Features82012?opendocument&tabname=Summary∏no=4922.0&issue=2012νm=&view=> <back

12 Memmott P, Long S, Chambers C & Spring F, 2003, Categories of Indigenous 'Homeless' People and Good Practice responses to Their Needs, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, November, accessed 26 March 2013, <http://www.housing.infoxchange.net.au/library/ahin/social_housing/items/2004/03/00100-upload-00001.pdf> <back

13 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) 2008, Submission of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) to the Green Paper on Homelessness - Which Way Home?", HREOC, 4 July, accessed March 2013, <http://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/legal/submissions/2008/20080704_homelessness.pdf>. <back