WHAT SACOSS SAYS ABOUT HOUSING
People without secure, stable and affordable housing are at a major disadvantage in accessing employment, health services, education and training. Thousands of South Australians are homeless and the number is increasing. A significant number are in accommodation that is unsuitable, hazardous, too expensive or unreliable. Public housing, provided by the SA Housing Trust, community housing and Aboriginal Housing, is declining with total stock decreasing by about 1000 units per year.
People on low incomes are seldom home owners and the recent increase in property prices has meant that three quarters of private rental market tenants with low incomes are now paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.
For new migrants, accessing affordable and appropriate housing presents a range of challenges, especially in the private rental market. Differing cultural expectations and a lack of reference history means that newly arrived families and individuals are often discriminated against.
DUSHMAN
Dushman is a 19 year old Sudanese man currently studying year 13 and living in a Housing Trust unit with his cousin. Following a family breakdown in 2003, soon after he arrived in Adelaide, Dushman was forced to seek emergency housing and support through various agencies. Dushman has his sights set on a brighter future as a Biochemist and works hard at school, however the immediate responsibilities of independent living impact on his schooling. In his film Dushman contrasts his home life and life experience with that of his fellow students as well as examining some of the support services he has come across in a revealing study of his experience in Australia.