Safe, secure housing is both a human right and a crucial determinant of health and wellbeing. This ANTAR Submission highlights the impact of the worsening rental crisis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, who are already overrepresented among people who are homeless and those seeking assistance with housing.
Secure, affordable and culturally responsive housing is the foundation for improving life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and for breaking cycles of disadvantage. The importance of appropriate housing to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is well established, and acknowledged in the inclusion of a housing target in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, as well as articulated in international human rights treaties, including in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The shortage of affordable housing, barriers to housing access and inadequate attention to tenancy sustainment create a revolving door of housing and homelessness for many First Nations people.