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CHILDREN as young as 12 are deliberately getting drunk so they can get a bed at a sobering-up centre, welfare workers say. Lack of beds at other refuges mean young homeless people are getting drunk to get out of the cold at Mission Australia's Hindmarsh Sobering Up Centre, as the wet winter weather makes sleeping rough in parks too uncomfortable. Mission Australia has called for more federal and state funding for emergency shelters. The charity's Hindmarsh centre is an overnight non-medical refuge for drunk people from 12 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and its seven beds often are full. It cares for about 200 individuals a year – some repeat visitors – and opened 14 years ago as an alternative to putting people in police cells. It also runs an outreach program to help young people deal with drug and alcohol problems. Centre manager Leonie Karlsson said caring for drunk 12-year-olds and young teens seeking a bed was a regular occurrence. "They arrive here because there is no alternative accommodation for them – they are all full," she said. "People as young as 12 are deliberately drinking just to get into Hindmarsh. "Our mandate is to provide a safe place for young people who are out of it because of drugs or alcohol, so we will take them if we can, regardless of why they chose to drink. "However, it indicates a level of desperation and it's a very dangerous way to get a bed." Ms Karlsson said there were few safe options for young people who might be stranded in Adelaide, just released from police custody or recently discharged from hospital but not well enough to sleep rough. "We will take sober young people on compassionate grounds if we can, but our capacity to do so depends on how busy we are and how urgent the need is deemed to be," she said. "Clearly it's not what we're funded for and we can only do this for a night or two." Mission Australia wants to expand its services at Hindmarsh to provide more beds and support for young people in need. State manager Mark Herselman said people under 25 amounted to nearly half of SA's homeless. "There's a gap in services because of funding criteria which is seeing increasing demand on existing support networks," he said. "This is increasing the risk to young people looking desperately for somewhere to stay." It is estimated on any night in Australia almost 100,000 people are homeless, including more than 7500 in SA, although not all are sleeping rough. The state Government aims to halve the number of homeless people during the life of the government, and halve the number of people sleeping rough by 2010. It has implemented a 14-point plan with 29 projects funded at $23 million over five years. This includes supporting people at risk of becoming homeless as well as providing accommodation such as the 15-apartment Hocking Court project at Whitmore Square and the expansion of Afton House, on South Tce. More than 300 public housing tenants, 266 private tenants and 216 boarding tenants considered at risk have received support under the plan. A spokesman for Housing Minister Jay Weatherill said the Government would spend $21 million over five years on the Crisis Accommodation Program to increase the supply of transitional and crisis accommodation for homeless people. Sunday Mail (3-7-2005) |
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