Lutheran Care’s work supporting people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Central Australia has been featured in the nation’s leading homelessness publication. 

Launched in late July, the June edition of Parity magazine explores the complexities, challenges, achievements and innovations of the hard working sector and teams supporting Northern Territorians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 

The most recent Census reports 13,104 people experience homelessness in the NT; the highest rate of any Australian jurisdiction, almost 12 times the national average. Indigenous people make up 87 per cent of the NT’s homeless population. 

Focusing on homelessness in the Northern Territory and featuring articles, artwork and opinions by sector experts and frontline community services organisations, it was the first time Parity has given the entire publication and spotlight to the Northern Territory.  

Lutheran Care’s article included insights from Financial Capability Worker, Zakaria ‘Zak’ Deng. 

 Zak has been a Financial Capability Worker with Lutheran Care for the past 2.5 years. Originally from Sudan, Zak is a former ANZ bank worker, who changed careers to use his skills in a more rewarding way. 

 Zak and his colleagues support people in Alice Springs and travel out to remote Aboriginal communities to deliver financial wellbeing programs. 

Lack of housing, overcrowding, and struggles with poverty and personal and financial wellbeing, are common concerns experienced by clients, Zak shares in the article. Rough sleeping in the Tod Riverbed is common at temperate times of the year, and with the Lutheran Care office being just a stone’s throw from the riverbed, the team are in close contact with many of these rough sleeping clients. 

Every story is different, but the Lutheran Care team are always poised to meet clients where they are and offer support, services and referrals to help them get where they want to go. 

Often, the Alice Springs team are the first port of call for people seeking assistance for emergency food relief, blankets/bedding, or help and advice to improve their financial situations. If Lutheran Care can assist a client to save money in a certain area, it means more can be spent on securing or maintaining housing. 

The beauty of working as part of a close-knit sector means that if the specific help a client needs is not available from Lutheran Care, they can pass the client onto a partner service provider. 

 As well as sharing some of the true client stories, the article gave some suggestions of what is needed to alleviate homelessness in Central Australia. 

“We’ve got to start building extra houses up here,” Zak shared.   

 “And when you build the houses, you need activities and support to keep people around Alice Springs engaged and active,” he added.  

 The Northern Territory edition of Parity was launched at an event at Parliament House in Alice Springs. 

 The event was attended by Lutheran Care’s Executive Manager, Family & Community Services, Susan Richards. 

 Thanks to the Parity team for letting us be part of this important publication and congratulations on a fabulous and insightful edition. 

Parity is published by the Council to Homeless Persons. You can find out more and subscribe here.