2018-2019 Social Justice Statement Released
Safe and secure housing is a human right.
Date Posted:
12-Sep-2018
We will open our hearts to the cries of the poor using our energies, gifts and resources to address violence and discrimination especially for women and children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, displaced persons, minority groups, the homeless... (Chapter Statement)
In Australia, the last Sunday in September is 'Social Justice Sunday'. Each year on this day the Bishops issue a major statement of focus for the coming year. The 2018-2019 Social Justice Statement is titled: ‘A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land'.
The Bishops consider the extent of our housing crisis and Australia’s falling rates of home ownership. They focus especially on those in our society who are most vulnerable to housing insecurity and homelessness. We are reminded that safe and secure housing is a human right, asserted both by the Church’s social teaching and by the Declaration of Human Rights.
The Statement confronts the growing challenge of homelessness and housing insecurity in Australia. It challenges each one of us to ask ourselves how we might contribute to the solution.
The Statement can be read here (PDF)