In November 2003, the Commonwealth Government called for submissions in relation to Commonwealth/state arrangements to respond to homelessness under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP IV).

This submission is made by the PILCH Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic, the Council to Homeless Persons, the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, the Support and Accommodation Rights Service, the Homeless People's Association, the Homelessness Legal Rights Project of the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at the University of New South Wales, Youthlaw, Tamara Walsh of the Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Law and Dianne Otto of the University of Melbourne Faculty of Law. 

The submission responds to Term of Reference 1 and Term of Reference 9 of the National Evaluation.  Specifically, the submission:

1. examines the extent to which SAAP IV is promoting and protecting the rights of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness as required by both the Preamble to, and section 5 of, the Supported Accommodation Assistance Act 1994 (Cth); and
2. proposes options for promoting and protecting the human rights of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness under future Commonwealth/state arrangements. 

The submission contends that many people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are subject to multiple and intersectional human rights violations.  These violations are often associated with, or are an incidence of, a lack of adequate housing.  The submission concludes that future Commonwealth/state arrangements which aim to address homelessness must not only address the lack of adequate, affordable housing across Australia, but must comprehensively address the human rights violations to which people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are subject by consequence of Commonwealth and state policies and practices. 

The submission contains key findings and 55 recommendations in this regard.