Housing Is Mental Health Support
There are a range of challenges that we face, when working to improve mental health outcomes for people, here and across the world. Psychosocial challenges, socioeconomic challenges, cultural challenges, environmental challenges, medical challenges and more. Each challenge brings its own range of complexities, its own contextual differences, and a variety of personal experiences.
Many people, in many systems, do not shy away from the complexities involved with improving mental health challenges in their communities, their friends and their families. We are moving towards greater patience and understanding, hopefully advocating for better, more comprehensive assistance and longer-term, fit-for-purpose solutions to these issues.
In Australia, we have world-class healthcare, and a seemingly endless stream of advocates, fundraisers, morning teas, awareness campaigns overtly expressing support for mental health.
We also have an unhealthy obsession with real estate, and an aversion to interrogating the realities of accessibility to the fundamental human needs of shelter, agency, privacy, safety and security.
Housing, is essential for good mental health outcomes.
If we truly care about mental health, then we must be prepared to engage with the difficulties facing housing in Australia. It will require work on multiple fronts: tax reform, planning, negative gearing, banking, wages, productivity, training, supply chain, and inequality. It will require cultural attitude adjustments.
It requires consensus, that housing is a human right, before an investment vehicle. It requires understanding, that house value increases are a function of contributions of the entire economy. It requires empathy with those who require housing, a focus on fairness, and reminding Australians that housing policy improvements won’t take away their family home – instead trying to ensure that every Australian can actually have a family home.
It’s complex, but essential work. I hope we’ll do it.
Originally posted on my blog - https://www.joshreidjones.com/blog/housing-is-mental-health-support