http://paradigmoz.wordpress.com/2006/12/24/give-the-man-a-life/

He has considerable assetts held by the Public Trustee and is eligible for the disability pension

Yet he is given an allowance of only $150 pw from his own assetts – $100 pw less than the disability pension with no discounts and entitlements that pensioners have

He has spent the last six weeks living on the streets with no access to money at all except what he can beg

Marley can afford to own his own home and be on the pension and live a comfortable life

Yet he is not allowed to do this and has been kept in a state of empoverishment by those agencies who are supposedly protecting his interests

Please read the link and send a message of concern to the email contacts on that link

thank you

I got all excited when I saw that there were more than 50 comments on this topic, and momentarily took some pleasure in the idea that people really did care about the homeless and the people in utterly sub-optimal accommodation (you wouldn’t call them homes), so I skimmed with decreasing expectations, as I read about all manner of personal agendas that have nothing to do with the homeless or those families struggling to barely survive. It was easy to miss your very lonely voice in the crowd.

I would add another point: governments no longer place any priority on housing for the disadvantaged, they have spent more than a decade running down housing stocks and cutting back, as if gov’t housing is a shameful and unnecessary thing in an affluent country. I find that quite disgraceful. That’s only part of the story though, as safe and affordable housing is only one aspect, crucial thought it may be. A much wider and robust infrastructure is needed for many of the groups, as you’ve mentioned.

Another random point: to this day I still shake my head in wonder at WHERE, exactly, gov’ts and advocates thought the chronically mentally ill and the disabled would end up when they were tossed out of gov’t run facilities. Yes it would have cost a great deal to “fix” all that was wrong, but hey, look at all the money that was saved by just giving up and abanding those in need, or pushing all care and econmic responsibility back onto aging parents and families, or out onto the streets, as the case may be.

Whatever the circumstances, a safe clean home, with basic facilities, is fundamental to helping people improve their health and circumstances, and to allow them to live with some dignity.

Could this possibly be any funnier?

BTW – the homeless, in general, have multiple problems, the very least of which of is merely being a divorced man or woman. Divorce has never been a causal factor in homelessness.

Nice shot at trying to bring attention to the wide spread attitudinal blockages that lead to housing and homelessness matters being ignorned Andrew. Try again next decade, perhaps, but, you know, I have an awful feeling people will care even less than they do now. What an indictment on us all.

http://www.qld.democrats.org.au/PublicHousingOpportunityScheme24%20TS.pdf

They had a really good policy about this sort of stuff not too long ago

I couldn’t be bothered tracking down the link cause I’m not a democrat