What do you think?

[bushies.girl]

There are approx 100,000 homeless people in Aust, yet the liberal gov wants to spent 100 million dollars on a prebicite re gay marriage    .... Surely this money could be used ( better spent ) providing a home for our homeless?

[kopenhagen5]

Not all homeless people are in this situation by choice.

Definitely, and if an organised system can seperate those, then it's much easier to lend assistance.

Even the private sector landlords could lend a hand.

Many developers have houses sitting empty for 6 months or more waiting for demolishing permits.

Or housing investors whom don't want to lease out but would like someone to mind a house for 6-12 months preventing possibility of squatters.

I could see this working with mothers with children.

[bushies.girl]

The operative word  is "organised" and that is def not a word  I would use for  the current Lib government

[davidc4430]

the old line that allways gets trotted out when talking about poor people is 'oh they dont apreciate the help they are given'

so out comes the 'look at the houses they trash' and 'they just live off the dole whilst smoking pot and doing drugs'

thats a minority, not the majority.

wrong doing is in every level of society. from the very wealthy to the poorest of poor.

my view, if you trash a provided house you get 1 extra chance, do it again you get booted from public housing for 5 years before you try again, no second chance this time.

lets not tar the people doing the right thing because some choose to do the wrong thing.

[lind9650]

Those homeless people in Sydneys tent city for instant are well organisd. No drugs, no alcohol, no fighting or stealing and keep it clean. The organisers are very strict about it so the police have no legal reason to move the homeless. It is not illegal to be homeless.

For those people Housing Commission houses or units should be made available by the city council, but like all little men and women in power, they try to put the onus on the State Government, and it gets thrown back and forth.

Every one of them wanted to be elected in to a power job, but nobody wanys to do anything constructive to help people in need.

Erica

[bushies.girl]

Personally I like the tent city in Martin Place, it's making a point, the occupants have shelter, food and most important mateship  .....  And they are making a point   .... shame the NSW state gov, isnt "getting" it

[davidc4430]

lots of people know homelessness occurs they just dont want to see it

[mloreason]

Don't know about now but many years ago when I spent 3 weeks in a refuge (not going to elaborate on that) there were a couple of families there who had been kicked out of public housing for not paying the rent. They were assisted by the brothers (refuge was run by monks) to get back into public housing properties. The waiting list for public housing is very long and there are people like those families  being housed before other more needy families even though they have already been kicked out. People know how to work the system. 

[mloreason]

Sorry, that was in response to David's post about public housing. 

[bushies.girl]

MLOR Ive seen it happen as well, they seem to know how to "play" the system and get away with it     .....   There is so much public housing being sold atm and sadly it doesnt seem to be being replaced.  In my small town there are 3 HC houses which have sat empty for months, eventaully, they will be sold, so 3 more families will miss out on a home.

[davidc4430]

being unable to pay the rent is different to trashing a home.

it doesnt cost much to keep a house looked after.

the morons who get into low income housing that then turn it into a pigstye dont deserve much sympathy.