Homelessness

[grandmoon]

I have been to a meeting with other welfare group and we were discussing homelessness, and how we could solve the problem  I found it very interesting as there area number of reasons for people being homeless.

Each of the groups were representing the own group and had ideas of how to solve the problem that their clients have.

I have been sitting here trying  to come up with ideas to take to the next meeting.

Any ideas please.

[lind9650]

Oh my!

Dear CM, I am sitting here with tears in my eyes.

Such peple as your brother need special care provided by the Governement and not just private Institutions that are only out for the money without a carefor the suffering patient.

Something in our system stinks when sriously ill  people can not get the help they need and deserve.

What happens to people with mental problems who do not have family to care about them?

Erica

[biglolcat]

You ever been homeless?

[aps1080]

Which is why all the institutions should never have been closed (in Vic).

We saw what happened when they were.

[lind9650]

Yes, I have been homeless with five children to take care off, after my first husband cleaned out or Bank Account and ran off with a floozy he met at an Escort Service.

No money for rent, no money for other accomodations. No money for food.

I don't wish anyone to be in such situation.

But my children and I survived with the help of a kind Pastor in a small country town.

Homelessness is the pits nobody wants to be found in.

Erica

[gleee58]

ACT housing were/are encouraging people to move from large homes into 2 bedroom townhouses after the children move out.    Not sure how forceful they are about it but they do make good offers, in areas not a great distance away from "home".

[chameleon54]

Channys mum, That is a very heart felt story you have shared. I really hope you can find a suitable solution.

Many homeless people would rather live rough than have to conform to the structure ( and expense ) of traditional housing shelters and rental accomodation. A camp site in a secluded piece of scrub on the edge of town with a pet cat or dog and the freedom to come and go as they please without ten other people living next door can be a better option than short term shelters and overpriced, sub standard rental or boarding facilities.

As mentioned by others, many homeless people have mental health issues which mean their lives are very fractured and they can be very unstable at times. Keeping up with regular rental payments and utility bills can seem an impossible task especially if medication is missed or substance abuse is an issue. ( which often goes hand in hand with mental health issues ).

Access to regular mental health support and care can be almost impossible for many people as the health system is geared purely to crisis management. The systems in place to support young people with mental health issues are as dysfuncinal as the people it aims to serve. Even attempted suicide whilst in a phsycotic state does not garauntee access to proffesional support and many young people in this position are simply discharged from hospital within hours and sent back home for untrained family members to try to deal with. The system is in crisis.

If a person is lucky enough to actually break through the barriers that are put in place by hospital staff etc. to ACTIVLY PREVENT people from accesing support, there is some good services available, but places are strictly limited ( and rationed ) for a select few who make it to the inside. Even with ongoing mental support and short term crisis accomodation for this select few, there still is virtually NO long term supported housing options available for "normal" people with chronic phsyciatric illnesses. I would guess that maybe only 5 % of young people with serious mental health issues are actually recieving ongoing proffesional support and treatment for their conditions.

RESULT - these young people end up couch surfing, living in cars or under bridges.

[chameleon54]

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@lind9650 wrote:

Oh my!

Dear CM, I am sitting here with tears in my eyes.

Such peple as your brother need special care provided by the Governement and not just private Institutions that are only out for the money without a carefor the suffering patient.

Something in our system stinks when sriously ill  people can not get the help they need and deserve.

What happens to people with mental problems who do not have family to care about them?

Erica

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What happens to people with mental problems who do not have family to care about them ?

In the case of young people, they roam the streets all night, shoplifting,  taking drugs and drinking excessivly, camp in friends garages and bunk off from school.  They just hang out and genuinly care about each other with their group of dysfuncional friends becoming a pseduo family. They share what they have and try to support each other as best they can .  Their parents dont give a stuff about where they are, who they are with or what they are doing. In many cases the parents have serious issues themselves or are well meaning, single parents who have just given up as it is all just too hard. Its incredibly sad and moving to see.

[j*oono]

I watched The Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith for the first time last night.

Is it true that so many people line up for a place for somewhere to sleep in America and is it happening here in Australia too?

It's pretty sad.  Thank goodness that people like you Grandmoon are concerned and trying to help with the problem of how to assist them.

One thing I did notice in last nights film is how he was able to give his son a good bath.  That is one thing that could be looked at.

It's not how to get them a home so much as keeping homeless people still feeling good about themselves and fresh to start another day in hope.

[iapetus_rocks]

It's not how to get them a home so much as keeping homeless people still feeling good about themselves and fresh to start another day in hope.

It's nothing but a cunning plan to keep as many people as poor and as desperate as it takes in order for them to agree to work for such a minimalistic wage that it beggars belief.

And the ones who profit from this policy are the ones aps describes as having earned their money so that they can jet about in private 'planes.

Those people have wealth  inconceivable to those working for minimum wage.

And it's the people who work for minimum wage who "earn" those 1% ers their wealth.

Ask Monman to explain it to you.

A large pool of abjectly poor people is absolutely vital to the capitalist system in order to drive down as far as possible the cost of labour (wages).

And this is exactly what the Howard govt's Workchoices policy was designed to achieve.

and luckily, we didn't fall for it.

[chameleon54]

I have only really had experience with teenage issues, but there is a signifigant hidden problem. In the past I have worked with troubled youth and also supervised young people on community service orders.

We have government housing behind our house. A thirteen year old girl was kicked out of home by her mothers defacto, so that he could "Sub lease" her room to some adult friends. The young girl now couch surfs with friends permenantly, sometimes going to school, often not. Very sad as she was a really bright, smart kid.

As you may have guessed my son has serious mental health issues. He hangs out with about a dozen other kids with similar issues. ( Schizophrenia, Bi Polar etc. ) . While we try to keep our son home and safe as much as possible, his friends just roam the streets. They often sleep in the garage at one of the parents homes, but are pretty mobile, sleeping at friends places over a wide area or just camping out in the open in tents. Its a group of around a dozen kids, boys and girls aged 14-16. They sort of have homes to go to, but simply choose not to live there a fair bit of the time. They are starting to get into drugs and alcohol fairly badly so its not looking good for them. Luckily our son hasnt got involved in the drugs ( yet ) so there is hope for him. ( yes he has been tested several times on admission to physce. wards )

We realise there is a chance our son may not always have accomodation as he can be pretty erratic when off of his medication and are subtly teaching him skills he may need if homeless. Things such as buying clothes from op shops, learning to cook on a small gas stove, keeping warm at night when outside camping, maintaining personal hygiene, the importance of diet in maintaining good mental health etc. We dont tell him what we are doing, but he is learning the skills he may need if ever in that position. It is very confonting as a middle class parent in a middle class house in a middle class suburb to be teaching your son the skills to survive if he finds himself homeless, but we feel it is something we need to do. 

We are one of the lucky ones that have broken through the barriers to recieve treatment for our son. ( and thats another fairly interesting story ) . He is responding well to physcology and is learning to manage his condition. We are hopefull he may be able to live a reasonably normal life and wont need the skills we are teaching him. It has been very interesting seeing first hand how this group of mentally unwell teenagers live. There is some great kids amongst them, but unfortunately the future looks pretty grim for most of them.