America's Working Homeless

Duh · Guru

America's Working Homeless

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Very interesting Vic, thank you.

I wonder how many people are on the road or camped as a means of coping with homelessness? Both here and in other countries.

neilnruth · Guru

What a brilliant idea to use church car parks to lock them ito a safe place at night. It became their 'safe' community. But so sad that it has got to that in a country that used to have everything.

Duh · Guru

neilnruth wrote:
What a brilliant idea to use church car parks to lock them ito a safe place at night. It became their 'safe' community. But so sad that it has got to that in a country that used to have everything.

Yes I thought we could take a leaf out of their book doing that, even turning off the main lights at a certain time so they could sleep.

And of course locking the gates so the people were secure. I spoke to a Vietnames bloke in our local park car park who said he had bi polar disorder and was sleeping in his van (not a camper) as the refuges were full and they only let you stay there for a couple of nights. He said he had to move on before it got dark as the ranger came around after dark and told him to move on. He told me he had been to all the agencies etc but had to wait his turn as they were all full and he had to wait a certain number of days before he could go back again.

I offered him some money to buy a meal, but he refused, saying he would be ok. I went back later to give him some suggestions where he might find somewhere to sleep, but he had left. When I first saw him, I asked him whether he was ok, he had a small battery outside his van and was zapping himself with 12V shocks, apparently it helps with bipolar so he said.

tonyd · Guru

Yes, Vic, I was gobsmacked by that programme. I was especially moved by the bloke who was pleased he'd had a rise from something like $7.40 an hour to $8.20! How can you live on that sort of dough? Made me reassess my sometimes negative opinions of Australia.

Cheers, Tony

Duh · Guru

I hope they run it again Tony, it was a real eye opener. Also if you are fit (no disabilities) there is no such thing as Medicare, only a Medi-aid system for those with disabilities etc. Also no Newstart allowances etc.

I felt sorry for the lady in the car trying to care for two young children, including a baby, and also the low paid working Dad who had a number of children and was living in a motel room with them all after being made redundant from a high paid job and losing their home etc as he could no longer pay the mortgage.

At least Barack Obama has put programs in place to try to help these people and the homeless veterans find homes and accommodation.

the rocket · Guru

I saw the show. Wow. Unbelievable.

Duh · Guru

They ran it again on Chanel 24 yesterday, I didn't realise it was a re-run until I watched it - Sad way to live.

The 65 y/o lady living on a bus stop because she couldn't afford anywhere to live, until a kind lady around the same age in a simlilar situation but living in a motel where the other lady had stayed saw her took her in. The lady on the bus stop had suffered burns to her legs from the sun, and this was just one of many in the same predicament.

Duh · Guru

buffy61 wrote:
If you go to you tube and put 'RV lifestyles' in the search box you will see there are thousands living in RV's in Walmart car parks because they can not afford to live anywhere else. Very sad :(

Thanks for the tip Buffy.

A couple of years ago I was in a caravan park in a southern Perth suburb. There is a housing shortage over here in WA, combined with very high rents due to the mining boom and increase in population.

There was a family consisting of wife and husband, and two small children, one a baby, the other about 3, living in a tent because they could not find or afford housing. The wife was working and the husband looked after the kids.

There was also a case of a father and his two teenage children living in a caravan park in a tent in 2011, as they couldn't get housing and their gas bottle exploded, killing one immediately and the other two died in hospital. See;

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/teen-killed-two-injured-in-mandurah-camping-tragedy/story-e6frg6nf-1226050297769

(Text only, video no longer viewable).

I would imagine that in regards to being homeless there are many other cases around in Oz, which is a sad state of affairs.

See these links also;

http://swags.org.au/homeless_aussies.html

http://www.nhsc.org.au/content/state_of_supply/2008_ssr_rpt/chap4.html

According to the stats on the 2nd link, Queensland has the biggest population of homeless....

-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 17th of February 2013 11:39:46 PM

buffy61 · Senior Member

If you go to you tube and put 'RV lifestyles' in the search box you will see there are thousands living in RV's in Walmart car parks because they can not afford to live anywhere else. Very sad :(

pawsoz · Senior Member

It is now recognised that many campervanner and motorhomers are also 'homeless' and whilst I think we may count our selves very fortunate in having a lockable, (hopefully safe and dry) place to call home not all of us are happy that we do not have a static home.

I think that one of the issues of homelessness is the lack of sustainable relationships, another the work/financial issues and the fact that one can quite easily be working full time and stuill not be earning enough to be able to afford to rent a house or even a unit.

I myself was travelling along quite nicely until early 2012, I had been with a partner/friend as his unofficial carer whilst working full time for several years....I had sold my own home to be with him, whilst enjoying a rare real break from both paid work and my carer duties away in the motorhome in Tassie everything went topsy turvey, I lost my mate, my home which had been left to the 2 adult kids, could no longer afford to live in Darwin even if I could have found a rental.....and hence also had to give up my job.
I decided to stay down in Victoria and go ahead with the studies I had planned on doing, studies going very well, passed 1st semester, bit of a challenge living on Austudy (same as newstart) but thinking I was going to be finished my studies by June this year.....the friday before my studies were due to resume after the Christmas break I received an email to say that as there were so few people who had passed the 1st semester and re-enrolled for 2nd semester it was being cancelled and we few would have to complete our studies in the semester commencing July this year....such are the impacts of the TAFE cutbacks!
I do intend to finnish my studies however I doubt I will ever be able to make up the $$ I have missed out on at this time of life, and as the chosen path is basically in the community services sector the jobs are drying up.....
I would like very much for Government run long term/permanent low fee/affordable parking/camp areas for people who have no options but to live in vehicles of one sort or another, so that at least they can hold on to what little they have and can be safe.
Of course the homelessness issue for RV dwellers is another reason for freedom of choice camping too.

annie

Duh · Guru

Oxley wrote:
But I also have strong views on commercialism and what I believe is the negative effect on society in general, but that maybe a rant for around the fireplace.

I was watching a show last night on the leaders in world economics from the past, and among two other greats Karl Marx was mentioned as one who should be up there among the others as visionaries. It was not suggested that his Communist Manifesto be adopted, but apparently some of his reasoning on world economies were worthy of reading and may have prevented the current world melt down.

Apparently his thoughts on the economy like the others were way ahead of their time.

Thanks for that link Oxley, some interesting housing there!

-- Edited by Duh on Thursday 28th of February 2013 02:08:56 PM

Oxley · Veteran Member

This is one of the many reasons I have been following the Small House Movement http://tinyhouseblog.com and why I have become a born again Minimalist, also being the offspring of two hoarders / collectors and witnessing the negative effect this had on quality of life.

I think full time travelling is OK for some, but its not a lifestyle for those that need a steady income, education etc.

But I also have strong views on commercialism and what I believe is the negative effect on society in general, but that maybe a rant for around the fireplace.

Duh · Guru

pawsoz wrote:
It is now recognised that many campervanner and motorhomers are also 'homeless' and whilst I think we may count our selves very fortunate in having a lockable, (hopefully safe and dry) place to call home not all of us are happy that we do not have a static home.

I think that one of the issues of homelessness is the lack of sustainable relationships, another the work/financial issues and the fact that one can quite easily be working full time and stuill not be earning enough to be able to afford to rent a house or even a unit.

I myself was travelling along quite nicely until early 2012, I had been with a partner/friend as his unofficial carer whilst working full time for several years....I had sold my own home to be with him, whilst enjoying a rare real break from both paid work and my carer duties away in the motorhome in Tassie everything went topsy turvey, I lost my mate, my home which had been left to the 2 adult kids, could no longer afford to live in Darwin even if I could have found a rental.....and hence also had to give up my job.
I decided to stay down in Victoria and go ahead with the studies I had planned on doing, studies going very well, passed 1st semester, bit of a challenge living on Austudy (same as newstart) but thinking I was going to be finished my studies by June this year.....the friday before my studies were due to resume after the Christmas break I received an email to say that as there were so few people who had passed the 1st semester and re-enrolled for 2nd semester it was being cancelled and we few would have to complete our studies in the semester commencing July this year....such are the impacts of the TAFE cutbacks!
I do intend to finnish my studies however I doubt I will ever be able to make up the $$ I have missed out on at this time of life, and as the chosen path is basically in the community services sector the jobs are drying up.....
I would like very much for Government run long term/permanent low fee/affordable parking/camp areas for people who have no options but to live in vehicles of one sort or another, so that at least they can hold on to what little they have and can be safe.
Of course the homelessness issue for RV dwellers is another reason for freedom of choice camping too.

annie

Sorry to hear about your setbacks Annie, hope things are kinder to you in the future.