ACOSS has come to the amazing and unprecedented conclusion that for "an increasing number of Australians, housing affordability is a serious problem that affects their ability to work". A quarter of people battling with housing stress regularly skip meals in order to pay their rent.
"There's a lot of overcrowding, people are bunking up, living in inappropriate forms of housing which are not good for anybody," chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service Dr Goldie said. (Article republished from comment to front page article.)
Surely this explosion of logic, the profound cognitive process that drew to this conclusion is well overdue? The conclusion is surely obvious, that homelessness is more than a product of "domestic violence" as it's usually portrayed.
Our cities are becoming hostile to our living standards, and the vulnerable are the first to fall between the cracks.
Our real estate and housing-construction based economy means more congestion, and negative social impacts. On any given night, more than 7000 people sleep in crisis accommodation, while more than 105,000 identify as homeless. This is in a country that touts our living standards and wealth all over the world, to lure more people to migrate here!
Dr Goldie, instead of addressing the major cause of poverty, unemployment and unaffordable housing - population growth - she's endorsing funding for the homeless, and urged a bipartisan commitment to increase housing supply to help vulnerable people afford a place to live. To "increase housing supply", or putting more heat on the housing market frenzy, won't produce "affordable housing". With budget constraints, and heavy cut-backs to public services, there's nothing set aside for more social housing either.
ACOSS have no population policy, but their methods are more funding, more more more - of fixing symptoms and not addressing the cause - greed and growth!
Comments
Anonymous (not verified)
Sun, 2015-03-29 08:06
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Trying to hit a moving target!
Michael S.
Thu, 2015-04-02 00:01
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ACOSS guilty of population growth denial
Sheila Newman
Wed, 2015-09-02 10:30
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French law causes big falls in Paris rentals
Allumee (not verified)
Fri, 2018-08-17 08:30
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Homelessness program SBS August 16 2018 avoids demand side
Isabel (not verified)
Fri, 2018-08-17 09:00
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SBS disrespect for homeless woman's informed comment
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