289 children in the Canberra will be homeless tonight

Very sad for kids I do admit, tragic for genuine cases I also admit. The genuine cases have their case ruined by those who think its “sexy” to be homeless. A guy at my local shops always had a sign up asking for donations and he wanted cash only. Someone had the foresight to do a bit of checking and discovered he lived at Mawson in Guvvy accom and drove a 2010 mercedes and he was moved on….
As for cheats taking up guvvy housing just dont start me, the whole housing “entitlement thing” needs serious cross examination.My wife and I have been told we cant enter my Grandsons mothers “property” to pick him up, its not “her” property she is only renting it from Housing and now we have suspicions that she is running a massage joint in it……..

Masquara said :

If they freed up Canberra’s public housing from the cheats, there would be room in the system for three times that many children.

HEAR HEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Where are all the do-gooders calling for an influx of refugees? Why aren’t they standing up for justice for these children? Surely every child deserves a safe home to sleep in.

Always amazes me that australians won’t help their own. Just have to look at the treatment of indigenous australians.
Where are those stating Canberra should take all 12000 refugees because there is plenty of empty homes. Wake up!

miz said :

Yes, women with children are now the worst off, though their situation is less ‘sexy’ than youth homelessness:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/the-welfare-to-work-trap/6795072

They can have a women and children tram conversion as well then?

We’re about to (quite rightly) house our share of the Syrian refugee intake. How is providing housing for those people going to sit with NOT providing housing for our local homeless?

Yes, women with children are now the worst off, though their situation is less ‘sexy’ than youth homelessness:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/the-welfare-to-work-trap/6795072

A sobering, and moving, statistic – and a cause very worthy of support, whether directly, through this admirable initiative, or by supporting one, or more, of the charities which help people with this most basic of human needs.

Unfortunately government red tape prevents many possible solutions to the problem. There are plenty of vacant, dormant and disused buildings such as the schools that got closed down many years ago. Good intentions and money will not fix the problem when the government will not allow families to live in accommodation unless it brings in revenue. Free or very cheap housing just isn’t possible, probably due to various laws concerning amenities, fire regulations, insurance etc. I can’t fathom why else it is so hard to convert an old school building into emergency accommodation for families.
The again, there are those families who continually destroy whatever housing is given to them, get blacklisted from rental agencies and end up with nowhere to go thanks to their own doing. That is a problem that money simply will not fix.
In any case, learning that young how to live on the streets shouldn’t be happening in a country like ours.
I hope the temperature drops to below zero and a gusty southerly blows through Canberra on the 16th so that those sleeping comfortably with their i-pads, cappuccinos and roll out foam mattresses get some idea of what it is really like to be homeless.

Here is the solution from some forward thinkers at RMIT:
http://www.designresearch.rmit.edu.au/dri/programs/design-challenge/entries/2011/last-tram-home
I am sure Mr Rattenbury would be receptive to considering this and the fact that the modifications needed in the trams can be built in rather than retrofitted makes the proposal more cost-effective. There appears to be some money available already from the Canberra Community Sleepout.
Alternatively, the Westside pop-up disaster could be used for the homeless.

If they freed up Canberra’s public housing from the cheats, there would be room in the system for three times that many children.