National Homelessness Week comes around each year. And each time it is an embarrassment. Rightly so.
We pride ourselves that we are a respectful society, but there is no greater sign of disrespect than to allow people to be homeless. Nothing eats into parents' self-respect more than to wonder where they and their family will sleep each night. Too many Australians are in that situation. Too many people sleep on the streets; too many families sleep in their cars.
In many of our cities this year homeless people are more visible than usual. They put their bedding on the footpaths, congregate at night in public squares, and attract more media. Some people demand that they be 'moved on'; others insist that accommodation be found for them; governments and municipal councils talk about solutions.
Many reasons are given for their greater visibility. The most obvious is that many more people are homeless. Experts point to the shortage of housing, particularly of public housing, and of affordable rental housing. This leaves people who lose their jobs or fall ill more vulnerable to homelessness.
The increase in the number of homeless people is yet another marker of a society in which the economy does not serve the needs of ordinary people, let alone the urgent needs of the most disadvantaged.
Some people who live on the streets also say that they avoid temporary shared accommodation because there they are vulnerable to robbery and violence. Many young people have never had a home worthy of the name. At the earliest opportunity they have left violent or neglectful homes.
They also lack the social skills and opportunities to learn or to work. So they find themselves homeless in the city, at risk of exploitation and addiction.
People who are homeless are also beginning to organise. They come together at night for protection, and demand long-term housing as a right, not as a privilege. This encourages their self-respect and pride and counteracts the shame homelessness can bring. They have learned that invisibility nurtures neglect, whereas being seen and heard may open the way to change.
"The increase in the number of homeless people is yet another marker of a society in which the economy does not serve the needs of ordinary people, let alone the urgent needs of the most disadvantaged."
Whatever the reasons, it is not the visibility of homeless people that is the problem, but their homelessness. But to address it requires that