City Centre issues.

[s713]

I've worked in the CBD for a good few years, by the new library, and just wondered if anyone else was observing what I do on a daily basis:

1. The amount of homeless people sky-rocketing.

2. The absolute ticking time-bomb that is Perth's mental health problem. The amount of affected people is unreal, I see episodes every single day on my way back-and-to the train station. Scary business.

[Toots]

1 hour ago, s713 said:

I've worked in the CBD for a good few years, by the new library, and just wondered if anyone else was observing what I do on a daily basis:

1. The amount of homeless people sky-rocketing.

2. The absolute ticking time-bomb that is Perth's mental health problem. The amount of affected people is unreal, I see episodes every single day on my way back-and-to the train station. Scary business.

Seems every city almost world wide has seen a rise in homeless people.  Things don't seem to have improved for them over the years.  Poverty in this day and age is rife.  Here in Devonport (NW coast of Tassie) there are some very poor people with no jobs.  They aren't homeless - there are commission homes for everyone who needs one but they still struggle to feed their families.  I have a voluntary job 2 evening a week where we prepare, cook then serve folk from a van in East Devonport one night and from a car park in Devonport on another night.  Always feel very sad for the children. 

[s713]

Good on you, great effort.

To me, and I might just be missing something, Perth seems short on initiatives for the homeless; partly because some people seem to be reluctant to admit that the problem exists. But, it's bad. As is the mental health thing. There are a lot of people walking around at any time, right now, who need help. Doesn't seem to be forthcoming though. I saw a guy attack 3 people from my office window yesterday, not seriously thankfully.

[Drumbeat]

5 hours ago, s713 said:

I've worked in the CBD for a good few years, by the new library, and just wondered if anyone else was observing what I do on a daily basis:

1. The amount of homeless people sky-rocketing.

2. The absolute ticking time-bomb that is Perth's mental health problem. The amount of affected people is unreal, I see episodes every single day on my way back-and-to the train station. Scary business.

Yes, it's either on the increase or more visible, or both. I'm quite glad they've prohibited people from sitting and lying on the footbridge from the train station as some of them were a bit volatile, but I guess they've just moved elsewhere. The area around RPH has always been frequented by some rather dodgy people but now there are people sleeping in doorways in the middle of the day on Hay and Murray St.

There's a guy sits at the entrance of our building most days, reading a book. He looks to be late 40's, clean, tidy and sober. I often see people stopping to have a chat with him and I wonder what his story his. I'm assuming he goes to a shelter at night as he doesn't have bags of possessions with him. 

[VERYSTORMY]

4 hours ago, Toots said:

Seems every city almost world wide has seen a rise in homeless people.  Things don't seem to have improved for them over the years.  Poverty in this day and age is rife.  Here in Devonport (NW coast of Tassie) there are some very poor people with no jobs.  They aren't homeless - there are commission homes for everyone who needs one but they still struggle to feed their families.  I have a voluntary job 2 evening a week where we prepare, cook then serve folk from a van in East Devonport one night and from a car park in Devonport on another night.  Always feel very sad for the children. 

There isn't anything like enough commission houses in Perth for homeless people. We had a family who lived near us. The mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The dad had to quit work to care for her. She died a short time later, but by then the mortgage was in arrears and shortly after her death the bank took it. He went down to try and get help and, as I have seen first hand, he was handed a leaflet showing camp grounds in the area. So, they ended up in one of the camp sites in southern Mandurah. 

The sad twist in the take was a few months later, one of the little kids woke early and wanted to be nice for his dad and make him a cup of tea. So, tried to boil water in the tent on a camp stove. Tent caught fire and kids and dad burnt to death. 

The camp sites around Mandurah are full of homeless families. 

[Booma]

16 minutes ago, VERYSTORMY said:

There isn't anything like enough commission houses in Perth for homeless people. We had a family who lived near us. The mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The dad had to quit work to care for her. She died a short time later, but by then the mortgage was in arrears and shortly after her death the bank took it. He went down to try and get help and, as I have seen first hand, he was handed a leaflet showing camp grounds in the area. So, they ended up in one of the camp sites in southern Mandurah. 

The sad twist in the take was a few months later, one of the little kids woke early and wanted to be nice for his dad and make him a cup of tea. So, tried to boil water in the tent on a camp stove. Tent caught fire and kids and dad burnt to death. 

The camp sites around Mandurah are full of homeless families. 

That story is freakishly similar to Brett Spies and his children that died when a gas cylinder exploded in their tent in Mandurah in 2011. It was in the news again not long ago because the Spies mother died earlier this year. The Spies family though were renting a house they didn't pay the rent on for approx 12 months and so were evicted and the children were teenagers. 

[Toots]

54 minutes ago, Drumbeat said:

Yes, it's either on the increase or more visible, or both. I'm quite glad they've prohibited people from sitting and lying on the footbridge from the train station as some of them were a bit volatile, but I guess they've just moved elsewhere. The area around RPH has always been frequented by some rather dodgy people but now there are people sleeping in doorways in the middle of the day on Hay and Murray St.

There's a guy sits at the entrance of our building most days, reading a book. He looks to be late 40's, clean, tidy and sober. I often see people stopping to have a chat with him and I wonder what his story his. I'm assuming he goes to a shelter at night as he doesn't have bags of possessions with him. 

People are homeless for all sorts of reason.  Domestic abuse, poverty and mental illness being the main reasons.  I witnessed so many people with obvious mental illness roaming around Sydney and sleeping in parks close to the CBD.  At one time they would have been in a mental hospital but now there is nowhere for them.  Families don't seem to care or be able to help them.

[Drumbeat]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

People are homeless for all sorts of reason.  Domestic abuse, poverty and mental illness being the main reasons.  I witnessed so many people with obvious mental illness roaming around Sydney and sleeping in parks close to the CBD.  At one time they would have been in a mental hospital but now there is nowhere for them.  Families don't seem to care or be able to help them.

I don't believe this guy has a mental illness (or certainly not a serious one), I suspect it's more to do with unemployment.

[Toots]

42 minutes ago, Drumbeat said:

I don't believe this guy has a mental illness (or certainly not a serious one), I suspect it's more to do with unemployment.

There was an older lady who used to push a little shopping trolley (presumably containing her worldly goods) around Sydney CBD.  She used to use the women's toilets at Wynyard station to have a good wash and she told me she slept in a shelter at night.  She was clean and tidy, well spoken but homeless.  I often wondered what her story was.

 

 

[Parley]

The Salvation Army advise never give money to homeless people.

 

[calNgary]

There are quite a few charitys around Brisbane who collect blankets, clothes and bags packed with toiletries etc and they go around and hand them out to homeless people. I know the 'Share the dignity' collections are popping up in lots of places and have had quite a lot of publicity this year so thats another help for the homeless ladies.

Cal x

[BacktoDemocracy]

I feel like a worn out record on this issue, it's the same here in the UK, you cannot have a caring society, low taxes and minimal investment in social services

Reliance on the "market" simple means those who cannot operate in the market place fall out of society, having a caring society needs investment into that society and an acceptance that everyone fails at some point and need support to get up again and that for some they either never get up on their feet or never recover, charitable giving does not match the scale of the problem.

[VERYSTORMY]

12 hours ago, Booma said:

That story is freakishly similar to Brett Spies and his children that died when a gas cylinder exploded in their tent in Mandurah in 2011. It was in the news again not long ago because the Spies mother died earlier this year. The Spies family though were renting a house they didn't pay the rent on for approx 12 months and so were evicted and the children were teenagers. 

It could be the same. My recollection is now some years old and I can't remember their names (which is saddening). We knew the family and walked past their house having a chat many times - several times a week. Great people and very friendly. We were distraught when it panned out. 

There is another twist though. There house was rented later and turned out to be a Melbourne crime boss. Biggest exciting thing that ever happened in Dawesville when he was arrested. Oh, and we very nearly bought it later as it was sold at a massive discount

[ali]

I suspect homelessness has risen in many cities, there aren't enough homes west houses.  Homeless connect have seen a rise in numbers for their day event where they get a number of organisations/Dr's, Dentists. housing etc., in one place on one day for the homeless to access (More than 2000 attended last year).  

[Toots]

Jacinda Arden the Prime Minister of New Zealand has vowed to get NZ's entire homeless population off the streets during the colder months.  

Homelessness rates in New Zealand are among the worst in the developed world — and rising. 

But now, as summer turns to winter, newly-elected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wants to change that. 

On Friday, Ardern pledged $100 million in emergency housing assistance to ensure that no one will sleep on the streets this winter — which is just four weeks away — and called on seasonal housing providers to open their doors to the country’s estimated 40,000 homeless people

[BacktoDemocracy]

5 hours ago, Toots said:

Jacinda Arden the Prime Minister of New Zealand has vowed to get NZ's entire homeless population off the streets during the colder months.  

Homelessness rates in New Zealand are among the worst in the developed world — and rising. 

But now, as summer turns to winter, newly-elected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wants to change that. 

On Friday, Ardern pledged $100 million in emergency housing assistance to ensure that no one will sleep on the streets this winter — which is just four weeks away — and called on seasonal housing providers to open their doors to the country’s estimated 40,000 homeless people

All power to her, I hope she manages to stimulate change, the only bodies big enough to create real change are govts, thro both money for short term provision and thro legislative change on rent control and investing in low rent house building,

France has laws that preevent evictions during the winter.

The UK problems stem from the sale of council houses and the change from subsidised rents to market rents.

London also has Crisis at Christmas which provides food accommodation, medical care and support  services for the homeless and poverty stricken over Christmas which in the north coincides with the coldest period.

[s713]

Two incidents witnessed out of the office window already this morning.

I think the mental health issue is worse than the homeless one, bad as that is.

[Toots]

3 hours ago, s713 said:

Two incidents witnessed out of the office window already this morning.

I think the mental health issue is worse than the homeless one, bad as that is.

There was a survey in Sydney a few years ago and 75% of homeless people there suffered with mental health issues.  It really is a huge problem.

[Goochie]

On 07/05/2018 at 10:37, s713 said:

Two incidents witnessed out of the office window already this morning.

I think the mental health issue is worse than the homeless one, bad as that is.

Is it a mental health issue or a drugs issue? Its difficult to say someone is mentally unwell simply by observing them from a distance. How do you know that's the case and they're not on meth/ice?

[newjez]

43 minutes ago, Goochie said:

Is it a mental health issue or a drugs issue? Its difficult to say someone is mentally unwell simply by observing them from a distance. How do you know that's the case and they're not on meth/ice?

Can the two always be split, and if so, is one more deserving than the other?

[s713]

On 01/07/2018 at 07:56, Goochie said:

Is it a mental health issue or a drugs issue? Its difficult to say someone is mentally unwell simply by observing them from a distance. How do you know that's the case and they're not on meth/ice?

They might be. Rightly or wrongly, 'mental health issues' is a bit of a catch-all for a lot of things these days. I just know there are a lot of people knocking around seemingly with mental health issues, how those issues originated or how they manifest themselves, I don't know enough to say.

[Sandgroper]

Perth CBD is actually quite tame compared to the average British town/city centre.

[s713]

On 07/07/2018 at 08:15, Sandgroper said:

Perth CBD is actually quite tame compared to the average British town/city centre.

I don't agree. I worked in Liverpool and/or Manchester City Centres for the best part of 20 years and I think Perth is worse.

[Toots]

1 hour ago, s713 said:

I don't agree. I worked in Liverpool and/or Manchester City Centres for the best part of 20 years and I think Perth is worse.

Getting back to your original post about mental health issues - in that case it's about time something was done to help these poor buggers.  If it's booze and violence   ..............  any large city has these problems.   Booze is about as big a problem as drugs.  Nasty drunks are horrible to deal with.  Shame to here that Perth has a problem though.  The city centre was a safe place to go when we lived there.  There was always the odd nutter roaming around but you get them anywhere.

[s713]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

Getting back to your original post about mental health issues - in that case it's about time something was done to help these poor buggers.  If it's booze and violence   ..............  any large city has these problems.   Booze is about as big a problem as drugs.  Nasty drunks are horrible to deal with.  Shame to here that Perth has a problem though.  The city centre was a safe place to go when we lived there.  There was always the odd nutter roaming around but you get them anywhere.

To me, there's a bit of a divide at Barrack St. Going towards East Perth from there is bad, going West is OK.