“EDMUND JUSTICE”
Vol
7, September 2005
“POVERTY - Homing in on the Problem”
“It is well known how strong were
the words used by the early Church to describe the proper attitude of
persons who possess anything towards persons in need. To quote Saint
Ambrose: "You are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor person.
You are handing over to him what is his. For what has been given in
common for the use of all, you have arrogated to yourself. The world
is given to all, and not only to the rich."
On the Development of Peoples
- Pope Paul VI
Did you know
 |
1 in every 200 Australians has no home. |
|
Half of the people without a home will stay with friends or
family. |
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About 2 in every 7 will find a bed in a boarding house.
|
|
1 in every 7 will sleep rough on the streets of our cities
and towns. |
|
1 in every 7 will find a bed in the homeless service
system. |
|
1 in every 3 Australians without a home will be a child
under 12. |
|
1 in every 75 Australian children under 12 will access a
homeless service this year. |
|
Every day 200 children and their families are turned away
from the homeless service system. |
General problems
|
Domestic violence is the greatest individual reason for
women and children being without a home. |
|
Minority groups such as the indigenous, the mentally ill,
youth, refugees, people released from prisons and shelters large families
and single parents experience discrimination in the housing sector |
|
Government – both State and Federal – are relinquishing
their responsibility for public housing |
|
Cost of rent is skyrocketing |
|
There is a growing scarcity of affordable rental property |
(source: Josephite sisters A RIGHT TO
A HOME: SAFE, SECURE, AFFORDABLE submission)
In a survey
of 62 participants done in Brisbane by Coralie Kingston in 2003 The profile
of these participants was:
|
80% were
women and 20% men |
|
43% were
Indigenous |
|
43%
highest educational achievement was grade 10 or primary school |
|
Two thirds were in receipt of sole parent pensions as their
main source of income |
|
Families had stayed in a number of different places – with
friends/relatives, in a tent with the kids, sleeping rough in parks, in
cars, caravan parks |
|
Over half (53%) had 3 or more children |
|
Average age of children was 9 years (age range was 8 weeks
old to 25 years) |
|
Over half the families had children not currently living
with them (mostly in care) |
|
Parents with low educational achievement were more likely
to have children not living with them |
|
Parents who had moved more than 3 times were more likely to
have children not living with them |
|
Average age of women when they had their first child was 20
years (age range was from 15 years to 35) |
“we are
supposed to render to humanity,
and especially to the poor;
that we should be conscious
of the terrible inequalities
between the different peoples in the world;
that we should not forget
that the goods in this world
were created and meant for everybody.”
(On Social Concern, Pope John Paul
II, 1987)
(source: “MORE THAN JUST A ROOF”
report into Homelessness)
.
Web links
http://www.shelter.net.au
http://www.vinnies.org.au
http://www.acoss.org.au
Past Volumes
Vol 1, February 2005 3RD WORLD POVERTY –
The Other Tsunami
Vol 2, March 2005
STILL COOKING WITH GAS IN EAST TIMOR
Vol 3, April 2005
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS – SOME HARD TRUTHS
Vol 4, June 2005
REFUGEES - I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU MADE ME
WELCOME
Vol 5, July 2005
WORKING IT OUT - NEW WORKPLACE PROPOSALS
Vol 6, August 2005
LANDMINES
“AN EXPLOSIVE TOPIC”
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