The Graveyard Shift – 18 October 2019, 102.7FM

Listen to The Graveyard Shift –04:00:00 (hours)

An episode of The Graveyard Shift∙Aired on 18 October 2019. 

Homeless Lives Matter

Presented by Susan Carew

LINK TO AUDIO ON TRIPLE R WEBSITE:  https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/the-graveyard-shift/episodes/9416-the-graveyard-shift-18-october-2019

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Playlist

• Little Sister Jewel
• Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd
• Take Control Built On Secrets
• Couldn’t Cause Me Harm Beth Orton
• Drowned World / Substitute For Love Madonna
• I Will Be Your Water Ursula
• Gorecki Lamb
• Fire In My Bones Ursula

Program Outline

VICTORIAN HOMELESSNESS CONFERENCE   

(START AUDIO:  0-7.10)

Welcome

Welcome to the Graveyard Shift.

• Homeless Lives Matter is dedicated to the memory of Courtney Herron and the homeless who have lost their lives due to social neglect and the breakdown of community.
• Homeless Lives Matter is a program produced by those homeless to give a voice to those who are voiceless and displaced in their own country.
• This radio program will explore the drivers of homelessness, the approaches to deal with homelessness, the homelessness sector and homeless stories to raise awareness to this national emergency that is not receiving the attention it deserves.
• This program is to start a real conversation about homelessness away from the stereotypes and normalised prejudice around an issue that holds up the mirror to all of us. 
• This program will raise awareness, understanding and deepen empathy to realise that homelessness is not who we are it is an experience. 
• In future programs we will hear the voices of homeless people themselves who are experts in courage, resiliency and survival.  Who may well become leaders in the future. 
• We can learn about issues but until you wind up without a home you cannot know the reality on the ground.  It reveals aspects of our society that we all want to ignore.

Here are some interesting facts from The Council to Homeless Persons[1]:

Key information:

Over 24,000 Victorians and 116,000 Australians will be homeless tonight. They include families with children, young people, older people, single adults & people with disabilities.

• Homelessness in Australia has increased 13.7% in 5 years (ABS, 2016)
• Rough sleepers represent 7% of all homelessness nationally, they are the tip of the iceberg;
• On any given night in Australia 1 in 200 people are homeless
• Almost 7 million nights of accommodation were provided by specialist homelessness services in 2014-15.
• 255,657 people received support
• 56% are male; 44% female
• 20 Australian women have been killed so far this year.
• Where do they go, what risk do they face out there alone,
• Housing is intrinsically involved in the safety of women
• 17,845 children are under 10, and 402 children sleeping out.
• Victoria: The Social housing waiting list increased to > 40,000 households, 82,500 individual people
• Homelessness services in Victoria turn away 90 people per day, including women

Why are people homeless?

Homelessness is often a result of a number of complex issues which can include:

• The chronic shortage of affordable and available rental housing
• Domestic and family violence
• Intergenerational poverty
• Financial crisis
• Long term unemployment
• Economic and social exclusion
• Severe and persistent mental illness and psychological distress
• Exiting state care
• Exiting prison
• Severe overcrowding/housing crisis

Homeless (my thoughts)

• Homeless due to breakdown in social infrastructure
• Non compliance with Centrelink
• NewStart not enough to pay for rent
• Market based rental market and increasing rents
• The issue of focusing on money and not valuing people is a core issue (culture or economics)
• The ideal of full employment is a misnomer, the more technological we become the more AI is employed, the less work available and financial problems arise which exacerbates homelessness
• Homelessness in a wealthy society is not about resources it is about human value, equality and human rights. 

 

VICTORIAN HOMELESSNESS CONFERENCE

Dr Stephen Gaetz

(START AUDIO:  7.21-11.22)

The program will feature excerpts out of the Victorian Homelessness Conference that took place on the 14^th and 15^th of October.  This conference is for the homeless sector. Bursary’s were made available for homeless people to attend, I was one of those in attendance.   Apologies for the sound quality. It was recorded in the audience. 

The first Plenary session featured keynote speaker DR. STEPHEN GAETZ, who is the President and CEO of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. He is a lecturer at the University of York, Canada. Session was called: Lessons from Canada – Progress, challenges, next steps…

His talk is introduced by Bevan Warner, CEO of Launch Housing  

(START AUDIO :  11.23-23.40)

Australian government information on homelessness.  Issues of no access to political representation. Private sector funding.

(START AUDIO: 30.39-30.05)

Dr Stephen Gaetz from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.

(START AUDIO: 37.27-47.00)

Financialisation of the housing market.  Future governments and cancellation of investment. Accountability. Perception of not giving money to people who are not responsible. Undignified.

(START AUDIO: 53.03)

Dr Stephen Gaetz who speaking about housing first, indigenous issues and solutions.

 CD2:  Dire Straits ‘Love Over Gold’, ‘Industrial disease’  (4.49)

(START AUDIO: 1.18-1.24)

(START AUDIO 1.48-1.54)

(START AUDIO 1.55)

An interview with Dr. Stephen Gaetz

(START AUDIO 2.14.13)

(START AUDIO 2.20)

Message to homeless people. Know you are not alone.

 (START AUDIO: 2.43)

 

VICTORIAN HOMELESSNESS CONFERENCE 

Indigenous Homelessness

 (START AUDIO: 2.48.45)

The next session at the VHC was Closing the Gap: An Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework. Stats:

• 26,744 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, were experiencing homelessness on Census night
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are 15 times more likely to be staying in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping rough than non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders 1 in 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive support from homelessness agencies each year

We return to Closing the Gap: An Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework

(START AUDIO: 3.11)

Discussion on Jane Elliott – Texan educator on anti-discrimination.

(START AUDIO: 3.22)

Closing the Gap: An Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework

(START AUDIO: 3.43)

 

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