I don't think you can classify them as one group it is the children I am concerned about who have no choice . 

I am involved purely on a fund raising basis and organising mentors in a casual way with

"Youth off the Streets " a direct action group..,

We donate money for the homeless, but there is something else most of us can do if we wish and that is, buy a swag for the homeless. This project is only a few years old and has already saved many homeless people from freezing to death.

A family can club together to buy a swag, not so hard to do, please think about it. This link enables you to see what it looks like:

http://swags.org.au/

I feel bad about the homeless. They are in the streets, exposed to everything we all try to avoid and no matter how much we try to do for them, no individual can do enough to make them one of us with a home and a happy family around them.

Some organizations do the best job they can to help the homeless, but there is never enough and these organizations are mostly public supported anyway.

So having looked at this issue for some time I can see that only the government, in their mighty power, can really do something (everything) for those people in the streets.

I have never heard or seeing the government of this country getting involved in curing the disease of homelessness in our cities (or in the country).

If we have enough money to build billion dollars stadiums for something that is only "a game" we should have enough to help other human beings that are unfortunate enough, for any reason at all, to be living in the streets.

In Perth, WA, our "mighty mouse mayor", the self elevated penguin that decides on the expenditure of the moneys the taxpayers contribute to his luxurious living; has decided to dedicate billions of dollars to build a new stadium, when there is a perfectly good stadium in the city and instead of repairing whatever was needed, decided to build something that will speak of his own agradissement in the future.

Also he has dispossed of millions of dollars building a place on the river, that he has decided to call "Elizabeth Key" giving away his intention of making a grand gesture to show the queen of England how wonderful he is and obtaining some recognisance from that quarter, perhaps in the form of a noble title. (Ridiculous)

In the meantime he tells us that WA has lost a lot of revenue lately due to the fact that our minerals have become cheaper to export and the natural resources have somewhat dried up.

This issue is not political anymore, this is human, we MUST help the dispossesed and give a decent place to sleep and live to the people in the streets, as well as decent food and some quality of life. They are as human as the rest of us.

Mr Barnett, have a look at this issue rather that have your head wrapped around footy stadiums and refurbishing your offices, you are after all, our servant, the servant of the people and no matter what collar you put on, it is the public that pays your salary, take care of the important issues, such as people!

You are so right AlexiaX. The NSW Premier is no better than his WA counterpart. Mike Baird  complains that we need to increase the GST by 50% because he does'nt have enough revenue to continue essential services yet he wants to spend $600 million on a new stadium. Then there are the Federal Politicians who spend tens of thousands on so called entitlements. Why is'nt the media embarrasing these heartless morons? I support the Bill Crews Foundations which provides meals for the Street People of Sydney. This charity relies completely on public donations as it receives no financial support from state or federal governments.

Thank you Chuck for your acknowlegdement.

I agree completely, what on earth is the media doing talking about nonsense instead of paying attention to the plight of the homeless and embarrasing the ridiculous politicians and their shelfish actions which benefiting only themselves and their supporters, in general the rich and powerful?

No matter how the public supports charities, is never enough to help everyone, it has become a real issue in our country that must be ressolved.

Our media has a great power, when issues become common knowledge, Australians individually, have done and do everything they can to help but it is a matter of national duty (Australian people is one of the most charitable and helpful in the world) and so lets activate that power and wake up the lazy and self concerned politicos that have an obligation to every person in this country.

Lets look at our backyard before we look at mountain tops.

Each night for over the last 30 years or so I've been venturing out to enjoy the company of my friends among the street folk/homeless along with my two four legged companions.  Just as with any other section of society, this group is comprised of many different individuals and they are 'living rough' for a wide variety of reasons.  Some like those with children who lack a roof over their heads (either through marriage upheavals or simply not able to compete in the already overheated rental market), are desperately in need of shelter.  It saddens me when I pass quite a few houses in the 'public housing' genre that are empty and have been for sometime, some with faults that do not affect anyone living there (such as cracked external paving etc).  Other families have been unable to secure help with their deposits merely because the place has internal stairs and they have children under 5 so the place is deemed to be 'too dangerous' for the family to rent (ever heard of stair gates????) or two children of opposite sex have to share the one bedroom.  So these families are on the streets instead of in a home.

Then there are those who've forfeited their homes because they've fallen prey to the belief that owning a home makes them better parents than renting one.  They scrape together enough for a deposit on a home and the first interest rate rise often makes payments higher than they can afford even with both parents working exceedingly long hours.  One child of such a family spoke volumes one night when he remarked "I like being homeless because I get to see you guys more than when we had a house"...

There are many returned servicemen and women on the streets, who have not been able to return to 'normal' living once out of the services.  On Anzac Day I saw a segment on one of the morning shows about a village in NSW for such men and women, I think run by the RSL, that offered these brave souls an environment where they could heal from the traumas inflicted by serving in such places as Afghanistan etc, giving them a safe place and support and understanding with their peers.  It was mentioned that such places require private funding, our Governments don't seem to be interested, how sad that there is only this one place in NSW.

Then there are those who are rarely seen, they are the one I refer to as 'street folk' who for a variety of reasons (not always poverty) choose the life on the streets.  Some, like the gent I was talking with last night, are simply tired of being used by relatives and friends when they have a need, and then totally ignored or worse, vilified, when they don't.  He like some others don't need Government benefits, simply choosing the anonymity of life on the streets, to living 'in society'.  Other sections of this group eek out a living with small jobs for the local businesses, like cleaning the yards behind the shops etc, before disappearing once more.

Lastly there are those people who 'make a living' out of being 'homeless'.  I often hear criticism about these.  One lady was sitting on the footpath, to all who passed she seemed to be in need, drawing (not the person mentioned in this story), and when someone stopped to offer to pay for one of her sketches, the price she asked was $100!!!  These people are not part of the homeless or the street folk but are the ones who cause them to be often vilified by passers by.  This group of people are very demanding of money, and will often follow someone until they're given something, using very reprehensible language with none is forthcoming.   

Back a few years a lot of these people would have been locked up in psychiatric Institutions ...

they had a roof over their heads and three meals a day ... must make one wonder .. whether they were not better off then ???

Would like to suggest a completelely INDEPENDENT review - none of this Harry Jenkins and Brendan Nelson, pollie reviewing pollie BS -  in hopes of cleaning up  the excess and extravagance of the parliamentarian entitlements and political lifestyles saga  -

Which on my basic and rudimentary calculations may well free up a fair amount of taxpayer money to house and provide relevant supports to, and in some cases the most vulnerable people in our society i.e. the homeless, the seriously mentally ill etc.

God I'm getting to detest politicians more and more!! -  Bishop with her outrageous helicopter jaunts and free opera tickets etc., Burke's romancing his mistress in first class airline cabins and in far off distant places etc.;  Pyne paying for his children to travel business class to Canberra from Adelaide to see the opening of parliament.....and so  it goes on and on and on..

TALK ABOUT A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT!

During the great depression their were camps organised for the homeless, why not on vacant gov.land, set up even old trams, buses etc for a roof over their head, admittedly the closing and releasing mental patients have added to the dilemma, would not the homeless if eligble be receiving full or part pension,