March 2004

Homelessness:

This afternoon we went to a talk given by a social worker from the New Farm [Queensland] Neighbourhood Centre at City Wesleyan Church. It was about homelessness, affordable housing and the ongoing challenge of urban growth for those who are the underbelly of Brisbane and cities in the western world. It has been a problem for about 150 years in the post industrialised west, and it appears to be getting worse.

In Brisbane on one day late last year there were in a prescribed area in the inner city 360 identified homeless people…homeless being in this instance defined as those actually on the streets. The presenter defined three levels of homeless people for sociological purposes. In Australia there are about 100,000 documented homeless over the three categories.

There is a lot of good hard research and advocacy work being done by this small group represented by this woman . Other great success is being achieved through the Brisbane Housing Group who are working hard at building attractive affordable housing for the homeless and poor.

But there are challenges too as Government sells off crown and other traditionally public space to developers for capital gain. In the new Farm region about 70 hostels/boarding houses have been closed in the past about 10 years. Where do those residents go? To the “less expensive” outskirts and regions of Brisbane – eg Caboolture. All right if we are dealing only with capital and balance sheets, but we are dealing with peoples’ sense of comfort, worth,home and community, even if it is New Farm park.

Everyone who receives this email is not homeless! These poor not only have no computer, they have no home! But they have value and feelings. Home and community is a right for them as for each of us.

In trying to understand the stolen generation and land rights, I have tried to imagine what it might be like if our child was suddenly taken from us by a law enforcment officer at the end of a gun with all the protection of government legislation. I have often tried to imagine what it would be like to have my only asset – my home – invaded by unknown forces with no explanations except that I was not worthy of ownership or possession of it.

And now I try to imagine what it must be like to find my missing blanket and back pack – my only assett – under the park bench because a Brisbane City Council worker was doing his job. And to know that there are no hostels I can afford to go to, that I won’t be welcome at the New Farm deli or the Coffee Club.

As I drove past St Mary’s South Brisbane yesterday, their public take on Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” was : “The passion of the Christ was his passion for justice” Maybe the evangelical church’s passion for conversions out of this film needs to be more than balanced by a serious commitment to the same passion this New Farm social worker has as she works tirelessly to see basic human rights afforded to the underbelly of Brisbane. Conversions are easy. Working for justice is a never ending round of empathic decisions.

“In as much as you had done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me.”

Let grace flow

Peter Breen.