Poverty stigma blasted

Reaction to a social housing proposal has exposed a mean streak, says Kym Goodes

THE head of Tasmania’s peak body for social services has blasted the attitude of residents opposed to a Bellerive housing development for older people living in poverty.

A public forum at Howrah on Tuesday night descended into name calling and yelling as angry Eastern Shore residents hit out over plans for an aged-care development in their neighbourhood.

Federal Government funding was announced this week for an aged-care facility in Bel- lerive to cater for Tasmanians over 50 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The facility would be run by aged-care provider Wintringham and the preferred site is on land next to the heritagelisted sandstone Wirksworth in Bellerive.

But angry residents at the meeting said they were concerned the elderly clientele could include people with drug and alcohol addiction, and criminal records.

They wanted assurances all residents would have police checks.

Tasmanian Council of Social Service CEO Kym Goodes, who attended the meeting, said she left depressed and disappointed by the attitude of many of those present.

“I left the meeting absol- utely disappointed a Tasmanian community could make the assumptions they did about people who have experienced disadvantage,” Ms Goodes said.

“I think what we are seeing is people who fear the unknown.

“There is a level of stigma attached to people purely based on their income, that just because someone is poor or has had a hard life they will not be a good member of the community.

“Assuming just because an older person is homeless they are going to come with a whole range of anti-social behaviours is really misinformed.

“It’s concerning to think well-educated people ... would make the assumption that their community won’t be as good if they are sharing it with people living with disadvantage.”

Ms Goodes said homelessness was increasing faster among older people, particularly older women, than among other demographics.

Labor human services spokesman Josh Willie blamed Human Services Minister Jacquie Petrusma for bungling the process around the development.

Mr Willie said Labor supported the development and the Wintringham model, but the Government had failed to keep the community informed.

Ms Petrusma assured residents no final decision had been made on the location of the home and full consultation would take place.

WHEN did being poor make you a bad person?

And since when did we believe that all rich people are good?

Why do many in our communities take a default position against social housing proposals, even aged-care facilities for elderly Tasmanians?

This is what we’ve heard said publicly following the proposal for an aged-care home on crown land in Bellerive — a kneejerk reaction of fear from a few loud opponents.

And just what exactly are they saying they’re afraid of?

The rhetoric boils down to fear about caring for disadvantaged people in their neighbourhood and exposes the picture some in our communities have of what people living on the lowest of income are like.

That they are to be feared, shunned and may put their quiet lives at risk.

It’s shocking to realise but, actually, these fellow human beings are just like all of us. They are people. They are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends. They have hopes, fears, laughter and sadness just like us. They love their families and their communities and cherish their best memories, just like us.

We can all hear the influence the cruel rhetoric of federal leaders has had in this current debate — this divisive language has crept into our thinking, our homes and out of our mouths into our communities.

It is rhetoric designed only to divide: deserving versus undeserving, lifters versus leaners and so on.

Have you ever wondered why some federal politicians talk about the need to support people with a disability through the National Disability Insurance Scheme while simultaneously demonising people who qualify for Disability Support Payments? Why we hear about the “dependency” of those who qualify for an Income Support Payment, but aged pensioners should get our care and support?

It is a rhetorical dichotomy that puts our friends, family and neighbours into categories of ‘the deserving’ and ‘the undeserving’.

This discussion about an aged-care facility at Bellerive is our chance to show Tasmanians are better than that. We must reset the tone these discussions have taken and push back against those who wish to decide the quality of people’s characters is based solely on their level of income or life circumstances.

After all, we are all just one major event away from poverty or homelessness: one unexpected death of a main breadwinner, one divorce, one job loss, one chronic long-term disease diagnosis, or one natural disaster away from change that could affect the trajectory of our lives and the lives of our loved ones irretrievably.

Wouldn’t we all want to ensure there is support if that was to happen?

Of course there are certain things we can assume about someone who has lived a life of poverty, even if they are only in their fifties. A person who has lived in poverty is:

MORE likely to age prematurely. LIVING a life that will be around three years shorter than that of those living with more money. LIVING with a lower literacy level that can isolate and humiliate. NOT likely to have had chances to stay connected to their community or to their family, because a range of issues, including transport, has been a major barrier. UNLIKELY to have lived somewhere like Bellerive where they could walk along a lovely flat beach near their home, watching the seagulls glide above the yachts: that is what other people get to do.

The Government is supporting construction of an aged-care facility in a wellestablished community that has good services, accessible transport, flat, walkable footpaths, open spaces and a beach nearby.

That doesn’t sound so terrible does it? If, after due process, there are no zoning issues, no heritage or other planning issues, all that should matter is whether the facility’s design is appropriate.

Which specific elderly members of our community go on to live in the aged-care facility should not be for public scrutiny. At what point did we decide that this crown land was reserved only for enjoyment of a particular income level of citizens, that this community was “reserved” for only those who have had a good life already? At what point did we decide that anyone else was undeserving of enjoying their later years in this environment and wouldn’t be a valued and respected member of this community?

The vast majority of Tasmanians respect their elders. We have compassion for the needs of people who have lived a lifetime. We know it is not OK to have a go at older people in general and especially when they need some assistance to live their day-to-day lives.

So it must be the adjective ‘poor’ that makes it OK for the stereotype, to stigmatise, to marginalise ageing people in this instance.

Tasmanians take pride in community, in helping out those in need in times of trouble. Let’s make sure we tell the minority voices we are better than that. Kym Goodes is the CEO of TasCOSS.