GENUINE CARING THE FIRST STEP IN SOLVING PLIGHT OF HOMELESS

AS we observe a week focused on the escalation of homelessness in Australia, is it compassion or shame that we should feel, as we go to bed each night snuggled beneath our warm bed clothing and sleep safely in comfort.

While it is admirable for CEOs to gather around the country and spend one night out in the cold to remind us of the plight of our homeless, the real question we should be asking ourselves is what we are doing the other 364 days of the year.

A country like Australia should not have homeless people. According to the ABS Census statistics (2016), there are some 116,000 Australians homeless on any given night. On the Gold Coast the number is about 4000.

We may only view the homeless as those people who society discards: disengaged youth, alcoholics and drug users; yet the reality is we have increasing homelessness emerging from a rise in domestic violence and a growing number of youth falling out of steady home environments, and our eyes are closed to these stark facts. The elderly and young children are emerging on our streets with 1:8 Queenslanders now living below the poverty line of which 32 per cent are children.

It makes me wonder whether we harbour a common prejudice against poor and homeless people. Do we walk past them on the street and think of them as down and out on luck, people without the willpower or strength of character to get themselves out of a bad situation. Do we cross the street to avoid a feeling of shame or awkwardness as we pre-judge how they may have become homeless. I tend to feel we all pre-judge without understanding the real facts.

We need to consider why a country like Australia, with economic growth over the past 27 years, has created a hub for the wealthy with the top 1 per cent of Australians now owning more than the bottom 70 per cent combined. Is it any wonder why 1:200 people throughout Australia are now sleeping on the streets ?

The thought of 4000 people without shelter each night should shake us all to action. Real courage needs to come from the community to confront the escalation of homeless people in our areas and move beyond words, to deeds and action. It needs more than just one night a year in the middle of winter with well-intentioned fundraising, to rescue our disintegrating society as more people end up on the streets.

While the numerous charities established to assist the homeless continue their noble service, there is an opportunity for the people of the Gold Coast to show genuine support – and give them back a sense of belonging in our community.

The first place to start is for each of us to stretch a hand of friendship, to show we care. Next time we pass a person in the street and we know they are homeless, take the time to stop and talk to them. One act of kindness might be the beginning of restoring faith in just one homeless person.

If we all step outside our comfort zone, open our eyes to what is going on around us, and give more support to those less fortunate, we are one step closer to a solution.