Post by ppyenews on Aug 1, 2007 3:25:11 GMT -5
Welcome to ‘Talkback Topic’ – I’m Phillip Pye.
If you happen to be down and out, homeless, single, and a female in Australia, life is pretty dim. Homeless single women have become the invisible and often the forgotten in Australian society because there are very few official statistics to adequately record their presence. Definitions of homelessness are inextricably linked with the meaning and reality of home. Home is not only a shelter or somewhere to sleep, but a place for socialising and building relationships, a place for work, for relaxation, for contemplation and a place where one’s unique cultural identity can be expressed. Typically the word home carries an implied meaning associated with family life, which in a society such as Australia is often idealised as a nuclear family. However, a significant proportion of the Australian population now lives alone. Over a quarter of Victorian households are now single person households.
The underlying causes of single women’s homelessness although varied, relate to economic disadvantage caused by low income and an inadequate supply of affordable housing, however, there are a range of factors that make some individuals more vulnerable to homelessness than others. A range of factors have been identified as making women more vulnerable to homelessness when there is an inadequate supply of low cost housing. These include inadequate income in relation to housing costs, mental illness, social isolation, being victim to violence and sexual assault as an adult and/or in childhood, poor education, limited work skills, family breakdown, institutionalisation, physical and intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, chronic illness and substance abuse. Grief and loss are often very significant for homeless women whose lives are marked by a multiplicity of these circumstances and events.
While you and I will be sleeping in a warm bed tonight almost 100,000 Australians will be without a roof over their head. Tonight half of Australia's homeless will stay with friends or family. About 2 in every 7 will find a bed in a boarding house. A lucky 1 in every 7 will find a bed in the homeless service system. 1 in every 7 will sleep rough on the streets of our cities and towns. For homeless single women there is no central coordination, in fact there is not even a single phone number you can ring if you need reference and assistance, and as a result people tend to get shunted around from service to service. The sad part is that homelessness in Australia overall is on the increase being contrary to Article 25.1 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which quotes:- The States parties to the present Covenant recognise the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living
conditions. The States parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the
realisation of this right… - Just another outdated, politically incorrect, sexist and ignored piece of Government paper it appears.
I’m Phillip Pye..
If you happen to be down and out, homeless, single, and a female in Australia, life is pretty dim. Homeless single women have become the invisible and often the forgotten in Australian society because there are very few official statistics to adequately record their presence. Definitions of homelessness are inextricably linked with the meaning and reality of home. Home is not only a shelter or somewhere to sleep, but a place for socialising and building relationships, a place for work, for relaxation, for contemplation and a place where one’s unique cultural identity can be expressed. Typically the word home carries an implied meaning associated with family life, which in a society such as Australia is often idealised as a nuclear family. However, a significant proportion of the Australian population now lives alone. Over a quarter of Victorian households are now single person households.
The underlying causes of single women’s homelessness although varied, relate to economic disadvantage caused by low income and an inadequate supply of affordable housing, however, there are a range of factors that make some individuals more vulnerable to homelessness than others. A range of factors have been identified as making women more vulnerable to homelessness when there is an inadequate supply of low cost housing. These include inadequate income in relation to housing costs, mental illness, social isolation, being victim to violence and sexual assault as an adult and/or in childhood, poor education, limited work skills, family breakdown, institutionalisation, physical and intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, chronic illness and substance abuse. Grief and loss are often very significant for homeless women whose lives are marked by a multiplicity of these circumstances and events.
While you and I will be sleeping in a warm bed tonight almost 100,000 Australians will be without a roof over their head. Tonight half of Australia's homeless will stay with friends or family. About 2 in every 7 will find a bed in a boarding house. A lucky 1 in every 7 will find a bed in the homeless service system. 1 in every 7 will sleep rough on the streets of our cities and towns. For homeless single women there is no central coordination, in fact there is not even a single phone number you can ring if you need reference and assistance, and as a result people tend to get shunted around from service to service. The sad part is that homelessness in Australia overall is on the increase being contrary to Article 25.1 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which quotes:- The States parties to the present Covenant recognise the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living
conditions. The States parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the
realisation of this right… - Just another outdated, politically incorrect, sexist and ignored piece of Government paper it appears.
I’m Phillip Pye..