3 ms·

There's plenty of work in the regional centres (for example Bendigo) for people who have mid-level skills and salary expectations. These cities are hardly the s

There's plenty of work in the regional centres (for example Bendigo) for people who have mid-level skills and salary expectations. These cities are hardly the sticks. The truth is people like living in the capital cities because of the amenities, but the amenities are what drives up the housing prices! So, while I agree that the housing prices in Melbourne and Sydney are insane, currently, they would still be quite expensive even in an ideal situation, so wouldn't it make more sense to make regional centres better able to handle / more attractive to lower socio-economic groups / homeless people who can't afford to live in the capital cities? Bendigo, for example, is two hours from Melbourne on the train (which costs less than $20). Seems to me like an ideal place to offer low-cost housing...

jacalata 10y ago
> people who have mid-level skills and salary expectations. The really difficult homeless population doesn't have either of those. That aside, to make Bendigo attractive, you need to move/duplicate all of the social services infrastructure and family connections that people have in Melbourne (which are the 'amenities' that are important to the borderline homeless group). If their kids are in high school in Frankston then many people would rather stay homeless in Melbourne than move to Bendigo. Then if they have existing food bank connections, court dates, legal clinics, etc - it's a big risk to leave this for some temporary housing and a theoretical job.
- ruste 10y ago
  If they'd rather stay homeless when other options are available there's not much you can do for them is there...
  - jacalata 10y ago
    Of course there is, it starts with not pretending that just because they're homeless they must have no commitments, no attachments, no fear of new and unknown scenarios etc. If the only possible option you can think of is "let's ship them off to another city" then you can't have put more than 1 seconds thought into the topic.
    - ruste 10y ago
      >Of course there is, it starts with not pretending that just because they're homeless they must have no commitments, no attachments, no fear of new and unknown scenarios etc. Everyone has commitments and attachments, but looking after your own well being should generally take priority. If you prioritize those attachments first you do so by choice. Fear of new and unknown scenarios should not be keeping people homeless.
      - jacalata 10y ago
        It's a failing strategy to build your social services around some kind of condescending shit around "maybe homeless people should be better and mentally stronger and then they would see the cornucopia of opportunity that is available to them". And not to get too abstract - nobody has even solved homelessness in Bendigo for the locals, let alone for people shipped out from Melbourne! This entire topic is a stupid hypothetical that is not a realistic solution in any way except that it really easily ends up as a justification to dismiss homeless people as causing their own problems.
        ruste 10y ago
        That pretty well agrees with what I'm saying...
        deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
        jacalata 10y ago
        Pretty sure we're not saying the same thing when your comment was "there's not much you can do for them" and mine is that there is plenty you can do that doesn't rely on them giving up everything they do have to take your help.
        ruste 10y ago
        Yes, if you're homeless because you want to be that's your choice, I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. What I'm saying is that it's dumb to assume most people are homeless because they made bad decisions. Rarely are people homeless by choice. Hence the whole "Fear of new and unknown scenarios should not be keeping people homeless." bit. Edit: I admit, it is a bit unclear. I can see why you thought what you did.

jacalata 10y ago

> people who have mid-level skills and salary expectations. The really difficult homeless population doesn't have either of those. That aside, to make Bendigo attractive, you need to move/duplicate all of the social services infrastructure and family connections that people have in Melbourne (which are the 'amenities' that are important to the borderline homeless group). If their kids are in high school in Frankston then many people would rather stay homeless in Melbourne than move to Bendigo. Then if they have existing food bank connections, court dates, legal clinics, etc - it's a big risk to leave this for some temporary housing and a theoretical job.

ruste 10y ago
If they'd rather stay homeless when other options are available there's not much you can do for them is there...
- jacalata 10y ago
  Of course there is, it starts with not pretending that just because they're homeless they must have no commitments, no attachments, no fear of new and unknown scenarios etc. If the only possible option you can think of is "let's ship them off to another city" then you can't have put more than 1 seconds thought into the topic.
  - ruste 10y ago
    >Of course there is, it starts with not pretending that just because they're homeless they must have no commitments, no attachments, no fear of new and unknown scenarios etc. Everyone has commitments and attachments, but looking after your own well being should generally take priority. If you prioritize those attachments first you do so by choice. Fear of new and unknown scenarios should not be keeping people homeless.
    - jacalata 10y ago
      It's a failing strategy to build your social services around some kind of condescending shit around "maybe homeless people should be better and mentally stronger and then they would see the cornucopia of opportunity that is available to them". And not to get too abstract - nobody has even solved homelessness in Bendigo for the locals, let alone for people shipped out from Melbourne! This entire topic is a stupid hypothetical that is not a realistic solution in any way except that it really easily ends up as a justification to dismiss homeless people as causing their own problems.
      - ruste 10y ago
        That pretty well agrees with what I'm saying...
        deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
        jacalata 10y ago
        Pretty sure we're not saying the same thing when your comment was "there's not much you can do for them" and mine is that there is plenty you can do that doesn't rely on them giving up everything they do have to take your help.
        ruste 10y ago
        Yes, if you're homeless because you want to be that's your choice, I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. What I'm saying is that it's dumb to assume most people are homeless because they made bad decisions. Rarely are people homeless by choice. Hence the whole "Fear of new and unknown scenarios should not be keeping people homeless." bit. Edit: I admit, it is a bit unclear. I can see why you thought what you did.