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Homelessness Issues - Homelessness Issues

Homelessness Issues

China Earthquake Leaves 5.5 Million Homeless

May 26th 2008 12:50
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has issued an urgent international appeal for 3.3 million tents and temporary shelters, to aid the 5 ½ million people left homeless in China as a result of the May 12th earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks. More than 15 million homes were destroyed in the Chengdu based disaster, and these figures are rising daily.

The Chinese have stayed fairly well on top of the disaster, and reacted quickly, with 100,000 soldiers deployed to the quake scene within half an hour of the original quake happening. However, the sheer numbers involved have overwhelmed even the Chinese.

On Saturday, before the latest 6.0 aftershock, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao confirmed the death toll at 62,664, with another 23,775 people missing. This has now risen to over 80,000.

However, it is the displaced, the more than five million homeless, that is creating the greatest logistical nightmare for the Chinese government. The urgent international appeal for tents shows China’s inability to cope with the hugeness of the disaster, despite their swift response to the catastrophe.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was grateful for the aid received from overseas, but it needed much more. Top priorities are blankets, clothing, shoes and food.

China earthquake
China
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Burma Cyclone Leaves Millions Homeless

May 26th 2008 12:14
The Burmese government continues to show its contempt for human life, being unable to pin down the exact number dead or homeless. This is in stark contrast to their exact figures for livestock lost - 1,250,194 chickens and 136,804 buffaloes, including three owned by the government, according to reports in the UK Guardian today..

Cyclone Nargis, which hit Burma (Myanmar) on May 2nd has so far left an estimated 134,000 dead, and millions homeless. The paranoid Burmese military government have been reluctant to allow foreign aid in, and still state that will only allow civilian ships to enter their country, even three weeks after the disaster.

The callousness continues, with officials ordering homeless survivors to pull down temporary shelters they had built along the roadways through the disaster zone. This is despite claims by the Burmese government that they are doing more to help with relief efforts.

Such police action is typical of the gulf that exists between what the Burmese government says in public, and what it actually does. The military junta states that it is willing to let foreign aid in, but so far has done very little in so doing.

Last Friday, Burma’s senior General, Than Shwe, stated that Burma would lift all restrictions on foreign aid agencies entering the country. This has still not happened, and there appears no set agenda as to when, or if, it will actually happen. In any regards, Burma appears to be in no hurry to allow foreign intervention.

In the meantime, the homeless in their temporary shelters across the Irrawaddy delta are being told to go home. They are reluctant to do this, as there is a strong warning of another severe cyclone in the near future.

Where they are located (Irrawaddy delta) has less chance of flooding, and also allows them to be on hand for donations from passing aid convoys. Officials, however, are more concerned that the temporary shelters are an eyesore, and have ordered the homeless back to their homes. Despite the fact that many of them have no homes, and the places where their homes were are likely to be more severely devastated by the expected further cyclone.

In the meantime, with the lack of aid, and Burma’s incapacity to help itself, the injured and displaced continue to fall victim to the ever-increasing reality of disease, and the death toll continues to rise at an ever-increasing pace.
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Homeless Youth Numbers Double In Australia

April 22nd 2008 08:37
The National Youth Commission (NYC) this month released it’s report on youth homelessness, stating that the number of youths aged 12-25 and homeless has doubled in the past twenty years. This age group now makes up one third of the total 100,000 (estimated) homeless population in Australia.

About half of all homeless youths are turned away from shelters every night, simply because there aren’t enough beds for them. Only about 14% of homeless youths actually have access to a bed on any given night.

The NYC stated that the two main reasons for homelessness amongst youths are breakdown of relationships with parents or step parents, and financial or housing difficulties.

Mental illness is also a major contributing factor. The proportion of homeless youth with mental illness is 44%, compared with 18% of the general homeless population.

Law-breaking often accompanies homelessness, with young homeless people having 10 times the contact with police as in the general population.

The NYC says that our prosperity should be able to eliminate homelessness, and the unacceptably high figures are a national disgrace. It says that unless urgent action is taken, there could be an explosion in the number of homeless youth.

The report calls for an extra $100 million in federal funding over the next three years, and at least $20 million for the next ten years after that. The estimated net benefit of early intervention in this problem is $900 million. This takes into account that it costs $70,000 per year to keep a young person in detention, and the cost of support is significantly lower. Support also leads to new contributions to the economy.

The eighty recommendations of the report include four key areas that need to be addressed: Prevention of homelessness; Early intervention; Supporting needy youth; and Stopping homelessness recurring.
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Homeless In Seattle - The Underground

April 6th 2008 04:50
Are homeless people living in undeveloped parts of Seattle’s abandoned underground city? From speaking with some of the locals, it would seem that, unpleasant as it is, some homeless do actually live in the underground city.

I did the tour (click here to see this story), and later talked to the tour guide away from the group. I noticed large holes in the walls, where there were large spaces. These spaces were full of rubble, but still seemed navigable. They also were obviously not frequented by the tours, as they looked too dangerous


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Zimbabwe's Homelessness Crisis

April 2nd 2008 05:36
It looks like Robert Mugabe's reign of terror in Zimbabwe is coming to an end. While the African leader may be departing soon (hopefully), it will take years, or even decades, to make a hole in the homelessness and economic crises he created.

The economic destruction of Zimbabwe is appalled by all around the world. A major part of the crisis is the massive homelessness situation that Mugabe created. Mugabe was ruthless. He would routinely destroy entire suburbs and townships. The infamous bulldozings of June 2005 spring to mind


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Street Person Gets Homelessness Funding Projects Started

April 1st 2008 05:59
A lot of the streeties (street people) have interesting lives and backgrounds. One such guy I met, and developed a certain respect for, was Shane S, who managed to convince Queensland Premier Peter Beattie to come up with $135 million dollars in Homelessness Projects Funding.. Shane sold the Big Issue in Brisbane. He also held a certain infamy among the streeties, for his actions in convincing Premier Beattie on this matter.

The staff at Big Issue told me the story of how, at a Big Issue rally in King George's Square, outside Brisbane Town Hall, Shane spotted the Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie. Having lived on the streets most of his life, including as a child, Shane decided to do something about it


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Homeless New Zealander Abandoned by Australia

March 28th 2008 04:25
This one is another personal experience. It highlights the problems of foreigners without resources stranded in a foreign land. This was an extreme case, but by no means isolated. It involved a foreign national who came to Australia to work, became gravely ill, and ended up on the streets because of it. The worst part was he was facing permanent blindness and eventually death, yet the government would do nothing about helping him.

At the time I met Walter (not his real name), I was working for Senator Andrew Bartlett, Deputy Leader of the Australian Democrats, in Brisbane, Australia. I researched homelessness issues and issues of marginalisation for the senator. I was also working as a journalist and welfare worker for Big Issue magazine


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Unjust Rent Increases Forcing People Onto The Street

March 26th 2008 09:56
One of the most despicable actions forcing people onto the streets are the tactics of unscrupulous real estate agents. These unconscionable people play on the fact that, with rising interest rates, many people are forced out of the homes they own. Therefore, there are now more people looking for rentals than there are rentals available. So the realtors simply put the rents up by exorbitant amounts, and if the existing tenants can’t afford it, then they are forcibly removed.

Many such tenants are long-term residents, including pensioners, who just simply can’t afford the higher rents. So where do they go, when just about all realtors are doing the same thing. Again, those that are among society’s most vulnerable, pensioners and low wage earners, are being shafted, and there seems little that is being done about it


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The New Homeless

March 24th 2008 04:39
Most people in the mainstream regard homeless people as either mentally ill, drug or alcohol dependent, or some other such degree of marginalisation. However, there seems to be more and more "average" people joining the ranks of the homeless.

I watched the early news this morning, and saw a story of a woman who, I think, is indicative of the new situations people are facing. This lady had been a police woman, then a flight attendant. She had owned her own home, ands had what many saw as a comfortable life


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The Streets Of China

March 23rd 2008 10:10
This one is a personal experience. In 2003, I lived a year in China. I was teaching English, as well as researching human rights abuses, including homelessness. Which later proved ironic, as I became one of China's homeless.

A corrupt immigration police officer claimed my visa had expired, and took my passport from me. This is in violation of international law, but apparently China doesn't subscribe to international conventions. I was told I must pay A$1,000 to get my passport back. I was given 48 hours to get the money, or I would be jailed


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