WE ARE WONDERING IF THE MAYOR WOULD FIND IT DISGUSTING TO VISIT SOME OF LONDON'S HOMELESS!?
Launceston mayor will pay for own trip to London after council funding rejection. Mayor Matthew Garwood will embark on a trip to London next week for an awards ceremony, footing the bill himself after being denied permission by the council to use ratepayer funds for the venture.
In October, councillors rejected Garwood’s request to fly to the other side of the globe to attend the City Nation Place Awards at a cost of $5,304, citing the current cost of living crisis.
The funds were to be drawn from the Councillor Development budget, which council officers indicated had enough money available.
INTERESTINGLY no Councillor has suggested that this $5K could be used to do something for the city's HOMELESS.
It is all very disgusting!!
IT IS DISGUSTING ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING
Everything about homelessness is disgusting along with the prejudices that those choosing to sit on their hands harbour their disgust via their in actions leading to the homeless sleeping rough in Launceston.
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EXAMINER EDITORIAL Prof David Adams
Tasmanian councils have a greater role to play in housing crisis
New housing affordability, homelessness approach needed
There seems to be general agreement that homeless and affordable housing in Tasmania has not been fixed after more than 75 years of the Commonwealth and state governments holding the reins.
Before that, housing the homeless and making housing affordable fell mainly to charitable organisations and local councils.
Maybe it's time to go back to the future in Tasmania? Indeed community organisations and councils continue to play a key role in housing, it's just that the legislative frameworks and funding are now largely under state and federal government control.
The early efforts in Launceston to house the homeless were led by groups such as the Launceston Benevolent Society who had two 'alms houses' on High Street in the 1890s. albeit for the "aged poor of the higher classes". Before that, some of the homeless men were housed in what is now the Launceston Barracks on Paterson Street.
Women were housed in the local gaol.
There are some compelling arguments to rethink the role of local government in housing, right across the continuum from a tent to secure accommodation.
Homelessness is usually very local and needs granular responses that can both focus on prevention as well as being able to support people from homelessness through transition accommodation to secure affordable housing. Much of the day-to-day interaction, especially with homeless people, is with community service agencies and councils - for example, in how bylaws are enforced and in the provision of food.
The housing continuum has many gaps in it, especially around short-medium term accommodation. This is where knowledge of local assets comes in. For example, some councils are engaged directly with the public, community and private providers in establishing tiny houses.
There are government incentives to build them in your backyard as well so long as you rent them out. A big issue is the raft of planning issues that come into play around building standards and energy supply and plumbing etc. Mostly local council issues.
Responses need to be flexible. State and Commonwealth governments are not that agile whereas local councils and community agencies can be if they choose to.
Councils through their planning responsibilities and their influence over the release of land have a big say in shaping housing form and supply. Despite the importance of homelessness and affordable housing, it is often an afterthought in the history of land use and urban planning. We only need to look at the history of Launceston suburbs such as Mayfield and Ravenswood to see this where housing was not initially supported by the right mix of commercial and other community infrastructure. Perhaps a core objective of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act should be preventing homeless, there is no mention of homelessness or affordable housing in the Act.
Often the issue is the complex organising of conversions and modifications required and someone to operate local facilities such as hostels. Again councils are often in the prime position to knit these challenges into a solution alongside community agencies - such as has been happening with the City Mission precinct in Frederick Street.
Your council or mine might not - at the moment - look like a front runner to more formally share the housing reigns but the evidence is that with proper funding, skills and authority to act they could do a better job. Indeed the City of Launceston council is already taking a lead in joining up local services for a shared voice on the issue.
There is a lot of disruption at the moment in housing. For example, in many country areas houses are being converted to short-term tourist accommodation which reduces the stock available for other uses.
Being close to the action, being agile, flexible and being empathetic with a long-term view of client pathways to affordable housing are core to solving the crisis.
Under the watch of state and Commonwealth governments, homelessness has increased and housing affordability decreased. Other countries such as the UK have devolved responsibility for homelessness back to local authorities and reconceptualised the focus from need to risk.
The focus on risk means much earlier efforts around prevention and building homelessness assessments into all policies (such as Airbnb and potential accommodation associated with all new facilities).
Tasmania seems to be searching around for a new role for local government and this ought to be in the mix. It would be a good test of the next round of the Launceston City Deal if homelessness and affordable housing could be a centrepiece of how the three levels of government could work together on a major social problem - and be the first in Australia to solve it.
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EXAMINER
It's complex, says advocate as power cut for homeless
By Emily Verdouw
Updated October 23 2024 - 6:26pm, first published 6:23pm
Authorities are being urged to address the root causes of homeless camps in Brisbane. Photo: Supplied/AAP PHOTOS
Authorities are being urged to address the root causes of homeless camps in Brisbane. Photo: Supplied/AAP PHOTOS
When power was cut off at two of Brisbane's biggest tent cities by the local council, criticism came fast from frontline services.
While the lights in the park have stayed on, power points and electric BBQs at Musgrave and Kurilpa Point park are no longer in use.
Warm food can't be cooked and phones can't be charged.
Power points and electric BBQs at Musgrave and Kurilpa Point park are no longer in use. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
But as the council reports an escalation in violence and anti-social behaviour, some advocates are reluctant to criticise the decision.
"I think the complexity of Musgrave Park is hard for the average person to understand. We're oversimplifying it all the time," says Karen Walsh, CEO of Micah Projects, a not-for-profit that works to end social injustice.
"We know the dynamic in encampments - there's relational issues, there's often illegal activity occurring that makes it unsafe for people there and in the community."
Ms Walsh said while the communication from the council was inadequate, people shouldn't get sidetracked from the real issue.
"What we need is to not really have people living in tents as the answer to homelessness or the housing crisis."
Brisbane City Council has supplied pictures that show drug use, fires and vandalism to BBQs to justify turning off the power, while also alleging there have been stabbings.
"The serious escalation of violence and anti-social behaviour in these encampments is incredibly concerning and the power has been switched off for safety reasons," City Standards Committee chair Sarah Hutton said.
Others argue switching off the power won't help the issue.
"The council want to project to the community that they're doing something without actually doing any of the hard work to actually get people into housing, or to be putting pressure on the state and federal governments to be investing enough," Greens MP Amy MacMahon said.
That investment needs to urgently go to improving safe accommodation for people waiting for long-term housing, advocates say.
And there's history in dealing with this issue, with proven pathways out.
"Fifteen years ago we had 120 tents on the river bank, 80 tents on Riverside Drive. It's not the only time in history we've dealt with it, we know it takes very strong co-ordination," Ms Walsh said.
The problem is, the conversations keep going around in circles.
"I think we've got an election interrupting things, we have different political paradigms, different points of view," she said.
Brisbane City Council has complained about drug use, fires and vandalism at the camps. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
Brisbane City Council has complained about drug use, fires and vandalism at the camps. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
Any action that has been taken has been far too slow, the Greens argue.
"Labor have been building social housing at a snail's pace," Ms MacMahon said.
"They've been selling off public housing, they've failed to do anything about skyrocketing rents and mortgages, and now they are punishing those people who are the victims of their failure to address the housing crisis."
Ms Hutton, who was elected to the Brisbane council in 2020 on a Liberal National Party ticket, accused the Greens of being soft on crime and "routinely opposing" the construction of new homes.
For the residents of the parks, the power remains off with uncertainty as to how and when they'll be able to move on.
Australian Associated Press
By Emily Verdouw
Updated October 23 2024 - 6:26pm, first published 6:23pm
Authorities are being urged to address the root causes of homeless camps in Brisbane. Photo: Supplied/AAP PHOTOS
Authorities are being urged to address the root causes of homeless camps in Brisbane. Photo: Supplied/AAP PHOTOS
When power was cut off at two of Brisbane's biggest tent cities by the local council, criticism came fast from frontline services.
While the lights in the park have stayed on, power points and electric BBQs at Musgrave and Kurilpa Point park are no longer in use.
Warm food can't be cooked and phones can't be charged.
Power points and electric BBQs at Musgrave and Kurilpa Point park are no longer in use. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
But as the council reports an escalation in violence and anti-social behaviour, some advocates are reluctant to criticise the decision.
"I think the complexity of Musgrave Park is hard for the average person to understand. We're oversimplifying it all the time," says Karen Walsh, CEO of Micah Projects, a not-for-profit that works to end social injustice.
"We know the dynamic in encampments - there's relational issues, there's often illegal activity occurring that makes it unsafe for people there and in the community."
Ms Walsh said while the communication from the council was inadequate, people shouldn't get sidetracked from the real issue.
"What we need is to not really have people living in tents as the answer to homelessness or the housing crisis."
Brisbane City Council has supplied pictures that show drug use, fires and vandalism to BBQs to justify turning off the power, while also alleging there have been stabbings.
"The serious escalation of violence and anti-social behaviour in these encampments is incredibly concerning and the power has been switched off for safety reasons," City Standards Committee chair Sarah Hutton said.
Others argue switching off the power won't help the issue.
"The council want to project to the community that they're doing something without actually doing any of the hard work to actually get people into housing, or to be putting pressure on the state and federal governments to be investing enough," Greens MP Amy MacMahon said.
That investment needs to urgently go to improving safe accommodation for people waiting for long-term housing, advocates say.
And there's history in dealing with this issue, with proven pathways out.
"Fifteen years ago we had 120 tents on the river bank, 80 tents on Riverside Drive. It's not the only time in history we've dealt with it, we know it takes very strong co-ordination," Ms Walsh said.
The problem is, the conversations keep going around in circles.
"I think we've got an election interrupting things, we have different political paradigms, different points of view," she said.
Brisbane City Council has complained about drug use, fires and vandalism at the camps. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
Brisbane City Council has complained about drug use, fires and vandalism at the camps. (Supplied/AAP PHOTOS)
Any action that has been taken has been far too slow, the Greens argue.
"Labor have been building social housing at a snail's pace," Ms MacMahon said.
"They've been selling off public housing, they've failed to do anything about skyrocketing rents and mortgages, and now they are punishing those people who are the victims of their failure to address the housing crisis."
Ms Hutton, who was elected to the Brisbane council in 2020 on a Liberal National Party ticket, accused the Greens of being soft on crime and "routinely opposing" the construction of new homes.
For the residents of the parks, the power remains off with uncertainty as to how and when they'll be able to move on.
Australian Associated Press
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