The homeless
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
16 Mar 2003
The homeless are more numerous and they are much younger than they used to be. Some are in their twenties. This reflects continuing problems from alcohol and drugs and is also affected for the worse by marriage breakdown and youth unemployment. When all these factors affect the same individual and a bit of criminality is thrown in, then we have the stuff of regular tragedy.
In the mid 1980's the NSW government de-institutionalised the mental health facilities in our state. The Richmond Report recommended that those with mental illnesses should be supported in the local community rather than in institutions.
The large mental hospitals at Parramatta, Gladesville and Rozelle stopped admitting permanent patients and provide now only crisis intervention for those judged a danger to themselves or others.
This reform was long overdue and liberated a good number of patients from what was a well intentioned form of slavery. The significant financial savings to the government from the closure of these facilities were supposed to flow into provision of community health services. However this did not happen in the way that Mr. David Richmond proposed.
Area Health Services now do not have enough staff and facilities to cope with the mental health patients living in the community. There is no adequate mechanism for tracking such patients to ensure proper accommodation and medication.
Some live at home with their families, sometimes causing enormous problems for other family members. Others reside in poorly-run boarding houses in the inner city. Some are exploited there and soon join the large number living on the streets.
St. Mary's Cathedral is close to a lot of this misery. The homeless are a regular feature of life for those of us who live near the Domain and Hyde Park.
There are about 880 beds for overnight stays in the inner-city refuges run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Sydney City Mission and the Salvation Army.
The needs of the homeless are as pressing as they have always been, but we need to devise new ways of restoring their dignity and confidence.
The provision of basic material assistance, while important, is not the only answer to the difficulties that are experienced by the homeless in the inner city.
The refuges are stretched to the limit to provide even food for these homeless, although facilities at the Uniting Church, Ashfield and St. Canice's Kitchen at Elizabeth Bay parish do give good daily meals. But none of these has the capacity to provide proper medical help, much less detoxification services.
An advanced society like ours should be doing better. Only the government, with help from the rest of us, has the capacity to effect substantial improvements.
