Homeless rehabilitation network

At the moment there is an AG in Sydney to help homeless people. The Metro paper stated last month that there are less than 280 people sleeping rough on the streets! This is a ridiculously low estimate and in the next year we might be able to house many more than that amount..

We aim to find spaces large enough to house a number of people at once, giving them refuge from the elements and company. More than that we will be working with them to be self-sustainable, and teaching them new skills.
People that come to the space will have the opportunity to learn skills such as cooking, gardening, carpentry, art and music, and this will be open to outsiders as well.

The idea is to help those that want it to get off the streets and living a normal sort of life, the hope is that residents will use these skills not only in their own lives but also to help start other spaces in the name of Peace, and pay it forward.

Since I was about 5 years old I have wondered why public buildings (libraries, museums) cannot house homeless people through the night. Now I am older, I wonder why offices with kitchenettes and bathroom facilities are kept empty from when the cleaners leave until the first worker arrives, but the lights are left on and in some cases 24hr security staff are employed. In many cases, communal office areas contain nothing of economic value to the company, perhaps a kettle and the lunch somebody forgot in the fridge, mismatch cutlery... could they not become overnight hostels?... say 8pm-8am, even with security if so desired. Not only would this help the homeless, but also prevents the culture of working late and strengthening social bonds by breaking down prejudices. Just an idea I had as a young child which has never really left me!

The major problem I see with homelessness is not just lack of income but a real lack of housing. Affordable housing is a rare commodity indeed! I think a long term solution has to be physically creating more places to live, as well as re-imagining the spaces we already have at our disposal. I only know personally two homeless people so perhaps I have got it all skewed. One of them is housing-challenged- he has a regular, safe place to rest his head but suffers from dependencies which prevent him from getting on in life. The other is sleeping in a disused primary school with no roof. Unfortunately the second is in a location where tropical storms soak/ blow away his possessions. He has no addictions and tries hard to work and gain income. I know them both well enough to say that neither of these people are a risk to property or other people and are good candidates for shared occupancy. In an ideal world, with support, understanding and opportunity, the first one will likely remain homeless due to their addictions, the second would be a successful businessperson within weeks. I cannot imagine what it is like to live like this, frustration, fear, coldness, hunger... and yet as far as I can tell they are relatively fortunate for homeless people. What a sad, sad world.