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How one homeless man turned $5 into $106k

A New Zealand man's life has turned upside down after his small wager turned into a big win. Robert, who has been living in a garage for the last nine months, was pleasantly surprised when he noticed five extra zeros next to his account balance the day after the Melbourne Cup. It tuned out that he had remarkably won NZ$106,000 ($97,781.29 AUD) from a $5 bet on the $8.4 million Cup, which was won by Without A Fight. “It was quite an emotional process, mate,” Robert told the NZ Herald. “I couldn’t believe it, and I thought to myself, ‘there must be something wrong here’.” Robert, had placed the bet the day before the race at the Petone Working Men’s Club, and to his surprise found a green tick next to his first four Easybets. Now, he intends to use the money to improve his life. “I’ve gone from being homeless, sitting in a garage to finally being able to afford a deposit on a house now,” he said. This is the first time in 22 years that a horse has won both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double. Due to privacy reasons the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB) is unable to disclose further information on the wager. Image: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

Money & Banking

"Ended for good": Prince William launches project inspired by Lady Di

Prince William has launched his most ambitious project to date, announcing his plan to end homelessness in the UK within five short years. The Prince of Wales set out to visit six areas in the UK that experience different types of homelessness with a distinct set of challenges, outlining a detailed plan to see homelessness eradicated. On his two-day tour, the 41-year-old royal shared that his late mother, Princess Diana, was a big inspiration behind the project, after she helped open William's eyes to the nation-wide problem. In the south London borough of Lambeth, Prince William described how he was inspired by "heart-breaking" visits to shelters he made with his mother as a child. "My first visit to a homelessness shelter was when I was 11 with my mother," he told the Mosaic Clubhouse, which supports people with mental health problems. "The visits we made, left a deep and lasting impression." "I met so many extraordinary people and listened to so many heart-breaking personal stories. Too many people have found themselves without a stable and permanent place to call home." "Through these visits, I have seen first-hand the breadth and complexities of homelessness." William said he hoped the Homewards program would "inspire belief throughout the UK and beyond that homelessness can be ended for good". Prince William's Homewards program focuses on preventing homelessness before it begins, bringing together all organisations working in the sector to create solutions that target local challenges. The launch of the project, which was two years in the making, comes days before what would have been Diana's 62nd birthday on July 1st. A major focus of Homewards will be on providing homes to those who need them. "I am pleased to stand here today at the start of our path to ending homelessness," he said. "Over the next five years, I believe that we have a unique opportunity to develop innovative new solutions and scale tangible impact. This will inspire belief throughout the UK – and beyond – that homelessness can be ended for good." Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

“Incredibly gifted”: Homeless man stuns with piano talents

A homeless man who sleeps in his car has amazed onlookers with his “incredible” piano talent. Shane has been taking to the piano every day and night in a pedestrian tunnel underneath the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in South Brisbane. The “incredibly gifted” man has drawn attention from listeners for his musical talents, despite never having any lessons, and never owning a piano. “I was just walking past and had to stop, absolutely amazing - it blows me away to be honest,” a man walking past told <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">7News</a>. “One of the best piano players I have ever seen,” another onlooker said. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crsn-qCp-Ue/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Queensland (@7newsqueensland)</a> </div> </blockquote> Shane said playing the piano has a therapeutic effect on him, and helps him escape his harsh reality of living in his car a few streets away from the theatre. “It takes me to a place out of reality, away from beyond whatever is around us. I can hear an orchestra in my head, the piano plays me rather than I play the piano,” he said. Shane doesn't know how to read music, or know any of the names of the keys, but couldn’t help being drawn to the instrument that is available for public use. After hearing the sound of a piano coming from a local ballet school in the area when he was a child, he has been enamoured by the piano and dreams of performing with others one day. Shane’s talents have gone viral online, with commenters being “gobsmacked” over the man’s “beautiful music”. “Wow! So incredibly gifted. I hope he gets his dream of playing with others,” one impressed viewer said. “We need more stories like this. What a remarkable man,” another wrote. “I hope someone can help this man, he needs a job in a restaurant playing nice music and getting well paid so he can rent a place to live and a happy life,” a third said. Image credits: 7News

Music

If cities don’t want homeless encampments they should help people, not punish them

This summer, homeless encampments in cities such as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tents-structures-downtown-eastside-vancouver-removal-1.6545853" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vancouver</a> and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-14/in-a-vacant-lot-in-watts-a-homeless-camp-gets-swept-away-by-l-a-along-with-the-brush" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> and <a href="https://www.coastreporter.net/in-the-community/homeless-camp-on-toredo-street-dismantled-police-report-5325829" target="_blank" rel="noopener">others</a> were dismantled. The reasons varied. In Vancouver, it was fire hazard concerns on Hastings Street, a major artery in the Downtown Eastside, where the encampment had sprung up over several blocks. In Los Angeles, the encampment was on city-owned land intended for other uses. There, officials have gone even further to curtail encampments, with the city council <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/tension-boil-at-la-city-council-meeting-over-controversial-homeless-encampment-ban/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approving a ban</a> on homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools and daycare centres. Encampments of those experiencing homelessness have become a fixture in large cities as well as smaller communities. It should not be surprising that people who are unsheltered seek out the relative security, community and resources encampments can provide. Yet, the ineffective, and often punitive, responses by various levels of government are alarming. These policy failures are most evident in the troubling encampment evictions occurring across North America. More than <a href="https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/how-many-people-are-homeless-canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">235,000 people are estimated to be homeless in Canada</a>. In addition to these visibly homeless, another <a href="https://www.acto.ca/production/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Factsheet-4-Homelessness-in-Canada-and-Ontario2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">450,000 to 900,000 are among the “hidden” homeless</a>: those staying with family and friends because they have nowhere to live. Policing not the answer <a href="https://www.canadahousingcrisis.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our country has a housing crisis</a>. Homelessness results from a severe shortage of affordable housing, poverty and insufficient support services. For people who end up homeless, it is a tortuous and difficult route. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488929/original/file-20221010-58630-5we8hv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A group of people stand in front of a brown building carrying a banner that reads: where are we supposed to go?" /></a><figcaption>A woman addresses the crowd during a protest against Vancouver’s removal of a homeless encampment on the sidewalks in the Downtown Eastside, August 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</figcaption></figure> For many, their path to living on the streets starts with childhood trauma, mental health issues and substance misuse. For others, in low paying jobs with no savings or family support, they can be one pay cheque away from homelessness. Regardless of how they end up homeless, people deserve to be treated with dignity and understanding. Instead, shockingly, police have been carting away belongings from encampments, leaving people with few options of where to stay, other than another street or park. Even worse, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tents-structures-downtown-eastside-vancouver-removal-1.6545853" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evictions have turned violent</a>. Los Angeles is not the only city that has tried to enforce bans on people sleeping in public space with so-called vagrancy by-laws. When Victoria tried to enforce city by-laws to that effect in 2005, homeless people took the city to court. The B.C. Supreme Court sided with the unhoused people, <a href="https://commons.allard.ubc.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1358&context=fac_pubs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying that it was an infringement of their rights</a>. A similar court decision occurred in 2021 when residents of a <a href="https://nst.ca/win-for-homeless-residents-of-crab-park-vancouver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CRAB Park encampment</a> in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside challenged an injunction by the Vancouver Parks Board forcing an eviction. Elsewhere in British Columbia, the city of Prince George was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prince-george-apologizes-homeless-1.6396206" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced to apologize</a> for the trauma it caused by destroying part of an encampment even though a judge ruled that the encampment must remain because there is not enough adequate accessible housing in the city to justify its closure. Dismantling encampments has a dire impact on people’s lives. It severs social relationships, causes stress, and increases fear and distrust of authorities. It dehumanizes unhoused populations even more. Long-term solutions needed It is clear that dismantling encampments is not the answer. Some people, even if they have been provided with shelter, will opt for encampments. In other cases, which occurred in Vancouver this summer, there was no shelters or other housing available. And in previous encampment evictions, some residents were offered <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/majority-people-moved-strathcona-park-1.6009673" target="_blank" rel="noopener">substandard SRO housing</a>, the same kind of housing some were fleeing when they opted for living on the streets. By-laws and practices which target activities like sleeping on streets, parks or in cars and panhandling <a href="https://www.nlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Overview-of-Homeless-Encampments-Brief.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criminalize individuals</a>. And the consequences of criminalizing homelessness disproportionately falls on racialized people. Marginalized communities often face discrimination in accessing housing and other services which is compounded if they have a criminal record due to homelessness. <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220314/dq220314b-eng.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ten per cent of the off-reserve First Nation and Inuit populations</a> have experienced homelessness in Canada. In 2020, the last year that a <a href="https://council.vancouver.ca/20201007/documents/pspc1presentation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">homeless count was conducted in Vancouver</a>, 39 per cent of the city’s homeless population was Indigenous even though they comprise two per cent of the total population. People who identified as Black, Hispanic and Arab were also significantly over-represented compared to their percentage of the general population. As the federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle said in a September visit to Vancouver’s homeless encampments, “<a href="https://thetyee.ca/News/2022/09/08/Housing-System-Failed-Everyone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the housing system has failed everyone there</a>.” Homeless encampments have become a last resort because of lack of better housing alternatives. The <a href="https://www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/en/resources/unsafe-conditions-people-experiencing-homelessness-a-pressing-human-rights-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shelter system</a> is overcrowded and too restrictive for many people. But sanctioning encampments should not be the only solution. Encampments can be unsafe and dangerous places, and provide little opportunity for moving out of homelessness. We need a holistic approach to ending homelessness that addresses the reasons for homelessness. For those who fall into homelessness out of economic necessity we need more plentiful affordable rental housing, rental assistance and stronger rent controls to ensure that renters’ rights are upheld. For those struggling with multiple health and substance issues, we need more <a href="https://www.homelesshub.ca/solutions/transitional-housing/permanent-supportivesupported-housing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supportive housing</a>. For Indigenous people experiencing homelessness we need more, better funded, and culturally appropriate housing and services. For those ending up in encampments we need to ensure, at the very least, that their <a href="https://www.make-the-shift.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/A-National-Protocol-for-Homeless-Encampments-in-Canada.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rights are upheld</a>. Homeless encampments are not going to go away any time soon. The federal government has already declared housing to be a human right. We must work to end homelessness now.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192133/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #ffffff;">Written by Penny Gurstein. Republished with permission of <a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #258440; text-decoration-line: none; background-color: transparent; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;" href="https://theconversation.com/if-cities-dont-want-homeless-encampments-they-should-help-people-not-punish-them-192133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; background-color: #ffffff;">Image: Getty Images

Real Estate

"Getting onto the wait list is a battle in itself": insiders on what it takes to get social housing

Social housing has become extremely difficult to access; in 2021 around <a href="https://cityfutures.ada.unsw.edu.au/documents/685/Waithood_paper.pdf">160,000 households</a> were on the waiting list. To have any chance of getting a social housing spot in a reasonable time frame, applicants must be on the priority waiting list; people on the general waiting list <a href="https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/help/applying-assistance/expected-waiting-times">may never get social housing</a>. However, to get on the priority list, applicants need to <ul> <li>have complex needs</li> <li>not be in a position to rent privately and</li> <li>be in danger <a href="https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/help/applying-assistance/waiting-times">of becoming homeless</a></li> <li>show they have tried to find private rental accommodation.</li> </ul> In short, they have to prove they are massively disadvantaged. To find out more, we interviewed 43 people involved in the social housing application process in NSW, Tasmania and Queensland. This included assessment workers, support workers and government staff. Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14036096.2022.2085169">study</a>, published in the journal Housing, Theory and Society, found an applicant’s chances of getting on the priority waiting list are much greater if they have help from advocates who know what arguments to make and how. Success can depend on whether advocates can invest a significant amount of emotional effort to help the applicant and connect them to professionals who can track down supporting documentation. <h2>‘An overwhelming process’</h2> The application form for social housing is demanding. In NSW it requires answering 31 questions and – depending on the applicant’s situation – up to 18 supporting documents. Completing the form optimally requires a fair amount of literacy and “cultural capital” – things such as presenting and speaking “well” or being able to draw on the benefits of a good education. Claire (all names used are pseudonyms), a NSW community housing provider worker, said even understanding the application form is challenging, "I think sometimes it’s the interpretation of what is actually required. What are they asking in this question? And if you don’t have the context of why that question is being asked, sometimes it can be very difficult to know how much information to put [in]. Do I just skip it or […] what do I do with that [question], or what does that even mean?" Jess, an assessment team manager in Tasmania, said, "… [the] majority would need assistance and do get help from supports, family and advocates, as it is onerous. Also literacy, language interpretation would be an issue, especially for lower socio-economic cohorts." James, an assessment worker in NSW, said some applicants simply abandon the process, "It’s really an overwhelming process […] Sometimes people will say, “You know […] this is too much. Forget about it.” Marie, a Queensland homelessness worker, said, "It’s more common that they won’t know how to do the process, and so I’ll go through it with them. I assist them with identifying well-being barriers, complete the application with them, get it, and then when it’s approved, also do community housing applications with them if they wish." <h2>The challenge of gathering ‘evidence’</h2> Producing evidence of clients’ vulnerabilities is potentially challenging. Karim, a homelessness support worker in Queensland, said, "So, getting onto the wait list, that is a battle in itself, right? [Part of that is] getting people document ready […] So, say someone is on the streets, we know they are very, very unwell, but they don’t have documents to prove that. We have done the housing application, it’s gone to department of housing and they’re waiting for further information, because this person’s checked that they have chronic health issues. So [the department] want medical documents or confidential medical report from the GP. This person does not have a GP. What do we do? We try and link them in with the GP, take them there […]" Lots of people, their stuff’s stolen. They’re more worried about where the next meal is coming from instead of worrying about IDs. So getting ID documents, medical documents to go along with the housing application, to get it approved, is the first battle." Susan, a women’s refuge worker in Sydney, said, "Every question has […] evidence requirements […] and they have to gather all of that and you know obviously just gathering all of that is a challenge […] But that’s definitely something that we support them with; to get all the support letters and stuff in order." In Queensland and NSW, an applicant who needs social housing because they are fleeing domestic violence needs to provide substantiation. Susan told us, "The types of documents people would have to collect for this question are copies of AVOs (apprehended violence orders), police event numbers, doctor reports (GP or psychiatrist), support letters from social services. So, as you can imagine, these are quite onerous as many people don’t report to police or perhaps their doctor doesn’t record the injuries as resulting from violence. On top of that, if they’ve just experienced violence they might not feel like running around." <h2>Emotional capital: care, empathy and compassion</h2> Working with vulnerable people requires empathy and compassion. Avril, an assessment worker in Tasmania, said, "So much of it is about rapport. These people who are often really sick of systems, really sick of them and they don’t want to divulge their entire life to someone that they’ve just met once. They don’t want to sit still in a small room for an hour and a half." "What we’ve found is that by having Pat, she’s our specialist rough sleeper front door worker, [and] is based in services that they know and frequent. She’s known to them and they do tend to [open up] bit by bit." Jill, an ex-manager in a community housing provider in NSW, explained, "Also refugees or people who are trauma, torture survivors, DFV (domestic and family violence) survivors […] experience additional layers and complexities in applying." "Whilst the system aims to only ask a client to tell their story once and not multiple times, this is not always possible. So it adds further challenges to these applicants and brings up the trauma again, especially if not handled well by untrained staff." Applying for social housing is fraught, onerous and competitive; applicants have to “prove” their vulnerability is greater than others. Assistance from skilled advocates clearly helps get you on the priority wait list, which begs the question: what hope do others have? Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-onto-the-wait-list-is-a-battle-in-itself-insiders-on-what-it-takes-to-get-social-housing-184838" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Real Estate

Homelessness is common for teens leaving out-of-home-care. We need to extend care until they are at least 21

Young people transitioning from out-of-home care – whether it’s foster, kinship or residential care – are disadvantaged in many ways. Many have experienced abuse, neglect, family hardship or illness. They may feel long-term grief due to family separation. And while some enjoy stable placements with committed foster or kinship carers, others – particularly those in residential care, supervised by rostered staff – may experience instability as friends or support workers come and go. Most exit the out-of-home care system at 18, or younger, without ongoing support. Unfortunately, however, many such young people quickly encounter homelessness, unemployment and contact with the criminal justice system soon after leaving out-of-home care. Instead of leaving these people to fend for themselves at age 18 (or younger), we need a nationally consistent model of extended care that supports care leavers until age 21. A tough transition A 2021 study by <a href="https://create.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CREATE-Post-Care-Report-2021-LR.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the CREATE Foundation</a> (which represents young people who have experienced out-of-home care) found homelessness was common among people exiting the system. Almost 100 of the 325 sampled care leavers aged 18-25 experienced homelessness in the first year after their transition. Another <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/314424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> found: <blockquote> More than half the 1,848 Victorian care leavers in this study (using data from leavers during 2013 and 2014) accessed homelessness services in the four years after leaving care, while one in three had multiple homeless experiences. Participants with experiences of residential care and multiple foster care placements were more likely to experience housing disruptions. </blockquote> <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/incomesupport-receipt-oohc/summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Another national study</a> noted care leavers were three times as likely as other young Australians to have received social security payments. Of course, many care leavers <a href="http://createyourfuture.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Stein-M.-ResearchReview.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do integrate effectively</a> into the social and economic mainstream. Some have difficult lives but still manage to cope, while others struggle to overcome adversity and social exclusion. In general, those who achieve successful transitions tend to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cfs.12473" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leave care later</a> than 18 years of age and receive ongoing support well into their twenties from, for example <ul> <li> foster or kinship carers </li> <li> extended family members </li> <li> formal mentors or neighbours </li> <li> friends </li> <li> members of sporting, religious, cultural and other community groups. </li> </ul> These supportive relationships, which mirror the assistance that most of their non-care peers naturally access from their parents, provide the social capital needed to acquire housing, food, clothing, a driver’s licence and entry into sustainable education, employment and training. According to <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/314424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one young person</a> who remained with their foster family in Victoria beyond 18 years: <blockquote> I was in the same home for 11 years, they were like my parents so they didn’t kick me out or anything. It wasn’t like I was in their care; I was like a part of the family. </blockquote> Conversely, those who experience troubled transitions from out-of-home care may experience social isolation, emotional adversity and hardship. <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/314424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One young person from Victoria</a> who was suddenly forced to leave care commented: <blockquote> I mean if you have a kid, you’re not going to kick him out as soon as they turn 16. You’re not going to, you know, tell your kid that ‘oh you have to find your own way to learn how to drive or anything’. You’re going to take them by the hand, you’re going to help them with each of these things. Even after your kid’s left, you’re still going to, you know, check up on them, you’re going to go there make sure they’re eating properly, cleaning the place properly. I had no idea how to clean anything. </blockquote> Young people who have harder transitions often include those in <a href="https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2019/12/13/1378567/from-care-to-custody-the-tragic-trajectory-of-crossover-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">youth justice custody</a> when they turn 18 years of age, some <a href="https://www.aracy.org.au/publications-resources/command/download_file/id/465/filename/ARACY_Showing_the_Light_FINAL_20220302.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">young parents</a>, those who have a major <a href="https://daneshyari.com/article/preview/346111.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cognitive disability</a> or <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/314424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poor mental health</a> and <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/307306" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some Indigenous young people</a> who have been prevented from forming a connection with their culture, identity and community. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/459038/original/file-20220421-18-yi1uh7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Those who experience troubled transitions from out-of-home care may experience social isolation, emotional adversity and hardship. Shutterstock</figcaption></figure> Extended care as an early intervention strategy The best way to boost the life chances of all care leavers is to introduce a nationally consistent model of extended out-of-home care from 18 to 21 years. This is the model advocated by the <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Home Stretch campaign</a> led by Anglicare Victoria. Evidence from evaluations of extended care programs in the <a href="https://www.chapinhall.org/research/calyouth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> and <a href="https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/report/Evaluation_of_the_Staying_Put_18_Plus_Family_Placement_Programme_final_report/9580109" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UK</a> confirms providing support until age 21 can improve outcomes for care leavers. As of April 2022, the Home Stretch model has informed the introduction of major extended care safety nets in <a href="https://www.celcis.org/application/files/5716/2263/3274/2021_Vol_20_No_1_Mendes_P_Extending_out-of-home_care_in_the_State_of_Victoria_Australia.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six out of Australia’s eight</a> states and territories. <ul> <li> <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/news/the-most-significant-reform-to-child-welfare-in-a-generation-victorian-government-leads-nation-in-announcing-universal-care-for-young-people-to-the-age-of-21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victoria</a> and <a href="https://www.ourstatebudget.wa.gov.au/2021-22/fact-sheets/communities.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Western Australia</a> offer support to young people leaving all forms of out-of-home care until age 21 </li> <li> <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/news/foster-care-payments-to-be-extended-until-age-21-by-new-sa-liberal-government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Australia</a>, <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/news/first-state-government-extend-care-21-years-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tasmania</a> and the <a href="https://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/ocyfs/children/child-and-youth-protection-services/a-step-up-for-our-kids/out-of-home-care-strategy-2015-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Capital Territory</a> fund an allowance to foster and kinship carers only until age 21. South Australia has introduced a <a href="https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/news/dcp-news/young-people-leaving-residential-care-to-be-better-supported-with-next-steps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trial program</a> for residential care leavers in February 2022 - but it is only funded for two years to support 20 young people </li> <li> <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/community/caring-child/foster-kinship-care/information-for-carers/money-matters/carer-allowances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland</a> offers the same assistance only until 19 years </li> <li> the <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/news/push-to-lift-nt-foster-care-age-to-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Territory</a> has promised to legislate universal extended care soon </li> <li> <a href="https://thehomestretch.org.au/news/nsw-lags-nationally-on-caring-for-most-vulnerable-young-people-as-victoria-surges-ahead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New South Wales</a> is the outlier in currently providing no form of extended care. </li> </ul> No state or territory allows young people living in residential care to remain in their existing homes beyond 18 years of age. Nor have any of them introduced <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/931987/Staying_Close_Break.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Staying Close</a> programs similar to those trialled in the UK, whereby residential care leavers are supported to live close to their former accommodation and maintain existing relationships with their former carers and support networks. The federal government, via the recently updated <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/families-and-children/programs-services/protecting-australias-children" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children</a>, should establish a nationally consistent model of extended care that would universally assist all care leavers until age 21.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181167/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/phillip-mendes-101820" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phillip Mendes</a>, Professor, Director Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/homelessness-is-common-for-teens-leaving-out-of-home-care-we-need-to-extend-care-until-they-are-at-least-21-181167" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Caring

Rental crisis forces family of five to live in their car

A Queensland family has been forced to live in their car as they struggle to secure a place to live amid the ongoing rental property crisis, per <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-housing-rental-crisis-family-five-forced-live-in-car/14e0dae6-786a-44bf-a507-15ea5e464d05" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a>. Shikera Maher of Ipswich, a mother of five, said she had applied for over 300 properties since her lease ended in July last year, and has been rejected by every single one. Since July, she and her family have been living in their car and travelling from park to park. They use a friend’s home to shower and sink hundreds of dollars into fuel each week to run the air conditioning overnight as they try to stay cool. “The two 15-year-olds and 13-year-old, the 18-year-old, sleep in the passenger side and I sleep in the driver’s side,” Ms Maher said. “I just want a house. “I just want my kids to have stability back.” Ms Maher said she hadn’t been blacklisted as a tenant and can afford to pay rent, and the only thing preventing her from finding a place to stay has been the low availability of properties. “There are a few houses where we have even offered more rent,” she said. “I’ve even written to (Queensland Premier) Annastacia [Palaszczuk] and said, like, do something.” Tannayah, Ms Maher’s daughter, said she “would die” for a house to call home. “Just any house really,” she said. In Ipswich, the rental vacancy rate is currently sitting at just 0.9 percent, and low rental availability has become a particularly pressing issue in the state’s south-east following the recent floods. Ipswich property manager Jaimee Julian said the rental crisis was “out of control” and has resulted in people being willing to pay more just to secure a home. “Insurance companies are willing to pay the six-month rent for tenants,” she said. Stories like Ms Maher’s come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the best solution for renters was to “help them buy a house” following the Federal Budget reveal. Meanwhile, Ms Maher’s application for social housing has been approved, though she continues to search for a rental property while she remains on the waitlist. Ms Maher warned others that becoming homeless was more of a real threat than many realised, admitting that she never expected she would become homeless. “Don’t ever say that (it won’t happen) because the housing in Queensland at the moment is shocking.” Image: Nine

Real Estate

Family left homeless after 227 rejected rental applications

A family of five from Adelaide have been left homeless after being rejected for over 200 rental applications over the span of 18 months. In October 2020, Hayden Coonan, 39, his partner Aimee Kent, 34, and their three young children moved into a home in the south of Adelaide. As soon as they moved in, Hayden and Aimee began looking for another rental, due to the home’s state of disrepair. “It wasn’t long until we started having problems with the house — gas was off, no hot water, burst water pipes,” Mr Coonan told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/renting/adelaide-family-homeless-after-227-applications-for-rental-vacancies-rejected-in-16-months/news-story/ab84488f3e3b4e89d193305aa4bd7f8b">news.com.au</a>. Despite the couple having a dual income and a spotless rental history, they were knocked back on countless rental applications. “We’ve kept on looking, not getting anywhere, there’s no rhyme or reason [to the rejections],” he added. “You never anticipate it taking this long. It just dragged on and on.” The couple and their kids were evicted from their property recently on the basis of a no reason termination, although the couple suspect the property’s need for major maintenance could explain the sudden eviction. Now, Hayden, Aimee and their kids are homeless. The family are unable to live in their car or a potential caravan, as their two eldest children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, while the youngest child has a degenerative physical disability. For now, they are staying with Aimee’s mother while they work out a plan. “We’re there for now. It’s a three-bedroom house, there’s eight of us there,” Mr Coonan said. While applying for properties, Hayden noted that they were often given “glowing references” by a real estate agent, and still got knocked back on a lease. In addition to this, homes would often be leased for much higher than the asking price. “There are properties being advertised for $380 [which is in their price range], they eventually go for $480,” he recalled. As they continue to apply for rental properties, Mr Coonan and Ms Kent have been placed on a high priority list for social housing. Image credits: news.com.au

Real Estate

We identified who’s most at risk of homelessness and where they are. Now we must act, before it’s too late

Homelessness is traumatic. It affects not just housing arrangements but whether or not someone can get enough food, feel safe and maintain relationships with friends and family. The physical and mental health effects often persist long after people are rehoused, and the community and government costs are high. Much of the current response to homelessness is focused on supporting people after they become homeless or just before they do so. However, to really reduce homelessness we need to prevent those at risk from ever becoming homeless in the first place. It’s akin to turning off a tap at the source to prevent a flood downstream. Our <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/370">recent research</a>, published by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, gives critical insights into how we can do that. <h2>Who is at risk of homelessness?</h2> In our study, people were considered at risk of homelessness if they lived in rental housing and were experiencing at least two of the following: <ul> <li> low income </li> <li> vulnerability to discrimination in the housing or job markets </li> <li> low social resources and supports </li> <li> needing support to access or maintain a living situation due to significant ill health, disability, mental health issues or problematic alcohol and/or drug use </li> <li> rental stress (when lower-income households put more than 30% of income towards housing costs). </li> </ul> From here, it often doesn’t take much to tip those at risk into actual homelessness. To estimate the number, profile and geography of the Australian population at risk of homelessness we combined data from two sources: the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey and the 2016 Census. We estimated the size of the population at risk at the national and also small area (SA2/suburb) level. We found between 8.5% and 11.7% of the total population aged 15 years and over were at risk of homelessness. This equates to between 1.5 and 2 million people. These numbers are large but shouldn’t be surprising. In the nine years between July 2011 and July 2020, some 1.3 million people received assistance from <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/hou/322/specialist-homelessness-services-annual-report/contents/clients-services-and-outcomes">specialist homelessness ervices</a> (agencies that provide support to people experiencing homelessness). <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433855/original/file-20211125-15-11q1b9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433855/original/file-20211125-15-11q1b9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="A woman and her child ponder some bills." /></a> It often doesn’t take much to tip those at risk into actual homelessness. Shutterstock <h2>Who’s at risk of homelessness?</h2> Compared to the national population, those at risk of homelessness are more likely to be: <ul> <li> female </li> <li> Indigenous </li> <li> living in a lone-person or lone-parent household </li> <li> low income </li> <li> unemployed or outside the labour force </li> <li> in receipt of income support payments. </li> </ul> They are more likely to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and report fair or poor health. Those at risk have lower levels of education and are more likely to report difficulty paying bills and rent on time. They are also more likely to experience rental stress and forms of material deprivation such as skipping meals and being unable to heat their home. A third have children in their care. <h2>Where are they?</h2> The highest rates (per head of population) of homelessness risk are typically found in remote areas and small pockets of capital cities. However, the greatest numbers of people at risk of homelessness are located in capital cities on the eastern coast of Australia. These high numbers extend well beyond inner city areas and into the suburbs. In several states (Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia), high rates of homelessness risk are spread across greater capital cities and regional areas. In Victoria, however, risk is concentrated in Greater Melbourne. And in the Northern Territory, risk is highly concentrated in remote areas. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433804/original/file-20211124-13-1fx0pyo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> Risk of homelessness (rate per 10,000 people), unit-level SA3 estimates. Batterham et al, 2021 <h2>Preventing homelessness in Australia</h2> Our findings suggest Australia urgently needs more rental housing specifically targeted to those on low incomes and at risk of homelessness. Our fine-grain data on homelessness risk can help state and territory governments, as well as local governments, decide where this housing will be most effective to reduce homelessness risk. Australia also needs more <a href="https://www.launchhousing.org.au/housingsupport/private-rental-support">private rental access programs</a>, which provide ongoing subsidies and financial help with rent arrears to people at risk of homelessness. They also provide advocacy help in negotiations with landlords. Given Indigenous Australians are over represented in the at-risk and homeless populations, especially in remote areas, we need targeted support developed in consultation with Indigenous communities. Those living with a disability or reporting fair or poor health are particularly vulnerable. There is a clear role for state and territory governments in ensuring access to health and disability supports, especially for those on low incomes. Key priorities for the federal government and agencies include: <ul> <li> increasing the levels of income support payments and <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/housing-support/programmes-services/commonwealth-rent-assistance">Commonwealth Rent Assistance</a> </li> <li> increasing the wages for the lowest paid workers; </li> <li> increasing funding for the construction of social and affordable housing, and; </li> <li> playing a coordinating role in primary prevention policy through a national housing and homelessness strategy. </li> </ul> The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted homelessness can be closer than many think – especially after sudden loss of employment or a health crisis. Now we know who is at risk of homelessness and where they are, it’s time for governments to act.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172501/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deb-batterham-426113">Deb Batterham</a>, Post doctoral research fellow, Launch Housing and Centre for Urban Transitions, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christian-a-nygaard-897633">Christian A. Nygaard</a>, Associate Professor in Social Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jacqueline-de-vries-1293856">Jacqueline De Vries</a>, Project Manager and Data Analyst, Institute for Social Change, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/margaret-reynolds-324336">Margaret Reynolds</a>, Researcher, Centre for Urban Transitions, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-identified-whos-most-at-risk-of-homelessness-and-where-they-are-now-we-must-act-before-its-too-late-172501">original article</a>. Image: Shuttershock

Home Hints & Tips

“MY HOUSE NOT YOURS”: Paul Hogan fires up on homeless

Fed up with the homelessness crisis in his neighbourhood, Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan has shown he is fed up. Photographs surfaced this week of the 81-year-old penning a letter he reportedly placed outside of his LA home as a message to the homeless, telling them to go away. New photos show Hogan in a mask as he stepped outside to write a note reading, “THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS”. The actor reportedly lives at his Venice Beach property with his 22-year-old son, Chance. In the photos, Hogan allegedly penned the letter with a red marker and underlined “MY HOUSE” in the message, stuck to a pole next to his garage door. His neighbour Tyler Proctor, who is a local politician according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9594375/Paul-Hogan-sends-stern-message-homeless-outside-mansion.html">Daily Mail</a>, spoke recently about the homelessness crisis and referred to the area where Hogan’s home is located as “hell on earth”. “His house is like a fortress and it needs to be. I can see why [he] wants to move out,” Proctor told the outlet. Though the star has been living in the United States since 2005, he <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/paul-hogan-s-homesick-plea-falls-on-deaf-ears">recently appeared on Sunrise</a> and admitted he wanted to return to Australia but didn’t want to go through hotel quarantine. Image credit: YouTube

News

Prince William’s heartwarming gesture to a homeless man

Prince William has made a vow to a rough sleeper after hearing that his friend accidentally lost his false leg. The Duke of Cambridge visited The Beacon Project, which provides support to the homeless and vulnerable, in Nottinghamshire on Wednesday. He met ex-serviceman Delroy Carr, 58, who had his right leg amputated as a result of drug use 11 years ago. The prince heard that Carr’s prosthetic leg had been thrown out by mistake by the wife of his friend Daniel Walker. Walker said he was returning from work one day when he noticed the leg had disappeared. “I’ve come back and I’ve gone ‘Babe, where’s Delly’s leg gone?’,” Walker said. “She went ‘dustbin men took it’. “And I went ‘oh my God, I’ve lost Delly’s false leg’.” Walker added, “He’s never had one since – nine years. He’s been hopping mad for nine years.” The prince told Carr that he would personally ensure that his details reach the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre for ex-service personnel to help him obtain a new prosthetic limb. <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2020022685429/prince-william-visits-beacon-project-mansfield/">HELLO</a> reported that after meeting the royal, Carr said: “He’s a good man. He seems very genuine and really wants to help.” The Beacon Project was established in 2001 and is now serving up to 50 people at a time, providing access to meals, clean clothes and bathroom facilities as well as medical care and accommodation assistance.

International Travel

Meghan Markle’s homeless brother says she helps charities more than her family

Meghan Markle’s estranged half brother has spoken out about how he has been left homeless and is sick of his sister and Prince Harry not helping out family. <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Thomas Markle Jr, 53, fell on hard times after losing jobs and splitting up with his fiancee. He has since been forced to move in with his elderly mother in New Mexico after his life “fell apart”. Thomas told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/408950/meghan-markles-homeless-brother-says-hes-sick-of-her-helping-charities-but-not-her-family/" target="_blank">The Sun</a> how he lost out on jobs due to having the same last name as the famous royal. “Being associated with Meghan has nearly destroyed me. “I am homeless and could have been under a bridge with a cardboard sign begging for money. “But thankfully my Mom has taken me in. “Mentally, this has been a f***ing nightmare ever since Meghan got together with Harry.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MjqZQpfba/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MjqZQpfba/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)</a> on Feb 5, 2020 at 11:02am PST </div> </blockquote> He says that he has thought about changing his name to “escape the curse” and that the Palace or Meghan herself could have helped him out. “For her to sit there on her royal pedestal and watch this happening to her family — she should have done her humanitarian work for us. “I’m sick of hearing about her and Harry helping this charity, that charity — whatever cause is in this week.” Photo credits: The Sun </div> </div> </div>

International Travel

Homeless soprano: Overnight fame for street singer after brilliant opera performance captures the world

A homeless Los Angeles woman has achieved instant viral fame, and a potential chance at a professional career after her brilliant opera singing caught the attention of an LAPD officer. Underground the Californian metropolis’ Koreatown district, the unknown woman who had shopping bags and a trolley in tow could be heard belting out a Puccini classic, O mio babbino caro. Once she noticed she was being recorded, she continued the performance, as her vocals were heard throughout the Metro station. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb"> 4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices...sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful. <a href="https://t.co/VzlmA0c6jX">pic.twitter.com/VzlmA0c6jX</a> — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ/status/1177423181679755264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">27 September 2019</a></blockquote> The woman was later identified as 52-year-old Emily Zamourka, who grew up in Russia and immigrated to America as a 24-year-old classically trained violinist and pianist. But to everyone’s surprise, she’s never had any formal voice coaching. Zamourka says she found it hard to work after dealing with a number of debilitating health problems. She would then busk on LA’s busy streets, until her $10,000 violin was stolen three years ago. “[The violin] was my income. It was my everything to me – I could not actually pay any of my bills and could not pay any more of my rent,” Zamourka told local television networks. “I am sleeping, actually, on the cardboard in the parking lot. I’m sleeping where I can sleep.” The original video has been viewed over 560,000 times with many people trying to get Ellen DeGeneres and America’s Got Talent’s attention. For Zamourka, she just wants to leave her current circumstances behind. “I will be so grateful to anyone who is trying to help me get off the streets,” she said.

Home & Garden

How tiny homes for older women facing homelessness are saving lives

Homelessness is becoming a bigger issue each year for older women, and Kim Connolly who is the founder of Tiny Habitat Homes understands that it is a problem that must be addressed. Which is why she created a solution to aide ageing women with housing issues in 2017. While the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports over 6860 ladies aged over 55 were classified as homeless in 2016, which is 5234 more since 2011, Kim told <a href="https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/6114985/could-tiny-homes-solve-senior-homelessness/">The Senior</a> these stats might not be entirely correct. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu7q6QOHF46/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu7q6QOHF46/" target="_blank">My first Tiny House Build. Love my Tiny!</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tinyhabitathomes/" target="_blank"> Kim Connolly</a> (@tinyhabitathomes) on Mar 12, 2019 at 7:50pm PDT </div> </blockquote> While the massive jump is a concern, the former high school teacher explained the number did not reveal the full extent of the issue as many women would choose not to ask for help after facing homelessness or becoming homeless. Kim Connolly came up with the idea to offer transportable, affordable and tiny village homes as a method to decrease homelessness after multiple conversations with women her age admitted they were struggling with financial difficulties. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo-uunJAx3S/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo-uunJAx3S/" target="_blank">The Tiny has landed! Safe and sound. Thanks Nifty for sending me this photo of my baby in her new workshop home. #lovemytiny #lovemybuilder</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tinyhabitathomes/" target="_blank"> Kim Connolly</a> (@tinyhabitathomes) on Oct 15, 2018 at 9:13pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “Over and over again women kept coming to me and saying, 'I'm going to be homeless, if not in the next few months, in the next few years',” Ms Connolly told <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-29/are-tiny-homes-the-answer-for-older-women-facing-homelessness/11049272">ABC News.</a> “I found out all the statistics and research and I didn't have an answer, [but] I love tiny houses and I thought, 'That's it, I'm going to build one'.” Ms Connolly developed such a passion for her housing-solution idea, she set up her village-building business, with a plan to create a community of 15 tiny houses to majorly occupy women. Currently, Ms Connolly is in the process of setting up a not-for-profit organisation to help make her tiny village concept. She said: “It's women who are just like me and they're shaking their heads saying, 'I don't know how this happened, I never thought I'd end up in this situation'.” “My idea of the village would be 15 houses — there would be three houses that are rental houses, the other 12 would be owned by the occupants, there'd be two couples and the other 10 houses would be all older women,” Ms Connolly explained.

Retirement Life

“Lowest point of my life”: Meghan Markle’s brother reveals he is homeless

While the Duchess of Sussex celebrates her new bundle of joy alongside her husband, Prince Harry, life is much different for her brother. Thomas Markle Jr has opened up to the media, admitting for the last two months he has been living in a hotel room with his fiancé Darlene and her son and their two dogs. The 52-year-old older sibling to Duchess Meghan claims his life has been on a downward spiral after losing his job, home and being unable to find elsewhere to live. Mr Markle believes his name and the notoriety of his sister in his hometown of Grants Pass in the US has left him with little to no income and no one willing to lease him a house or give him a job. The unemployed Markle Jr admitted to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/uncategorized/9033062/meghan-markles-brother-homeless-lowest-point-life-after-losing-house-job-forced-hotel/" target="_blank">Sun Online</a> that his current circumstances have left him at “the lowest point” of his life. “Living in a small hotel room is really taking its toll on Darlene and her son – on all of us," he admitted. “And it’s all because my life suddenly got catapulted into the spotlight – through no fault of my own. “My every move has been put under the microscope – not just for me but all my family. “Now there’s been so much said about me – both true and untrue – no one wants to lease me a house or give me a job.” Mr Markle says his problems began earlier in the year after he fell ill and was unable to continue his work as a glazier. The situation left him with an eviction notice from his landlord. While the pair went to court and both agreed the 52-year-old would leave the property without an eviction, the landlord claimed the half-brother to Duchess Meghan was a “low life” and had trashed the property. “Suddenly every local station was talking about how I was evicted, how I trashed this house,” Thomas Jr explained. “But it was all untrue – I have pictures proving I left the house in a good condition. “I took 55 pictures of every square foot of that house – I left it in good shape. Mr Markle said the false accusations have made it difficult to find another landlord willing to lease him a home. “This has never happened to me before in my life. The problem is I’m known as Thomas Markle, Meghan’s crazy brother now,” he said. Thomas Jr said his relationship with his fiancé Darlene has also taken a huge toll due to living in a small hotel room. “It’s very uncomfortable and expensive – we don’t know how we are going to afford it. We have two dogs and Darlene’s son staying with us a lot of the time, I had to get a big storage unit so we have none of our stuff with us — it’s not a nice way to live. While the family is struggling to make ends meet, Thomas Jr says they are trying to stay positive and hoping that his upcoming celebrity boxing match will help him in his time of need. The 52-year-old signed a deal with Damon Feldman – a boding promoter to fight Henry “Nacho” Laun, who is an actor and close friend of Mark Wahlberg. The event is set to take place next month. “I don’t want to bad mouth Meghan but I think this could have all been handled better at the beginning," Markle Jr said. “She could have helped me deal with all this attention and it’s still in her power to help me now. “I wish her all the best with her new baby but it is hard when I see how much she’s spending on baby showers and things and I’ve got nothing. “The kind of money she spends would set me up for life.”

News

8-year-old boy uses own money to make “care packs” for the homeless

When 8-year-old Adrian Young saw a homeless man sleeping rough on the streets of Toowoomba, he was utterly heartbroken, giving the man some money and telling his mum he “didn’t think it was fair”. “I felt really sad knowing that there were people sleeping out in the cold,” he told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/good-news/young-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold-uses-his-own-money-to-make-care-packs-for-the-homeless/news-story/d556c55873221e5f7ca25cc1024abc25" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him and the other homeless people.” After the encounter, Adrian decided he wanted to help make the lives of homeless people a little easier. So, using all his money, and with a little help from mum Jennifer, Adrian made 50 care packs filled with warm clothes, toiletries and food. <img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/41061/image__499x665.jpg" alt="Image_ (414)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> He handed them out to the “grateful” homeless people at Toowoomba’s Base Services, and couldn’t contain his joy after his act of generosity. “Did you see their huge smiles?” he said to his mum afterwards. In the wake of the care packs’ success, Adrian and Jennifer decided to set up a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/fmuwe-help-me-help-the-homeless" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a> page to raise money for even more. At the time of writing, they had exceeded their $1,000 goal, amassing $2,305 in donations. His generosity has earnt him plenty of fans, praising him for his “kind heart”. “An absolute inspiration,” one well-wisher wrote. “Adrian, you’re my favourite little champion! The world needs more people like you and your family. All my love mate!” “[It has] definitely made me appreciate the love I receive and all the opportunities I get,” Adrian wrote on Facebook. “I’m a lucky kid to have the life I have and I want to try and make everyone’s life as good as mine.” If you would like to help Adrian and his family make the lives of the homeless a little more comfortable, <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/fmuwe-help-me-help-the-homeless" target="_blank">click here.</a> Image credit: Adrian Young/Facebook.

Caring

Woman exposed and arrested for “faking” homelessness

An American woman has been arrested for faking her homelessness after she was recorded returning to her expensive car just moments after begging for money at a nearby intersection. “How much did you make today? How much is that bag?” one of the men filming asked, outraged as the woman rushed to her late model black Fiat, parked in a McDonald’s carpark. “This is wrong. You're taking people’s money. What year is that vehicle? You’re begging for money, why do you do that? You own a car, you’re not homeless. Some people are really homeless and need help.” The woman, who has been identified as 40-year-old Virginia resident Micha Leigh Dominguez, replied that she was begging not due to homelessness, but “because I have a disability.” Upon being asked about the nature of her disability, Dominguez retorted, “None of your business.” <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J8LNjR_VA5s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The original video, which recently went viral, was seen around two million times before it was taken down by YouTube. According to local news station <a href="http://wtvr.com/2017/05/23/micha-leigh-dominguez-arrest/" target="_blank">WTVR</a>, was arrested after she reportedly threw full bottles of Gatorade at passing vehicles who had been “harassing” and “videotaping” the now infamous viral star. She has been charged with three counts of throwing a missile at a moving vehicle.

Money & Banking

Police officers give homeless man a makeover

A homeless man named Bobby from City of Rome, New York had a very unlikely experience with a group of police officers. Police officer Aaron Page was on duty making rounds when he met Bobby on the streets. Bobby opened up to officer Page and explained that he had been going through a difficult time and how he really wanted to have a shower and get a haircut. Officer Page told Bobby to come to the police station the next morning. Page recruited a few more officers, Sargent Frank Fragapane, Jeff Buckley and George Gebo, to help collect donated clothing and hair clippers. <img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36085/bobby-2_499x665.jpg" alt="Bobby 2"/> The officers gave Bobby a complete makeover by helping him shave, cutting his hair and giving him some clean clothes. The makeover was a huge success and Bobby looks great. The officers shared the makeover photos on the City of Rome NY Police Department page and many users were astounded by Bobby’s transformation. <img width="499" height="665" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36084/after-pic-bobby_499x665.jpg" alt="After Pic Bobby"/> "After some interaction with a man down on his luck, Bobby, said he'd love a haircut and warm shower. Through the efforts of Officer Page, we were able to make that happen. This morning we provided Bobby with a haircut, a shave, a shower and a whole new wardrobe of donated clothing. Bobby left looking like a whole new person and couldn't thank us enough,” the post's caption said. One of the officers explained the importance of helping those in your community and the impact an act of kindness can have. "Officer Page spearheaded the idea on this one, and it was a great way to help someone who needed a hand," one of the officers wrote on Facebook. "We're always trying to come up with new ideas how to help and give back to our community."

News

Homeless man bursts into tears after free makeover

A homeless man from Mallorca, Spain, has been given a new lease on life a free makeover. Footage of 55-year-old Jose Antonio’s incredible transformation went viral last week, and report suggest it’s already made a positive impact towards getting him off the streets. “It wasn’t just a change of look,” he told <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/heartwarming-moment-homeless-man-breaks-10037869" target="_blank">The Mirror</a> of the video, which was first shot back in 2015 but only recently posted online. “It changed my life. What I want now is a proper job.” Watch the unbelievable makeover for yourself, we think you’ll be blown away by his transformation. Credit: YouTube/La Salvajería and Dr Filmgood via Storyful

Retirement Life

Running programs aims to help homeless transform their lives

An Australian businessman, who launched not-for-profit running program On My Feet in late 2014, believes exercise might be the key to transforming the lives of Australia’s homeless population. Keegan Crage began visiting homeless shelters and inviting residents to come for a run to reap the positive benefits of exercise. “I told them: ‘Running is pure, simple, makes you feel great, I’ll provide the gear...and if you make the effort I’ll reward you with pathways to education and employment’,” Mr Crage told 9news.com.au. The strong response to his invitation led Mr Crage to create an incentivised program offering fitness gear, including shirts and shoes, to participants who are currently, or at risk of becoming, homeless. He said those with 90 per cent participation rate would also be assisted to find education and work experience, an opportunity Mr Crage says facilitates “not just self-worth and a sense of purpose… but a genuine pathway to self-sufficiency”. “Running is a great metaphor for life – you get out of it what you put in,” he said. The program has expanded from Perth to Fremantle, Rockingham, Melbourne, and Cape Town, South Africa. Kyle Holtzman, who has struggled with substance abuse problems for 26 years, is one of the 100 people participating in the program. He says the My Feet has left him with a new sense of purpose. “It’s certainly given me a sense of community, a sense of belonging, something to strive toward. It’s given me people I can talk to, people that are prepared to support me,” he said in a video recently posted on the On My Feet’s YouTube page. Watch Kyle’s story in the video above. Do you think this program will help Australia’s homeless population? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2016/08/how-to-take-care-of-your-heart-in-cooler-months/">How to take care of your heart in cooler months</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2016/01/cardiologist-tips-for-better-heart-health/">5 tips from a cardiologist for better heart health</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2016/07/secrets-for-a-healthy-heart-after-60/">5 secrets for a healthy heart after 60</a>

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“Lowest point of my life”: Meghan Markle’s brother reveals he is homeless

8-year-old boy uses own money to make “care packs” for the homeless

Woman exposed and arrested for “faking” homelessness

Police officers give homeless man a makeover

Homeless man bursts into tears after free makeover

Running programs aims to help homeless transform their lives