Homelessness and suicide

[Dimity]

We're hearing about access to $$$ for home buyers this election. We're not hearing about homelessness and access to a bed.

Every 4 days a young homelessness person dies, usually to suicide.

Every four days a young homeless person dies.

Advocates are calling for urgent reform - ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-15/youth-homelessness/105175204

[Till23]

Thanks for posting @Dimity a good reminder to people who don't see that side of life, or don't consider it even if they encounter it (such as homeless people near station or shops etc).

I volunteer in a kind of a soup kitchen type place. Many of the people are homeless and many are in insecure or sustandard housing. I see people in all age ranges, men and increasingly women and families.

It would be interesting to know the definitions of homelessness. Are they only referring to people living on the streets (non solid shelter), or does it include people living in their cars, vans and trucks, does it include those couch surfing, living in garages, squatting etc. It would also be interesting to know stats on other deaths due to homelesssness such as infections, chronic diseases, pneumonia etc. Since it's difficult for people without an address to access healthcare. The mortality for homeless people overall must be large. If a young person is dying every 4 days, that's only one aspect of deaths due to homelessness.

I would say most homeless people (I'm including all of the above definitions) have either become homeless due to MH issues, or have MH issues because they are currently homeless.

With the cost of housing increasing, and low housing stock it is going to become a much bigger problem, but as you say only a sub-section of the population seem to appeal to politicians.

[Dimity]

Thanks for your volunteering @Till23 . 

"I would say most homeless people (I'm including all of the above definitions) have either become homeless due to MH issues, or have MH issues because they are currently homeless." Sad but not surprising. 

It appals me that some councils are effectively criminalising homelessness, with fines for camping and rough sleeping, and destroying tents and possessions 

Maybe politicians don't see votes in it. There aren't many votes in providing adequate housing in remote communities either.

[Appleblossom]

@Dimitythanks for posting 

 @Till23 thanks for doing the work.

I volunteered at a soup van for a while. For decades my main social outlets were in various charity or environmental organisations. 

I liked the “occupy” movement and still relate to people doing it hard on the streets. 

yes, it seems shocking to me that they are criminalising homelessness. 

[Till23]

It’s an interesting world in which we live @Dimity @Appleblossom where the people who most need their voices heard seem to be the ones whose voices are heard the least.

It’s interesting that one thing you can do without an address is vote.

 I assume that many people especially those without addresses do not know that they can vote.

Unfortunately they probably feel the most disenfranchised and therefore do not think that voting will be helpful for them. Unfortunately most candidates do not try to appeal to those people or their issues so they feel further disenfranchised. Other people maybe feel it’s too hard to think about these issues as the reality would be too difficult for them to accept and most people think it won’t be them that are homeless etc. Reality is it could be any of us.

[Shaz51]

@Dimity , @Till23 , @Appleblossom 

Very true and there is nothing to  help people who are renting 

Our Son's rent has gone up another $25 added on and they have  no air-conditioning,  no heating,  can't even close their doors properly 

[Till23]

Maybe because politicians don't rent @Shaz51 most of them own multiple properties, so actually have no idea what it's like for most Australians

[chibam]

What I'd like to know is what does the mental health system actually do about this?

Just for the sake of argument, let's forget about the cases that "fall through the cracks"; lets talk about the ones who get the best treatment for their homelessness problem. Are these therapists actually setting these people up with a place to live?

I suspect the answer to that question is "No", and I suspect that most people would be inclined to blame that answer on the currant housing crisis.

But I went to the mental health system 20 years ago - well before our modern housing and housing prices crisises - and I never got anything remotely resembling help to be transfered into a new household. All the therapists did was basically declare that I was gonna be stuck with my present terrible housing arrangements until the day I died.

"I believe"... [edited by moderator]

Therapists just don't help people with housing turmoil. They don't want to help them! And it doesn't matter how much money we throw at the mental health system, that's never gonna change until we start hiring a new class of therapist, with a better sense of duty when it comes to patient care; and an official, legally-binding obligation to do everything in their power to help their patients with their problems - such as homelessness.

[tyme]

Hey @chibam , 

Thanks for sharing. 

Just a quick note to ensure you let the community know that that is your opinion. 

Whilst some therapists may not want to help with housing, we need to mindful that we don't group ALL therapists into this category.

Hope this makes sense.

[chibam]

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@tyme wrote:

Hey @chibam , 

Thanks for sharing. 

Just a quick note to ensure you let the community know that that is your opinion. 

Whilst some therapists may not want to help with housing, we need to mindful that we don't group ALL therapists into this category.

---

Is there any proof of that, @tyme ? Are there any actual examples of therapists setting their patients up with a new home? Or, for that matter, making any sort of effort to set their patients up with a new home?

I can point to examples of therapists (and others in the industry) explicitly stating that their industry has rules about not helping patients with their problems. I've encountered countless instances of patients complaining that their therapist never did anything whatsoever to help them with their real-life problem (such as homelessness). I am yet to encounter anybody who will state that their therapist actually did fix their real-life problem, such as loneliness, unemployment or homelessness. I don't think I've even encountered a single person who has said: "My therapist tried to get me a job/home, but they couldn't find any for me..."

If there are therapists out there who actually help people with their real-life problems (i.e. not mental problems), then how come we never, ever hear about these people, or their accomplishments?