| Home Archived by the National Library of Australia Homeless Hot Gossip 6 Latest 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Oldest Fan Mail Send your latest insights to [email protected] Messages posted from 26 November 2007 to 8 January 2008. The most recent message appears at the top. Updated 8 January 2008 Yoga Teacher The yoga teacher who transports her blankets and mats on a fridge trolley on the trains says Trans Adelaide staff have warned her they might one day tell her she isn�t allowed to board. She said they wouldn�t be specific about why they might stop her because then she would replace the trolley with something that was allowable. The strange thing is that I saw yesterday morning on the Gawler line train a dope dealer selling a small bag of �heads� to a couple of crims for $15. They exchanged the stuff in front of a train guard and ticket inspector. Neither of the Trans Adelaide staff said or did anything. The dealer and crims walked out of Adelaide railway station without a worry in the world. Meanwhile, Phil the Can Collector got a letter from Trans Adelaide saying it isn�t illegal to carry bags of cans on the train, but no word about his frdige trolley. Mick, the can collector from Rosewater, carries striped �derro� bags full of cans on his bicycle. He doesn�t have any problems despite being more overloaded than Phil or the Yoga teacher. Mick even gets elderly grey-haired women passengers to help him off the train. 8 January 2008 Weatherill the Deceiver Mental Patients Dumped in Backpacker�s Hostels This is an updated version of the 7 January posting, now deleted. Toby Garratt�s body was found in the West Terrace parklands on the Monday morning of 31 December, 2007. She had been treated by South Australia�s mental health system. They had previously put her in backpackers� hostels. They doused her with extra drugs just before she died. She was 22. Survival in the homeless scene is difficult and being on psychiatric drugs makes it harder. Pharmaceutical drugs anaesthetise parts of the brain making one more vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the inner-city homeless scene. Then putting the drugged-out patient in a backpackers' hostel becomes the same as putting that person in a dangerous situation. These joints are places of partying, travel and drugs, not places of recovery and social rehabilitation. They�re crawling with dodgy characters who stay there for the primary purpose of preying on international travellers. Jay Weatherill, the Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust, quoting someone in the Mental Health department, denied on ABC Radio 5AN on 4 January 2008, that psychiatric patients were put into backpacker hostels. Yet Sarah Curtis-Fawley, a psychologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, told me in a recorded interview, (admittedly 18-months ago), that they sent discharged homeless patients, (many of whom are classed as mentally ill), to backpacker hostels. I told her at the time that these places didn�t seem appropriate for people being discharged from hospital. Weatherill also said that Toby Garratt, �had to leave Palm Lodge�, a government-run half-way joint. The question is why did she have to leave: was she kicked out, or what? The Adelaide woman charged with Toby's murder will attend court this week. Weatherill changed his tune a few days later when it was revealed that Terry Attridge, another psychiatric patient found dead in the same week as Toby, had also been dumped into a backpacker�s hostel. Like any slick lawyer/politician changing his story, Weatherill adopted the ambiguous line: ��there is no policy to direct mental patients to backpacker�s hostels.� So, is he saying they don�t do it? Well, no, he�s saying it may be done by psychiatric staff and social workers: it just isn�t official policy. Meanwhile, the sell-off of part of the Glenside Psychiatric Hospital continues. The shrinkage is being promoted by the Social Inclusion Commission as an improvement. It makes one wonder if somewhere down the line there might be set up a special tribunal like the war crimes tribunal at The Hague, to deal with people in power who destroyed our social, educational and medical infrastructure. From the former Editor 8 January 2008 Yet More �Incidents� at Fred�s Van Policy Security officers watched the Fred�s Van meal last night. John Lamprell, the St Vinnies organiser of the meal service said there had been �incidents� on the last four meals done by St Vincent de Paul. One man from a different clan group said it was the mob from Ernabella causing the trouble. He said they probably got kicked out of there then went to Alice Springs where they had more trouble then came down here because they�re guaranteed a feed every day in Adelaide. I asked some of them if they were the Evil Warriors or Judas Priest. They said they weren�t the former and didn�t want to talk about the latter. Numbers at Fred�s Van were higher than ever and the food ran out in fifteen-minutes while numbers at the Teen Challenge meal in Hindmarsh Square are low, down from a previous high of 80 to about 32. 8 January 2008 Some more �violence� at Fred�s Van The 3 January, 2008 Fred�s Van meal was marred by a number of drunks. One tough-looking fellow grabbed a tray from Chloe, banging it on the table. He was trying to start a fight with anyone and eventually shoved Mark, the old guy who races bicycles and pays 60% of his gross income in rent a city flat. Then he swung his big fist at my face and I ducked. He shoved Dr X aside then punched �D� very hard. �D� can hardly stand up anyway due to balancing problems. I tried to appease the drunk with a packet of Fred�s Van Kellogg�s Nutri-Grain Bars (Best Before 18/7/07), but he simply punched the box. He and his pals were trouble the whole time though only �D� seems to have been bruised. Chloe, aged about 18, appeared, unfairly, the brunt of some anger from �D� who is sick of the threat of violence at Fred�s Van. She held up very well and after a minute of panic recovered her equilibrium. The police, as usual, were conspicuous by their absence from, arguably, the most dangerous quarter acre in Adelaide, and just 80 metres from the front entrance of their Wakefield Street police station. It was noticeable that on the following evening the three older men who were shoved or punched were all absent. 7 January 2008 Media Mike Premier Mike Rann has been asked to phone Phil the Can Collector on his mobile. 7 January 2008 Weatherill in denial? Jay Weatherill, Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust, has been heard calling HousingSA, the Housing Trust. Doesn�t he remember that he changed the Trust�s name to HousingSA? 7 January 2008 �Very Poor� An older man with cancer went to the Hutt Street Centre Christmas lunch. He described it, unprompted, as, �A bit of turkey, a bit of ham, you came away hungry. Very poor�. 7 January 2008 �Big Man� in Town A man aged about 30 smacked a woman in the face in front of the Strathmore Hotel last week at about 6:15pm. She fell to the ground screaming, somewhat theatrically, while he hot-footed it to Fred�s Van. He appeared quite friendly behind his sunglasses until recognising two Strathmore customers also at Fred�s Van. 7 January 2008 Living Inside a Car Park The �Franklin Apartments�, operated by Theo Maras�s �Common Ground�, look so good in the photographs. Up close it�s a different story: they�re actually above a bus station, ten metres above where the buses will load and unload. Alongside in the same building there is a carpark, not in the basement but alongside the units. The units appear "tacked on" as an afterthought. Anyway, no one is complaining because they're still empty despite all that publicity fanfare last October and November. 8 January 2008 Boom time for �trainers� David Cappo has announced another scheme to �socially include� disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people. It theoretically will involve �training�. �The next Pope� lurches from one tokenistic disaster to another. It will probably creates many new jobs for spin doctors, bureaucrats and �trainers� who will put people through short Mickey-mouse courses that employers don�t treat seriously and the only result will be people kicked off the dole for not doing them. It will resemble the �homeless� scam Cappo has been running for five or six years. Meanwhile, last night�s Fred�s Van was attended by over 100 people, one of the biggest turnouts ever. It caught everyone by surprise and the food ran out in sixteen-minutes, with some missing out completely. It�s like two parallel societies: Cappo and his crowd; and those in the �homeless� scene, and the two never meet. 7 January 2008 "Media Mike" and Phil the Can Collector meet face-to-face Premier Mike Rann was happy enough to have his picture taken with Phil, the can collector at the Hutt Street Centre Christmas Party. The picture appeared in the Adelaide Advertiser. Phil, who has been banned from using Trans Adelaide trains with his fridge trolley and bags of cans, was refused entry again last Thursday, 27 December. They wouldn't let him board the 4:50am Outer Harbour train leaving Adelaide Station after he'd spent the night collecting one bag of cans. The shift co-ordinator was Trans Adelaide employee number 21 33 14. The 4:50 train is the first one out. It runs express to Woodville where Phil gets out. Phil said it left empty. So much for that phoney "social inclusion" touted by "the next Pope", David Cappo. 7 January 2008 The Cox Plates The Hutt Street Centre Christmas meal was held in three shifts due to limited space and popular demand. One source reports there was a sign at the Centre saying that media Mike and "the media" might be attending the first shift. The sign also said there would be "no media" at the second and third shifts. 7 January 2008 Salvation Army "They're wonderful people. Where would we be without them? Locked up," said a thin, white man with a black eye and wearing a straw hat at Fred's Van on Monday, 28 December, 2007. 7 January 2008 More Salvo Praise I feel safer from food poisoning at the Salvo-run Fred's Van meal than when St Vincent de Paul do that job. The Salvos use disposable cups and have plenty of spoons. St Vinnies china coffee mugs always seem a little dirty and who wants to catch Hep A. St Vinnies give away more food though. 2 January 2008 Barry Dead Barry, aged about 50, died of bone cancer. He was a gambling friend of Sam who can be spotted in a number of J-Card pokies joints and also at Fred's Van. Another gambler told me this though the subject of Barry dying had been prominent in the homeless scene for a few weeks. He was popular. "PJ" said 35 people attended his funeral in Prospect. 7 January 2008 Another Cancer Legalised gambling is a government-sponsored cancer introduced into society and is a plague on the homeless. 50% of venue operators' profits are from problem gamblers. I regularly see them encouraged with extra freebies that responsible gamblers don't receive. The more a person loses the more he or she is encouraged at the venue. Those in positions of trust and power who could stop legalised gambling become hostage to those who put them there. For example: David Cappo might whisper privately that gambling is a plague but he won't risk his political position or the Papacy to challenge these semi-criminals who run gambling joints. 7 January 2008 "Homeless" Numbers Down? The most recently published figures for "homelessness" in Adelaide, published by the Department of Families and Communities, indicate: Homeless Unsheltered is down from 108 to 93 while the number of those questioned who refused to answer where they lived was up from 56 to 66. Numbers living in toilets was down from 5 to 1. The number in tents went from 13 to 0. However, those living on streets or in parks rose from 64 to 71. Men unsheltered numbers are 74 and Women 13. There are two children recorded as living as unsheltered homeless. Are these accurate figures? This homeless census was undertaken by counting the numbers of people visiting Hutt Street Centre, WestCare and Byron Place while Street-to-home counted numbers elsewhere. All counting was done on just one morning of one day. What the count missed out? Those under 18 aren't allowed at the Day Centres mentioned above so they weren't counted. Those not visiting those places or spotted by Street-to-home that one morning weren't counted. Those living outside and never using the three homeless centres weren't counted. Those hiding well enough to evade Street-to-home (and this isn't hard) weren't counted. One of the stranger aspects of this survey is the "Individual Identifier" where a respondent will be identified with their birth date and initials. Of those questioned, including tertiary homeless and non-homeless, "261 people provided individual identifiers in August compared to 265 in June. Of those who gave identifiers 43 people participated in both surveys." So what does this indicate? It shows that less than 20% of those in the June survey were still in the visible homeless scene for the August survey. To those familiar with the Day Centres it seems that one sees the same people there over a long period and such a high turnover seems unbelievable. The survey results are available at the Families and Communites website: http://whttp://www.familiesandcommunities.sa.gov.au/Default.aspx?tabid=1998ww.familiesandcommunities.sa.gov.au/Default.aspx?tabid=1998 7 January 2008 Cappo's Refrain "The next Pope" won't agree to a free range interview about homelessness but he will use the media to sell his story about homeless numbers dropping in South Australia. He has "statistics" to back up his claim, but is his claim true? There is a constant movement of "homeless" people throughout Australia. You can be in the dreaded Mathew Talbot hostel in Sydney and talk to someone from Adelaide whom you both know from Perth. It's that kind of small, closed system. So if "homelessness" is dropping in South Australia, as "the next Pope" claims, then why isn't there a rush of interstate "homeless" to take advantage of better conditions here, which would equalise homeless numbers between states? 7 January 2008 "Homeless" Christmas Day Meals St Lukes: 11:30am Perhaps 400 attended including many ex-homeless though few currently living outside. The Hall was packed. The tables were too close together making it difficult to move about with ease. Fifty children attended and were given presents. There was heaps of food: quality meat, fish, salads, cherries, Coke, excellent deserts, but no salt and pepper until half way through the meal. There wasn't any coffee and the whole meal was handled with surprising few staff. Patrons weren't hurried to finish eating and piss off so the meal lasted three hours. There wasn't any fighting one person noted with regret (not me). One woman screamed loudly when she didn't get enough ice-cream so they gave her more. The behaviour worked. Gary, that man who shouts at strangers on the street, made two speeches. Could anyone understand a word he said? Maybe a few. He received the loudest applause. People have good feelings for Gary despite his being so damaged by alcohol and other stuff. The reason is that he has retained his humanity in a situation where others become mean and nasty. "John the Baptist" was there. He's the older man who works at WestCare, the one with long hair who appears to have just stepped out of the Bible. "The food must be pretty bad at WestCare if their people come here," said another WestCare worker who chose St Lukes despite having helped order and buy their food the previous day. A third WestCare person also abandoned the WestCare meal in mid-flight saying the turkey was "dry as shit". A man from Byron Place warned me against sitting near "the fat guy and the old man with a white beard" because they eat like pigs and it puts everyone near them feel sick. He said they hog everything nearby so the table becomes a moonscape within a five-metre radius. After sitting down I looked around warily and low and behold "the fat guy and the old man with a white man" were two chairs away. But they weren't as bad as reported except when the fat guy started eating a whole plate full of prawns. That wasn't a pretty sight. The Ghost Who Walks wasn't there but his friend, The Removalist, was. They both move into any venue that provides free food and begin loading up boxes as if they're working for a removal business. Their behaviour is breathtaking to watch but censured by those actually living outside, and who sometimes haven't eaten for 36 hours. Posted 27 December 2007 Byron Place Community Centre: 9:30 am I got there late as things were finishing up. People were friendly and the staff seemed happy to be there. There was food, good presents and free UV protection sunglasses for those living outside. Byron Place offers the most practical help for people living outside so most at their Christmas brunch actually live outside. Posted 27 December 2007 Hutt Street Centre I didn't go there because of possible TV cameras and their policy of requiring ID for their weekday lunches, which seems discrimination against poorer people and an invasion of privacy. A St Lukes diner who also went to Hutt Street for an early shift, (Their Christmas meal is in shifts due to high demand), said the meal was "crap as usual". It should be noted that loyal Hutt Street patrons no doubt had similar harsh criticisms of the other places. There was a rumour going about that each person attending Hutt Street would get $50. Some hung around after their meal waiting for the bonus, but later reported that the cash did not eventuate. Hutt Street do a terrific breakfast throughout the year because it's free, dependable and staff don't require ID. Posted 27 December 2007 Wesley Uniting Care Adelaide (Pitt Street) 6pm "Why don't you talk some sense?" "D" interjected during the warm-up speech by Dirk, a church worker. Dirk was saying how many of us attending had had a "shit year", and maybe last year had also been a "shit year", and that we might have forgotten what it was like not to have a "shit year". He said we should all put our hope in Jesus or someone like that - I can't remember the rest because there was quite some muttering amongst the guests. We don't want to be treated as "losers" simply because we attend Christmas charity events. We think we're normal people like anyone else. "D" was unhappy for the rest of the meal and said to me, "Sometimes I feel like a loser." He lost his mother three months before and is still grieving and people experiencing this state of mind are very susceptible to negative suggestions. The food itself was good with lots of green salads, chicken, ham and tea and coffee. They also served wine but the kind without alcoholic content, and this fact disturbed one patron. The atmosphere was described by another as "subdued" though I thought it was good. They did end the meal a little abruptly as many wanted to stick around because of the good atmosphere. There was a much higher ratio of staff to diners than St Lukes and the staff were respectful: you could see it in their eyes. Two fellows played a piano and a violin. A church person named, "Tim" went around taking pictures for the Wesley Uniting Care Adelaide mission. Don't these people realise how much we resent being promoted as "charity cases" for propaganda purposes. However, all in all, most people attending these Christmas events feel a respect and admiration for those providing the food and service. Posted 27 December 2007 Salvation Army Food Van The Salvation Army provided the Fred's Van meal on Christmas Eve. It was okay but nothing special. Reports from others said the Coastlands meal on Sunday at Fred's Van was terrific. Posted 27 December 2007 Street-to-home A man never before mentioned on this website and I were talking about HousingSA. The man introduced the subject of Street-to-home. "They don't talk to you; they talk at you," he said, adding, "They're not very good." Posted 27 December 2007 Peanuts, Anyone? Bags of peanuts began appearing on city posts during the week prior to Christmas. They were tied with elastic cord just above the button you press to activate the green walk signs. "Uum, I'm homeless. I'll take these," said one "rough sleeper" on Thursday night. This bag was one of four spotted at the pedestrian crossing on Grenfell Street near Adelaide Arcade. Posted 27 December 2007 Salvation Army No-Show On Friday, 21 December, 2007 Fred's Food Van didn't show up. Friday Fred's Van is organised by the Salvation Army. An old man arrived at 6:40pm to make the announcement to waiting patrons. He apologised profusely then left. A quiet debate ensued. One man said the reason there wasn't a meal that night was because the Salvos couldn't get the volunteers because of the violence; another said the volunteers were occupied with their own Christmas business; another said the Salvos tend to be unreliable, anyway. You�d think the Salvation Army would fund this area of their operations a little better. After all, they�re one of the wealthiest outfits in Australia with assets approaching $3Billion. Some of the people at Fred�s Van are clients because they were kicked off the dole by the Salvation Army�s Job Network outfit, Employment Plus. Couldn't some of their "kicking-people-off-the-dole profits" cross subsidise their participation in Fred�s Van? Posted 27 December 2007 Abdominal Problems? "John Lamprell works his guts out keeping Fred's Van going," said a man leaving Fred's Van last week. More on Peter Bagdi Getting Kicked Out of Casino "It's his expression on his face. People feel uneasy. That is why they kicked him out," said a friend of Peter Bagdi. Posted 27 December 2007 The old "turn the crust inwards" trick on Fred's Van sandwiches. An abandoned camp being taken over by nature near the West Terrace Cemetery. Social Exclusion �I don�t give a f**k what the Minister says,� said the shift co-ordinator at the Adelaide Train Station last week to Phil, who was trying to board a train with his fridge trolley and bags of deposit cans. Phil told him the Minister of Transport, Patrick Conlon had said in a radio interview that he was allowed on the trains with bags of cans. Conlon said in the interview that he was going to look into the specific issue of Phil and his fridge trolley. Conlon doesn�t appear to have done anything despite a direct request to investigate this matter and issue a Ministerial directive. Phil has also lodged two complaints with Trans Adelaide but doesn�t expect a reply. Where is David Cappo, the Social Inclusion Commissioner in all this? It isn�t as if Galloper the Innocent is lazy. For example, land developer Theo Maras simply has to ring a little bell and Cappo �comes-a-running�. Posted 27 December 2007 Cameras at Homeless Christmas Parties A certain person in-the-know told me that either last year or the year before a female client attending the Hutt Street Centre Christmas Party ran away without eating when she saw the TV camera arrive with the Premier and Galloper the Innocent. She was afraid her violent �ex� might recognise her on TV and then know where to find her. Two others have also commented on the TV presence at Hutt Street at Christmas, one deciding not to attend this year because of it. Another, a Catholic, said he always tells them not to take his picture. One of the above commented that the Premier shook everyone�s hand and that it was okay if the Premier visited on Christmas Day but he shouldn�t stay the whole two bloody hours. The person noted that Galloper the Innocent (Business Class) didn�t shake hands with anyone. Posted 27 December 2007 A Sobering Experience The Christmas meal at the Otherway Centre was attended by white celibate men, mostly. Those preparing and serving the food were indigenous (Aboriginal) women, mostly. Few Aboriginal �clients� attended though the tables were full and the food finished up. The dominant voices and body language were from the Aboriginal women. This role reversal was a sobering experience. The Hampers included coffee and Twinings Tea and the food was fresh and new. This was distinct from the Uniting Care Wesley Adelaide "Hampers from Hell". That food was old and the tea bags were from the Reject Shop. �PJ�, the hoarder, needed a wheelbarrow to carry off the food he got at Otherway. It was embarrassing and I pretended not to know him. "PJ" who? Later, another person explained that PJ doesn�t have an income and has been barred from some homeless centres. Food is his only item of trade in a sometimes dangerous homeless scene. Posted 27 December 2007 Report On Maslins Beach A certain gentleman at the Otherway Christmas Lunch recounted his visit to Maslins Beach. He chose to wear his underpants but said nudists laughed at him and a woman told him to take his pants off. He retreated to the cliffs to peek down at the bathers through binoculars. The police arrived and asked him what he was doing. He said he was watching a friend swimming below in case sharks appeared in the water. He said the police told him to leave. Posted 27 December 2007 Burner Leaves Adelaide �Jed� was seen leaving Adelaide on a Sydney bound train last week. Not everyone�s eyes were filled with tears. �Jed� is famous for torching a homeless man�s stuff at Fred�s Van plus visiting the police station to show them the book he was reading: �Night Stalker�. The last I heard of "Jed" he was trying to raise an army. He is never boring. Posted 27 December 2007 Free Motel Rooms for Homeless �PJ� was released from hospital after treatment for heart problems. He said some social workers kindly put him into a motel in a distant suburb. �PJ� says he doesn�t have an income despite being in his late sixties. He said they didn�t give him any bus tickets or enough food so he felt trapped and hungry. But at least he didn�t get the �John Green Treatment�. Green was injured in a government sponsored football game between �homeless� men. He spent a night in the Royal Adelaide Hospital then social workers transferred him to the Brecknock Hotel, but they forgot to send the hotel enough money. The Brecknock manager kicked him one day at 5pm while Green was still injured. Posted 27 December 2007 Fred�s Van Closing at Christmas No Fred�s Van on Christmas Day. They were handing out slips of paper on Wednesday night announcing the Christmas �no show�. The language on their notice is interesting: �As there are a lot of charitable agencies providing Christmas lunch on next Tuesday 25th December there will not be a Fred�s Van operating in Gawler Place that night.� Posted 27 December 2007 Hamper from Hell (Cancel the �Snap and Crackle) The Wesley Mission in Pitt Street provided library bags to hamper recipients to make it easier to carry the stuff home. Library bags were less humiliating to carry than a big box with "charity case" labelling though trained eyes could still see that the bags were charity shopping. The food came with the following advice: �If you think of the old Kellogg�s Rice Bubbles claim of the product making a �snap, crackle, pop� sound, well, assuming this happened at time of optimum freshness, (prior to Best Before Date expiry), then perhaps the product might only make the sound of �snap and crackle� some 5 months later. Just because the inherent characteristics of the product, [in their hamper], are no longer at their optimum (whether it be taste, freshness etc), doesn�t mean the product is unfit for human consumption or no longer nutritious.� You have to be a welfare recipient to understand the significance of the above information. Posted 27 December 2007 Resentment Brewing An unpaid worker at the Otherway Centre initially had trouble getting a meal ticket at the Teen Challenge meal in Hindmarsh Square because he was wearing a CDEP shirt. The Teen Challenge fellow said he was a worker and shouldn�t be there. The Otherway fellow informed him CDEP was a form of work-for-the-dole program for indigenous people and didn�t signify a paid job � and it was just an old shirt, anyway. �C�, also had a problem about being seen as a worker. He pays 60% of his gross income on rent, but walks with pride and strength. I showed him the right way of walking: stooped shoulders; silly bounce; head bent over; erratic course: the required behaviour at charity events. Alas, he was not a good student and insists on walking with pride thus will probably continue to have trouble. Posted 27 December 2007 Fred�s Van Last Week Quite a large crowd in Gawler Court especially when compared to the smaller than usual Teen Challenge/Jasmin meal in Hindmarsh Square, the latter attended by just 41 people. The Fred's Van meal began with sausages and tomato sauce on bread plus the Thursday Night Special: rice and vegetarian curry (the rice was soggy but the curry excellent). Fried chicken followed for meat eaters and there was lots of it. (Even �PJ� wasn�t complaining). The cheese and salad sandwiches were marked with "V" so the vegetarians in the crowd (just one) didn't have to toss the meat onto the ground. There were also meat sandwiches. The fruit didn't run out too quickly though two women handing it out noted that Dominick's girlfriend, Jill, was especially keen on bananas. And she�s so quiet. "Jed" added a certain zest to the evening by asking if anyone wanted a body buried. "Yes or No?" he demanded. Everyone ignored him except one man who said, "No". A woman shouted, �Rick�, at �Jed� which seemed to quieten him down. Another man sat on the dirty ground playing a guitar and sang the Lionel Richie song that starts with: "Hello, are you lonely?" A church man handed out packets of chocolate chip biscuits (Use-By 7 October, 2007). I gave mine to Dr X. There were also buns (plain and cream) and bags of marshmallows and jelly things. The guitar player added more vocal accompaniment to his songs of sadness and hope. PJ was looking rather sensitive and intelligent and said to someone: "I'm glad I look old." Tony collected drink cans from nearby rubbish bins while competing with a few others doing the rounds. He loaded them into his Coles trolley that he pushes back home to Crazy Cottage. The ever-present scowling woman smiled at something I said, such a beautiful smile that transformed her. Ally, the man from Sudan looked tired because he had worked all day unloading shipping containers in the 350 heat. He isn't strongly built and you'd expect him to be a uni lecturer or doctor rather than a labourer and taxi driver. The Emergency Medical Technician ambulance trio stood around but left early as there weren't any customers and no one was angry enough to create such customers. The Fred's Van staff lingered after packing up. They talked to Dr X and PJ. It was if they didn't want to leave so soon. The church women looked beautiful as if their everyday hard and nasty faces had melted away leaving something softer and more sensitive. Even the church men hung up their guns. 18 December 2007 Hampers at Festival Centre The Wesley Bowden Mission is handing out 2000 Christmas Hampers at the Festival Centre today. Isn�t that kind? �It�s what Christmas is all about,� said Deb Tribe (formerly of Tim and Debbie), on ABC-5AN today, about the Hamper Pick-Up. But how do the people picking up the hampers feel about it? The Festival Centre is a public place, parking is limited, (if the recipients have cars), and catching the train or bus with a big hamper is somewhat embarrassing. 18 December 2007 Sky City Silencing Critic Mr Peter Bagdi was kicked out of the Adelaide Sky City Casino last week. They accused him of looking in the trays for coins left by departed gamblers. He said he didn�t do it. They kicked him out previously for three months last year after he passed notes to staff saying he thought terrorists were laundering money in the Casino. They sought an indefinite banning of Peter Bagdi in the Liquor and Gambling Commission, but failed ? the Commissioner said Peter could legally return to the Casino. But the Casino circumvented the ruling by saying Peter�s chequered shorts didn�t meet their dress code despite meeting their dress code for the previous year. Peter changed his clothing to meet their standards but now they�ve used the �scavenging� rules to kick him out. The State Government is introducing legislation to force the Casino to be more vigilant against suspected terrorists and criminals who they believe use the Casino to launder money. Peter says he isn�t returning to the Casino because he thinks they might hire the mafia to �bump him off�. 18 December 2007 Dangerous Tram Crossing "R", who lives outside, stated emphatically last Tuesday at Fred's Van that the tram and street crossing at Victoria Square, near the GPO, was an accident waiting to happen. He'd noticed that people inadvertently crossed one set of tram tracks then stood in the middle only to be surprised when they heard a tram swishing behind them. "R" says there needs to be an extra warning or barrier to prevent pedestrians, especially old folk from standing between the two sets of tracks. He wanted the matter brought up in this gossip column. 11 December 2007 Frank Jones and Mother Theresa "...he would probably have trouble with any neighbours he had, even Mother Theresa, if she were still alive and living in SA." from an Anonymous Source 14 December 2007 The Charismatic Frank Jones Frank, aged 74, drove by the Teen Challenge meal area in Hindmarsh Square last Thursday. He's stuck more red tape to his black van. But simply driving by aroused hostility in one man who shouted and made coarse gestures. Frank knows how to motivate people. 14 December 2007 Yet another assault at Fred�s Van Last night (5th) at Fred's someone got assaulted. I didn't see what happened but he wanted the police to attend, but they hadn't when we all had left. There were a lot there, and the usual lot blocking other people, grabbing everything, and frayed tempers among those blocked off. Whatever, the Police Security were there at the time. I'm planning to drift out over time, my enthusiasm is near zero. My enthusiam for other things is gradually taking hold. Dr X 14 December 2007 Galloper the Innocent Was David Cappo on 5AN promoting his post-Papal career of marathon running. He detailed his training route from his office in Catholic Central to his other office in the State Administration building. What wasn�t stated was whether he goes the long way to the front of the building or cuts off five-metres by sneaking in a back door. 14 December 2007 Fred's Van worker assaulted The guy wearing the red baseball cap shoved old Ray, the unpaid worker at Fred's Van on Thursday night. He was pissed off over the distribution of packets of Tim Tams and became abusive so Ray ignored him. He then shoved Ray in what could also be described as a "punch to the shoulder". The blond-haired woman wearing the rectangular, black glasses ran in to protect Ray, who packed off toward the coffee table. Ray seemed to be in mild shock. Ray is about 70 while the other man about twenty-years-old. Two St Vinnies women grabbed their phones and a "Police Security" car emerged two-minutes later from behind the Wakefield Street Police Station. The driver appeared reluctant to stop but did so on the beckoning of one of the St Vinnies women. After a brief discussion they drove off and a few minutes later the real police arrived and talked to Ray and the other man. I'm not sure what happened after that. It should be noted that the man's behaviour appeared not meant to injure Ray and is common behaviour amongst the rougher crowd in the homeless scene. But there is a taboo amongst those in the "homeless" scene against hitting church-based and unpaid workers. "You don't bite the hand that feeds you," one veteran said. 11 December 2007 Santa's Little Helpers The Salvation Army is running radio ads begging for toiletries and food for their Hampers and Christmas gifts at Fred's Van. One ad said something like, "On behalf of all our needy, thank you." 11 December 2007 Glenside Sell-Off Fallout Incompetence and bad planning all down the line. Could it be called corruption? It was reported in the City Messenger newspaper of 6 December that St John's Youth Housing Service was refusing entry to 226 people each year despite having on average two empty beds each night. Wendy Malycha blamed the clients saying "some people are extremely difficult to deal with". She's got a point in that many "homeless" people in another era would have been inmates of Glenside and Hillside Hospitals; others currently need detox centres. Another point of the view, perhaps held by those refused entry on rainy nights, is that Wendy Malycha is hard to deal with. The St Vincent de Paul shelter on Whitmore Square says 15 to 20 of its 49 beds are empty each night. How different from the old days when the whole stinking place would be packed to the rafters. One man living outside told me the conditions of entry are too humiliating so it's easier to stay outside. He also said thieves operate within the joint so you lose your stuff. Another man told me last year that their restaurant is empty 23 hours a day and used only for a quick, timed evening meal. The strange thing is that since a few million dollars was spent on renovating the shelter building, actual occupancy has declined despite similar numbers of people sleeping outside. 11 December 2007 "Carpet Baggers" at Christmas Parties It will be interesting to see which homeless joints invite media crews to report happy homeless people being fed on Christmas Day and given little presents. One source told me that two years ago the Hutt Street Centre brought in a certain "next Pope", the Premier, a camera crew and a security guard to stop the grateful clients from busting the camera. The source said the Premier shook hands with everyone but a certain "next Pope" did not. I haven't been able to corroborate this story. 11 December 2007 Teen Challenge Anton and Rangi missed another Thursday meal. The new guy plus Ricky handled the situation nicely though the Jasmin chef thoughtfully observed us when they were handing out the food. We moved from the park to under the eaves of the RAA office while Ricky moved the big truck like a sports car. We ate the food while crouching on the footpath next to the expensive restaurant and apartments. Many people using the restaurant developed vertical facial wrinkles when they saw us eating on the footpath. Watching the disapproving faces of affluent dark skinned people while semi-destitute white folk eat charity food is a lesson in human nature. 11 December 2007 Homelessness Down One I forgot to mention this previously but Barmera Scam Artist, John Green, has reportedly found a place to live. 11 December 2007 Special Announcement You can often see Jimmy from Uganda with Charlotte and Cockroach and his girlfriend at the Elizabeth Railway Station. Last week the man formerly know as "Jim" announced to the crowd at Fred�s Van that he was changing his name to �Kevin Rudd�. This drew a mixed reaction. 5 December 2007 Cappo "is compromised" Comments on the �Cappo �is compromised�� article in the Adelaide Advertiser none of which were posted from anyone from this website. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/comments/0,22638,22832221-910,00.html Attempted Lock-Out? They�ve locked the gates at the �Common Ground� Vanity House redevelop site in Light Square. But our people can still sneak in through the hole in the gate. 4 December 2007 New Flats Back of Afton House re-development - a HousingSA initiative. 4 December 2007 Teen Challenge Six new Teen Challenge men managed the Thursday night meal in Hindmarsh Square last week. The Jasmin Chef still watched carefully as the food was handed out. Anton and Rangi weren�t there but the ever-reliable Ricky sat in the front of the truck. The food in the plastic packs was, as ever, excellent. The Jasmin Restaurant was judged No. 1 for Best Indian and Best Service in the Adelaide Restaurant Awards. They�re also the most generous restaurant in Adelaide to those in the homeless scene. 4 December 2007 Free Petrol Discount Vouchers from FamiliesSA The FamiliesSA office in Morphett Street, Adelaide displays a sign offering free petrol vouchers. I asked the guy behind the counter for one. �I can do that,� he said, and handed me a wrinkled Woolworths receipt that offered 4 cents off per litre. 4 December 2007 Train Doors Fixed? �They�re paper-working over the doors,� said a ticket inspector to the guard on a train last week. He went on to explain that the Trans Adelaide bureaucrats had fixed up their paperwork making it appear that the faulty train doors opening unexpectedly between stations had been fixed. �Shouldn�t they just fix the doors?� asked the guard rhetorically. Neither of them laughed. 4 December 2007 St Vincent de Paul Cleanskin status challenged "On your gossip site you said St. Vincent de Paul didn't cash in on the slave labour and cutting people off of payments racket - QUITE WRONG! - Vinnies is the charity arm of the Australian Roman Catholic Church. That vile organisation owns an organisation called "Centrecare", which cut many, many welfare payments from many, many thoroughly decent people." From a confidential source 3 December 2007 ABC Radio Discusses Phil from Fred�s Van Matthew Abraham and David Bevan discussed with Patrick Conlon, Minister of Transport the action of Trans Adelaide staff banning Phil and his can-loaded fridge trolley from the trains. Patrick Colon: "�you know, you can take cans, you can take bags on trains. Now, I don't, I'd suspect the issues might be how many cans and how�I think there's a suggestion that there's some unsecure trolley or something involved and my view would be in practice if the guy was getting on an empty train they probably wouldn't worry at all but if he's getting on a train full of people like problem how do the people themselves probably haven't really liked the experience of it if there's a trolley of cans. David Bevan: "So that's your advice to Trans Adelaide: the transport minister hasn't got a problem with this guy with his trolley of cans provided he's of no inconvenience to anybody else on the carriage. Patrick Conlon: "And provided there's not a safety issue, look, I mean, it's very strict in, in, you've seen the furore in public transport if we do something that people think is unsafe, now, um, they've got to be pretty rigorous about safety issues because at the end of the day if something goes wrong they won't be suing the guy collecting the cans; they'll be suing Trans Adelaide. David Bevan: "No, but this is the system which has train doors that close on ladies and husbands as they're trying to get out of trains with pushers and, well, there's serious� Patrick Conlon: "David, David�" David Bevan: "There's serious safety issues there. Patrick Conlon: "David. David Bevan: "and you're worried about a guy with a bunch of cans? Patrick Conlon: "David, that's, those, that thing about the closing doors, can I tell you, has been going on as long as there has been trains because people will often try to get on a train too late or try to get off a train too late, now, I can show you the numbers year on year. There's no difference this year, in fact, um, I'm happy to say there are fewer, there have been fewer door entry incidents in recent years than in the last years of the previous government. I'm not saying because they were bad�door incidents with trains go on, have been going on forever and now it's regrettable but that you can't control every aspect of human behaviour and, uh, it will be sometimes it might be us taking off too soon, I doubt it, but often it will be people trying to get on a train when they're late or get off when they just realise they're missing the stop. David Bevan: "What is the latest report on that couple? [passengers caught in the doors as the train was moving off] Patrick Conlon: "Oh, look, I've no idea, mate. I've, I've absolutely no idea. I'd have to find that out for you. Matthew Abraham: "Okay. David Bevan: "So you don't know whether that was the fault of Trans Adelaide. We all know the incident we're talking about. Just a few weeks ago a young num, she got off, her husband was trying to help her with the pusher; the doors closed on them and [the train] started to move away. Patrick Conlon: "Yeah, uh, well, look, I don't know and, um, you know, one of the things is, you know, we've talked about, uh, the kids, one of the things is the parent, I mean, it does give you a cold shiver when you know about children being involved in incidents so it's something none of us want to happen, but I really don't know. I'd have to find that out for you. Matthew Abraham: "Okay. 1300 222 891. Dorothy of Blackwood Dorothy: "�we stand on dangerous territory when we start to say who cannot go on public transport because the whole point of public transport is that if we are a member of the public we should be allowed on the train and I find the Minister's point about public safety rather, uh, pathetic because you have bikes, which are much more dangerous with all the spikes and the protrusions. And you have pushers with children which when they are fly are weighty. I wouldn't think the cans contained in that bag would be that dangerous and any more dangerous than anything else on the train and I think if the gentleman pays his fare he should be entitled to go on public transport. He doesn't appear to be a danger and it's important that we celebrate somebody who actually wants to work. And one other thing: Trans Adelaide should be focussing on improving their services than worry about a couple of bags of cans. David Bevan: "Minister, do you want to respond? Patrick Conlon: "Well, no, Dorothy's got a view and she, I mean, I'm not prepared to claim I know much about it, is, that, is, to answer Dorothy's suggestion is not a problem. I'm just telling you that the Trans Adelaide does not have a blanket policy of stopping people with cans from getting on trains, now this particular individual circumstance, I'm, I'm sure they've got a very good reason for it but, you know, we'll check it out, okay. There's no blanket ban for people taking cans on trains�we have no hostility to it� David Bevan: Allan rang to say there could be a concern with ants and wasps collecting in the empty cans. Geoff rang to say he's travelled with the gentleman with the cans for a number of years and it was something all of the other commuters worked around and there were no dramas. Interview broadcast on 29 November 2007 �Quite a hurtful little comment, really.� David Cappo, (Business Class), talking on ABC Mornings 5AN about SACOSS CEO, Karen Grogan�s comment in the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper that the Social Inclusion Unit lacks transparency. She said,� We are a little worried because what we�ve seen with the State Government social inclusion agenda is a lack of transparency around the representation on the board.� That�s the nice way of putting it. 28 November 2007 ********************************************************* "Joined Up" A source tells me this is the new term used by David Cappo and "Social Inclusion types" to indicate the breakdown of client information firewalls between government departments, church charities and clients' personal doctors. Also, ��some versions of �joined-up� thinking manifest themselves in holistic practices that can �see everything�, �know everything� and �do anything�, and thus a �holistic power� to discipline and control every aspect of welfare recipients� lives.� C. Allen, British Journal of Sociology 54 (2): 287-306 Jun 2003 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0007131032000080249 29 November 2007 Banjo Jones Frank Jones, aged 74, says he�s moved into a unit at Sturt owned by the Adelaide Benevolent and Strangers' Friend Society Inc. It�s a unit, mind you, and Frank�s main hobby is playing the banjo. Let�s hope the other tenants just love the banjo. One source in HousingSA says it is temporary until they find something better for Frank. Ah, another temporary place of abode. Don�t we all know about that. 29 November 2007 Latest News on Trans Adelaide�s Social Exclusion of Can Collectors A friend collects cans from Rundle Mall rubbish bins. Trans Adelaide stops him from boarding trains with his fridge trolley loaded with striped �derro� bags full of plastic and cans. He�s forced to push his trolley from the city to his home at Woodville Park or get a lift from others. Trans Adelaide (V.R. Evele, Executive Manager Rail Systems) wrote me saying that they stop can collectors from boarding trains because trolleys can�t be secured and that stuff might leak from his load. Anyone catching trains regularly experiences food and liquid dropped on the floor and seats caused by people eating and drinking on trains. Trans Adelaide doesn�t seem worried about this. Also, bicycles and baby prams are regularly carried on trains and they aren�t tied up (although prams do have brakes). Yet who has ever been injured by a can collector�s trolley? Has anyone seen liquids leaking from can collectors� bags on trains? Not me or anyone I�ve ever asked about it. Meanwhile, drunks, drug dealers and addicts, those who rub their dirty shoes on the seats, and people who slosh and spill food and drink on the floor and seats are welcomed on Trans Adelaide trains, but not a man who conducts an ecologically sound activity. 23 November 2007 Beautiful Downtown Kilburn Does anyone remember the gossip entry from last summer about Street-to-home offering a place in Kilburn to a homeless woman suffering from severe depression, alcoholism and oncology health problems? She declined and two weeks later on the very street where Street-to-home offered the place another woman was murdered. That part of Kilburn is full of drug addicts and dealers. Well, Frank Jones, aged 74, and living in his van, dislikes being around drug addicts and criminals. Guess where the paranoid �Allan� of Street-to-home found a place for him? Yes, it was at Kilburn in a crowded block of flats with insecure parking. Frank declined paranoid �Allan�s� offer. Another person in the housing service industry said they were happy that Frank rejected this inappropriate housing because it wouldn�t have worked out and they�d all be back at square one. One must wonder if better quality staff couldn�t be obtained for Street-to-home? Of course, the problems there start from top down with that short-fused Manager and his tendency towards �controlled violence�. 23 November 2007 Good Old Fred's Van? Rice and vegetarian stew was delayed at Fred's Van last Thursday because they forgot the plastic dishes. But the good thing about Fred�s Van is that there are no requirements for food. Anyone can go there. So when you're really down-and-out Fred's Van volunteers are there. Only those who have actually starved in this land of plenty know what Fred's Van means. 23 November 2007 The Hospital that functions best with no patients Remember that �Yes, Minister� episode where Sir Humphrey described a hospital as functioning perfectly despite not having any patients: the lack of patients didn�t seem to bother him? It was the MACHA table at the Homeless Health and Housing Expo in Whitmore Square last week that jogged my memory of this TV show. The cheerful MACHA staff said their waiting list was closed. It had been closed for six-months. They didn�t indicate any time when it would be re-opened. So what were they doing at a Homeless Housing Expo? Having a good time, it seems. I left their table thinking, �what nice people�. I was happy; they were happy. 23 November 2007 Cheap Show Bags St Vincent de Paul was giving away Show Bags at the Homeless Health Day. Great bags: thick brown paper with rope-like handles. The only problem was there wasn�t much of value inside. But the bags were great. I like good paper bags especially brown bags. They�re very useful. Still, one must always remember that St Vincent de Paul didn�t cash in on the slave labour program called �Work for the dole�. Slave labour corrodes an organisation. To manage Work-for-the-dole labourers an organisation needs to hire meaner type of employees, sort of like prison guards. Then the rot sets in. 23 November 2007 Homeless Health Day It should have been advertised more effectively. WestCare helped by cancelling their daily lunch saying a free lunch was available in Whitmore Square. But there weren't any notices at Fred's Van. I asked a dozen others ? including professional scavengers ? if they'd been to the Homeless Health Day. They said they hadn't known it was happening. There should have been notices posted everywhere that listed precisely what people could expect to get. Those in the homeless scene respond well to little showbags and free chocolate bars and toothpaste. I think there is an inbred culture within "homeless organisations" where they keep services secret to avoid being swamped by genuine and non-genuine clients. But the Homeless Health Day organisers and participants wanted lots of people to turn up. The more the better. It was a terrific day though I personally was disappointed: I didn't get enough free stuff. I should have brought a larger bag. November 2007 "Short Fuse" misses Homeless Health Day Street-to-home didn't have a stall at the Homeless Health Day. MACHA and HousingSA were represented but not the "short fuse" and the paranoid "Allan". How strange that a major arm of psychiatry and housing in the homeless scene avoided the homeless health day. Were they scared of that frail elderly man with the cheap Kodak camera? November 2007 Inside the Black Heart Homeless Centres are attempting to prevent or delay their takeover at the hands of David Cappo and his Theo Maras allies. They're expanding their Boards of Management to include more lawyers, accountants and others with mainstream backgrounds. Improving society by helping vulnerable and disenfranchised people has been deemed by those in power as a quasi-subversive activity. It requires more than a pure heart to maintain operations: an organisation serving the homeless requires legal and political muscle to survive. These homeless centres face an avalanche of objections when they offer free food to underclass people, many of whom live outside. Richer people want both the centres and their clients expelled from the Adelaide CBD. It takes much money and expertise to resist this onslaught. Strangely, those fake charity organisations that launch dozens of "charity workers" onto city streets daily face little government resistance. They collect money by direct debit then keep 85% of this money for themselves. One man collecting on Hindley Street told me he gets the first $40 donated from a person signing up to direct debit. The collection agency grabs the next $40 and only thereafter does the actual charity that employs them get a percentage of the money donated. This means the donor's first $80 doesn't reach the charity and the donor remains a licensed product of the collection agency. These collection agencies appear to have no problem conducting their activities on Adelaide CBD streets, as distinct to the problems faced by homeless centres offering food and medical services from their private property. November 2007 Prostate Problems ? Men needing a cynical laugh might try phoning the Prostate Health Clinic on 1800 429 361. They advertise in Adelaide's Messenger Newspapers with big display ads every week. They also advertise on radio. Their sleazy salesmen offer a "Prostate Elixir" while pretending to be associated with doctors. They operate out of Sydney but don't provide a business address or an ABN in their advertisements. They want $2400 for a one-year supply of their "elixir". They offer a discount of $300 if you pay over the phone by direct debit or credit card. They guarantee an 85% success rate. (What's the bet you'll be one of the 15%). You might also want to try the Advanced Medical Institute on 1800 078 120. They offer a product where you spray some crap up your nose and it gives you longer lasting sex. Wouldn't a kick in the balls do the same thing? 27 November 2007 The Paranoid "Allan" The paranoid "Allan" of Street-to-home accused Frank Jones, aged 74 and living in his van of being paranoid. "Allan" tried to spring a psychiatrist onto Frank at his van but Frank left 15-minutes before the appointment with a "doctor". 27 November 2007 Big Trouble at Teen Challenge "You already got a ticket," Anton from Teen Challenge tells me at the Hindmarsh Square free meal, cooked by the Jasmin Restaurant and served by Teen Challenge. "No, I didn't," I reply. "I've been here twenty minutes but was talking to Frank Jones." He peels a ticket from his pad then turns away. "You're working. You shouldn't be here," he says to the man who lives outside, earns less than the dole and refuses to receive any welfare payments, even the Health Care Card. "You look too clean," the ticket man says to the elderly Dominick, southern Italy's answer to Elvis Presley. Dominick has balancing problems and falls to the ground easily. �Don�t come back next week.� "You're not homeless," Anton challenges a former helper and long time member of the homeless scene. The man throws his ticket back in disgust and misses the meal. �They�re [Teen Challenge] trying to get rid of as many as they can,� a veteran whispers in my ear. �The Jasmin is questioning whether everyone here is actually homeless.� "Should they be told that most of the homeless actually live inside but have been homeless in the past and will be so in the future?" I ask Rangi, the Teen Challenge bouncer. He doesn't reply. "Teen Challenge told me they want more young people,� the veteran whispers again. "People who can be converted." "Maybe they're having trouble filling the youth house at St Lukes," I ponder. While we're eating the Teen Challenge person stands over us, saying. "I wish I could get a feed like that," "Why don't you?" I ask. "Because I have to make sure you blokes get fed," he replies. Teen Challenge management style resembles the recruitment style of the Revival Fellowship of Adelaide, another charismatic religious group. A Revival Fellowship Pastor told me they attract large numbers into their congregation then identify the "true believers" from the "hangers-on". They then discourage the latter and this process repeated over and over establishes an ever-increasing core of "true believers". From this growing platform they establish evangelical drives to save human spirits from damnation. Teen Challenge is a similar charismatic group that aims to inspire people with religious belief. It also operates drug rehabilitation programs. The free meals for homeless people are, in effect, recruitment drives to attract drug addicted young people for rehabilitation via abstinence and belief in Jesus. This has two affects for those in the "homeless" scene. The drug and religious programs of Teen Challenge help some dramatically. But the attracting and expelling process means that the rest of us experience the ignominy of being welcomed with food then later expelled. But Anton of Teen Challenge says differently. He says he�s forced to turn people away because the Jasmin Restaurant wants only the actual homeless to be served. He is speaking the truth because the Jasmin Chef handed out the meals last night asking many if they were actually homeless. Kaylene, who was homeless but now works for free at Magdalene Centre and lives in a Housing Trust joint was refused food despite getting a ticket from Anton and waiting an hour. The man living in his car outside Hutt Street Centre also didn�t get served because he was too sensitive about explaining his situation. (I gave him my meal and went to Fred�s Van, anyway.) Another man who sleeps under a bridge has decided to switch from the Jasmin Meal to the more reliable Fred�s Van. The numbers were down to 50 from 80 over the last three weeks and are set to drop further. You can�t blame the Jasmin for not wanting to supply containers of food to people who now live somewhere. The difficulty is determining who actually lives outside. 26 November 2007 Not Enough Customers Ironically, Teen Challenge has stopped their Raven Trailer Ministry free barbecue lunch at Light Square on Friday because not enough people were turning up. One former client exclaimed: �What do they expect with all that fatty food?" He said he rinses the snags of fat by squeezing them with his hands. Another person said he feels guilty about receiving free food then rejecting their religious message. 26 November 2007 A Stroke of Good Luck? The �Common Ground� Bus Station project will provide 38 �studio and one-bedroom apartments� by Christmas according to �Media Mike�, the Premier of South Australia (Adelaide Advertiser, 17 November 2007. That New York Real Estate Agent Roseanne Haggerty wrote in "Smart Moves", a book published by the South Australian government early in 2007, that there were just 37 �rough sleepers� in the Adelaide CBD. Is anyone thinking like me? 37 rough sleepers; 38 apartments for the homeless. That could leave one empty apartment and no rough sleepers. What�s the bet these apartments will be filled quickly and the 37 rough sleepers will still be sleeping outside? 26 November 2007 Deterioration Masked as Progress The much-vaunted �Common Ground� project will be offering 38 �studio and one-bedroom apartments�, supposedly to the homeless. The cost will be 30% of a person�s income. This is for one-bedroom flats and �studio apartments�, (which means bed-sits). Both types of �Common Ground� accommodation are smaller than HousingSA units yet cost a higher percentage of a person�s income. How is this an improvement for homeless people? It seems like another David Cappo and Theo Maras con job. 26 November 2007 The �A� List Hey, how come no one from this website got an invitation to the �Common Ground� Public Relations stunt put on by the Premier and that New York Real Estate agent? Many in the media were equally sidelined but it didn�t stop the Adelaide Advertiser from adopting the same �slant� as the Premier and the real estate agent. 26 November 2007 Home |
