Rafael West, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) and Arturo Escobar, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)
Evidence increasingly shows the effectiveness of controversial efforts, like northeastern Brazil’s Attitude Programme, to feed and house at-risk drug users.
Some say homelessness creates squalor in our cities. But Hosier Lane — the most Instagrammed spot in Melbourne — thrives partly due to homeless street artists.
Bans are ineffective when used against populations that have nowhere else to go. Importantly, research shows that punitive approaches to the homeless cost more than supported housing strategies.
Homeless children charged in NSW with a criminal offence who are unable to meet bail conditions are being kept in custody. It’s due, in part, to a well-meant but flawed section of the Bail Act.
The lack of service integration and the paucity of welfare services make poor people’s task of caring for their familes much harder. A small monthly cash transfer can’t solve all their challenges.
Businesses have traded on graffiti and the air of edginess that draws visitors to Melbourne’s laneways. But they draw the line at sharing space with the homeless, whose right to the city is denied.
Reliable data about the homeless population is vital when developing policy, allocating funding and developing services for vulnerable people. But first the census needs to find them.
A decent national housing policy is not just about the million or so Australians who are in housing need, marginal housing or homeless. In reality, all the housing sectors are connected.
Many praise the internet as a democratizing force. But with online spaces replacing physical public squares as places for debate, what do we risk losing?
The Hollywood flick recalls subprime’s role in the 2008 financial crisis, but, by helping more low-income households buy a home, the loans can help ease the affordability crisis and homelessness.