A very clear problem exists, mostly in our cities, with homelessness and it is not a simple, one answer solution. In Western Australia, for example, much of the homelessness is as a result - or was when I lived there - of not enough land being released to keep up with development. There were educated and skilled people, who had jobs but no homes. Mostly they slept in cars and vans. I did so myself for a while. There are also many people who are homeless because they have social skills unsuitable for modern society and find it hard to enter that space, for one reason or another IE: Indigenous people who have moved from their traditional land, into the city to find work. They become fringe dwellers, stuck in a no man's land between what we term normal society and what they see as normal. I agree that it is an economic waste. In a country like Australia, with more land per capita than almost anywhere in the world there should be enough houses for everyone. Perhaps less stringent regulation and more emphasis on getting people into employment in regional areas and with temporary housing attached would be a solution. The green economy, with industries such as commercial hemp, with downline processing and manufacture would help. This will only happen when somebody in federal government takes a stand and allows it to be used for fibre, fuel and food, as other countries have done. Industries such as hemp, can lead to training, with a grow as we grow, level by level training scheme existing, as we value add to the next stage and beyond. Forestry too, can be constructed in the same way. Plantation-based solid timber products grown, processed and manufactured to finished goods and especially houses. A very relevant article and a 'rightfully responsible Australian government' would tackle this before tearing down what is already in place, just because they didn't think of it first.

Long term homelessness is a choice in Australia, an outcome you have to work for. I firmly believe in a safety net but people have got to help themselves as well.

homelessness is a terrible state of affairs largely caused by the breakdown of families which then becomes intergenerationally. Another fruit of secular dogma. It is by no means an economic problem but is definetly a spiritual one. The trashing of the family unit continues which makes throwing more money at the sympton rather than addressing the problems totally wasteful. The best secularist normally come up with is that problems they create can be solved by throwing more tax payer money at it. Conrad writes 'To ignore homelessness is moronic '
I would say that to ignore the causes is even more moronic. Socialist are good at ignoring causes and ignorant enough to think more money will solve the problem.

Homelessness is a far more complicated issue than just not having enough land or public housing available, or as a result of family breakdowns.

Drugs and alcohol abuse and mental illnesses are at the heart of the problem.
We need more mental health centers and accommodation to deal with the increasing problems we have in our society.

And Runner, you can stop being holier than thou when you understand that religion, and the guilt that believers are made to feel, are often at the root of mental illness.

David Leigh,
agree mostly, and you make several good points as does Sussanonline.

Corncob,
is simply very ignorant?

And runner,
you hardly seem on topic, which is arguably the kindest thing many grannies living on charity and in donated gold coast apartments could say?

We have the highest median house prices in the English speaking world, and just too many landlords have priced the less well off out of reasonable accommodation.
And just who can afford a $4,000.00 a week rent bill, even if they are earning a six figure salary, in a mining Provence?

David is right, and govts, all of them could be doing much more, like just cracking on with the NBN, which is already earning more actual money for actual Australians, than the sum total of the iron ore industry, if cogent reports are to be believed!

There is absolutely no reason to delay the roll-out of rapid rail, which would also boost the economy, and allow any authority, to later sell some of the resumed land as rezoned urban to new home buyers, able to use the new links to commute.

The sale of the resumed, rezoned land, if done in a timely and wise fashion, would repay all and any capital outlays.
Even large govt supplied new high rise housing, could be built off budget and on resumed land, alongside various underutilized rail corridors, while most could be low rent housing, which the better more reliable tenants could buy, using some of their rent money as a deposit? The well heeled could be invited to buy upper story penthouses; and or, highly desirable ground floor commercial space.
[Exponentially rising but fair rents, would ensure, no taxpayer carried the can for any of these proposed developments!]
This tenant mix, would also spread some new onsite work opportunities, some of which could be merely menial, and suit people with no real skills, gardening, caretaker, house work, nannies and what have you?
Rhrosty.