A new survey by a charity found that half of the homeless people who live on Melbourne's streets are not really homeless.
Brendan Nottle, a staff member at Salvation Army, said 50 percent of them had a place to live. They lived in the streets just to ask for money to buy drugs, and some were foreign backpackers.
According to a previous street survey, the number of people living on Melbourne's streets jumped from 142 in 2014 to 247 at the beginning of this year, an increase of 74% in just over a year.
"there's a drug epidemic in downtown Melbourne," says Nottle. "some people who live in the streets are drug addicts. They can even get $300 a day, and then they use that money to buy drugs!"
Therefore, Melbourne Mayor Robert Doyle also appealed to the good-hearted citizens, "you can send clothes and food to the homeless, but don't give them cash. If you want to give your love, you can donate the money to charity organizations." Help those who really need help. "
The question now, Nottle said, is who should be in charge of the people who have their homes but still live in the streets.
Without disturbing public order and endangering the safety of public life and property, the police have no right to ask them to leave.
Next week, Murben City Council will clean up uninhabited homeless tents on the streets.
At the same time, the council will also send staff to the streets to provide assistance and services to these vagrants.
But Mayor Robert Doyle said, "although we are now investing more resources than ever in dealing with the growing number of vagrants, we will not be able to solve the problem completely for half of the time."
So, who are these people who live in the street?
35%: the truly homeless;
15%: people who are forced to move to the streets in places where drugs are overrun or dangerous rentals; and people who choose to live on the streets in order to save rent, utilities, and so on;
50%: drug addicts who live in the streets for money, and foreign backpackers.
For example:
22-year-old Selina.
Living in the street: 4 weeks
Reason: due to poor medical conditions, she arrived in Melbourne from Indonesia four weeks ago and has been living on the street since. At present, she only has a one-year non-work visa.
She said, "I'm not begging. But a lady passed by and asked me what I needed, and then she sent me a portable stove. "
"the people here are very good. I can use WiFi, to clean up, watch movies and get medical services."
23-year-old Emily.
Living in the street: 5 months
Reason: the landlord didn't want her to have a dog in the house, so he kicked her out.
"I don't want to leave my dog because I can't be sure he'll find a good owner," she said. Now I've been living in an abandoned warehouse in King and Collins St. "
By begging, she gets $150 a day, and once she gets $600. She used the money to buy food, blankets and pay for the dog's medical expenses.
32-year-old Olive.
Living on the street: four years
Reason: The man was driven out of his place
She said, "I've been robbed and I've been hurt. There are a lot of good people who give me money, and charitable organizations provide me with food. "
By begging, she sometimes gets $150 in two hours.
In the course of the investigation, whether or not these people who live in the streets should be asked to leave,
Eighty-nine percent of netizens chose "yes,"
Eleven percent of netizens chose No.
Netizens believe:
"half of the people who live in the streets are not really homeless. After all these years, they have finally discovered the fact! "
"You can get $150 for 2 hours, and you don't have to have any education, and there's a good thing to do! The law of the prohibition of begging is to be made by driving them out of the way that they cannot feed their own foreign nationals. To donate money to a charity, we should give them food and clothes, not money. The girl, who was driven out of the dog, was not pitiful because she was living in the street and the result of her choice."
"I've heard that farmers in some places can't find workers to pick fruit for them this year, just in time for these homeless people to go, and it must be safer to live on a farm than on the street, so both problems are solved."
"I wish I could earn $150 in two hours. If you want to know who really needs help, give them food. Every time I deliver food to people on the street, I get turned down. So, yes, we need to get them out of the street. Goverment can no longer ignore the problem, provide these homeless people with temporary accommodation, carry out some relief programs, and test them for drug abuse! "
"Twenty years ago, when I took a taxi in Melbourne, the beggars asked every passing taxi for two bucks for coffee. Some drivers offered to buy food for them, but they were turned down every time. Isn't that interesting? "
"if the police or the Murben City Council have no right to expel these vagrants, it means that the law should be changed.
These police officers will be chased for speeding 4kph, but can not solve the problem of vagrants, Melbourne has become a slum and a place full of drug addicts, what is the truth! "
"One day makes $150, and the dole can be taken, and the fool will want to leave!"
"I think I can consider changing my job. Beg for $225 in three hours, and don't be too happy with the job! "
Xiao Wei thinks, in contrast, we seem to be poor people, right?