Housing catastrophe has led to homelessness tragedy

Dear Friends, 

It is unacceptable for any Australian to be homeless. We all have a responsibility to act and stop this terrible inequity. Can we also get closer to people subjected to homelessness, reflecting their value as individuals and community members, and helping lift their burden of loneliness?

This is Homelessness Week, and I’m grateful for the sober reflection and purposeful action that will occur across Australia.

We desperately need to soberly reflect, because more than 120,000 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness each night. This is at a time when recent Oxfam data show the wealthiest Australians have increased their wealth by 70.5% since 2020 and globally, billionaires have been paying a tax rate equivalent to less than 0.5% of their wealth.[1] It’s scandalous that in a nation as wealthy as ours, people are living without the most basic of human rights – a safe place to live.

_{Wesley Mission hears from people we support that they can access food, clothing and personal goods while they are experiencing homelessness,
but community is far too difficult to find.}

It’s urgent and critical that we act to end homelessness before it becomes even more entrenched in our nation, as it is in the United States and other parts of the world. I’ve shared below some ways you can help. I also think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the difference we can make if we respect and include people experiencing homelessness.

Living without a home can be a deeply isolating experience, and those feelings don’t always go away when someone who has been in homelessness moves into a home. Being willing to get closer to someone experiencing homelessness and ensure they are truly included in our communities is an impactful action.

Mother Teresa, who worked for so long to combat poverty, stressed the importance of offering love and help to people near us, saying “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home, for this is where our love for each other must start.”

Australia is also our home, and people experiencing homelessness need and deserve to be truly included in our communities. So, while we galvanise this week to end homelessness, I also will be challenging myself to show up with respect and value for people who are, for now, experiencing homelessness. This is our calling as fellow human beings and, for those of us who follow Jesus, our clear and compelling calling.

Every blessing,