Ice and cannabis used to dull rut of poverty

[cannazine]

Day One: I arrive as a homeless, broke backpacker. I'm asked if I was referred by Centrelink. Ushered through to a rear courtyard where seven or eight tenants are milling around. Some are friendly, others guarded. I'm quizzed about my background. All goes well.

 

Within 15 minutes, I'm offered a bong and told I can buy marijuana in deals starting from $10.

 

The caretaker, Ned, provides a guided tour. There are 30 rooms spread across three floors and only four communal bathrooms. My room, number 1, costs $140 a week and sits feet from the front door. I'm amazed to discover my electricity runs through an extension cord travelling 25 metres down a corridor to a plug socket located behind a fridge in the shared kitchen.

 

"It's illegal," says Ned, "but so are a lot of things here."

 

A tenant later warns me: "Try and get another room. You'll have people knocking all night on your window, and the front door, to be let in." When I ask why, he replies: "Because everyone comes here to get on it."

 

I'm told speed and ice can be bought any time from the dealers upstairs. "Someone will introduce you if you want some."

 

At lunchtime, I'm invited to join a group of lodgers at the Wayside Chapel where free food is served to the homeless. More than 30 people are munching on sausage sandwiches when we arrive. My fellow tenants begin to open up: one, in his early 20s, was referred to the guesthouse, via Centrelink, after fleeing a violent family home at Coffs Harbour.

 

Another was referred, via the NSW Department of Corrective Services, when released from jail.

 

One man in his 30s, from Dubbo, lives at the lodgings with his mum. They say almost all the residents exist on fortnightly social security payments. After Centrelink has deducted rent, which goes straight to the owner, they are left with $250 to last a fortnight.

 

The guys I'm with admit they get "wasted" the moment that money is in their hands. Speed and ice are the most popular "hits". Both provide a prolonged, lasting escape from an otherwise mundane life. And when the money's all gone, they survive until next payment on a timetable of free food handouts at various volunteer services, such as the one we're at.

 

We leave the Wayside and head towards Burger King to exploit a free-refill drink policy. But with not one penny to scratch between us for the first drink, we must first rifle through nearby bins - for Burger King cups. What an eye-opener.

 

I have enormous sympathy for these guys. They are volatile and vulnerable. They are stuck in a never ending two-week cycle. While referrals to the home are supposed to be temporary, some residents have remained there for decades. Unless there is an urgent overhaul of the system that housed them, they don't stand a chance.

 

Night one: 6pm: There's a flurry of activity outside the front door. Several people knock, wanting to do "a deal" with a man upstairs. They tap on my window. Reluctantly, I let them in.

 

Across the road, three men wolf-whistle repeatedly until, finally, they gain the attention of a lodger in an above room. They come in. Within minutes, the trio depart briskly towards Oxford Street.

 

Over the course of the next few hours, people continue to arrive at the door. I don't respond but eventually, the dealers upstairs do.

 

11pm: I venture upstairs to the top bathroom - syringes sit in the bin. Then, I go to brush my teeth in a downstairs bathroom. Syringes there too, including a sterilised container, for addicts to place discarded needles. It's now past midnight and the knocking has stopped. I try to sleep but cockroaches crawl over me.

 

Day two: Few wake till noon. With no money and no jobs, tenants mill around, smoke marijuana and discuss the next free meal.

 

Night two: Virtually a repeat of the first. A rush outside about 6pm. Used needle sits on top of downstairs bathroom mirror.

 

The thought of living here makes me want to cry. Seeking a proper night's sleep, I pack my bags and leave.

 

 

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/natio...708.html?page=2

[sunnycoaststoner]

thats fucked up dude, oh to be a backpacker.....NOT. filthy junkies leaving their needles everywhere. makes you wonder how many of these places are around.

[cannazine]

Its a big money making scheme.

 

We went through a similar thing a few years ago with the homeless here in the UK.

 

It was known as the great B&B scam and basically if you knew someone with a different surname to yours you could "move into their home" as a B&B tenant, which was worth £150 per week off the government just in rent.

 

A number of "half-way" houses sprung up seemingly overnight, to take advantage of the situation, offering similar facilities to those mentioned in the article.

 

The last big bust of a building everyone in the area knew was being used for dealing drugs, (not just cannabis), was the Rastafarian temple bust a month or two back in London.

 

Centrelink will have already acted on these allegations I reckon.

[thc24]

wasnt much different when i stayed in sydney while the olympics where on, no accomodation left other than share houses 160pw for a 3m x3m room or a hotel....

 

Back then herion was the drug of choice, i didnt find needles or the likes of in my Bathroom but where dealings from the house day and night, medication trades and a stabbing at the front door..

 

Glad to be home is all i can say.

[Stoney]

hey there

 

would hate to be in your shoes

 

although those sausage sanga's sound pretty good

 

cheerz :Dj:

[WantDaChronic]

i can understand people on centrelink payments being smashed 24/7, hell im one of them but the difference between me and them is that the money i have left over after my rent has been paid goes to food and bills, i havent bought even a $20 deal in easily 6 months, probably longer i just cant remember the whole fortnightly existance is really fucking boring, even if you go overboard with all the job seeking activities, you are still going to have many hours of the day just sitting around and doing nothing...gotta remember you cant pay for many hobbies, going out, etc. while on welfare coupled with the fact the only employment oppertunities for most people on centrelink payments are "no brain required" type work, eg. maccas, woolies, etc. who all hire 14 and 15 year old kids due to the drastic pay increases with age, you are pretty much stuck on welfare for life

 

with all that boredom, when you get a reality check like that one its no wonder there are so many people on drugs while on welfare payments

[Al Fish]

Some years ago the World Bank issued a study which said that either Australia or South Africa was the richest country owing to their reserves of resources. The World Bank could not tell which country was the wealthiest because the full extents of each country’s resources remain unknown.

 

Makes you think.

 

Moreover, there are only five or fewer countries with government controlled Reserve Banks. All the rest - including the Reserve Bank of Australia - are private banks. And they are all controlled by the same families. Elizabeth II, Queen of the UK allegedly controls (through various holdings) approximately one-seventh of the Earth's surface. There are very good reasons to strongly suspect that she maintains significant mining interests in Australia through a number of complex structures.

 

How come all these different countries, with different languages, culture and history end up with the same problems: inflation, failing public infrastructure, crime, poverty, pollution, racial tension, failing school systems, expensive medicine, manic anti-drug laws, etc, etc?

 

Who is pulling the strings and why?

[Chato]

Whilst i have some symptathy and understand everyones individual situation is different i truly believe in many cases it's a fuckin cop-out and if ya want to bring about change in your life and get off the welfare roundabout you can...

 

The internet, which anybody reading this has access to in some way, is an amazing resource and oppurtunity to make money for anyone with the desire. Start small an sell shit on ebay, collect fuckin rocks an paint smiley faces on em an sell em online, in this day an age and the amazing capitalist system we've created an live in money is there to be made, legally and/or illegally.

 

For those w/o the internet there are still plenty of oppurtunities available although they may not be that glamorous and involve "shock horror" some amount of hard work, they are still there.

 

peace

c

[Luke Skywalker]

Indeed, considering there is a substantial shortage.

 

One should keep in mind that a substantial proportion of these people have little to no education or work experience and can also have some form of mental illness too, so it may be a bit much to expect them all to become council shit-shovellers.

 

It's easy to walk a mile in another mans shoes when your own are steelcaps.

[Chato]

I did keep it in mind...

 

Whilst i have some symptathy and understand everyones individual situation is different

 

but everyone an i mean everyone has a tale of woe, wanna hear mine?? nah prolly not....

 

Whose expecting them all to become shit shovellers ? I'm sure such a well educated person as yourself Luke would be aware of the multitude of different types of employment that are available for people who have little or no formal schooling not to mention those that have mental illnesses.

 

This is not an attack on people on welfare but rather my opinon on a culture of the blame game, buck passing and it's not my fault attitude that i see so prevelant in Oz society. Quite easy to sit back an blame society, parents and govt for our problems pity it's a little harder to get off the couch an do something pro-active to change your life. Where an when do people start to assume some sort of responsibility for their actions/inactions and put the past behind them, mental an physical disabilities notwithstanding.... Is it a reason or an excuse??

 

I fully support the idea of welfare an helping out those in need, i aint gunna sit around an listen to cop-outs though an i believe the % of them is growing all the time.

 

As for steelcaps you'll find it's even easier to walk a mile in another persons shoes if you started out barefeet.

 

peace

c