National Homeless Persons Week
According to the Government the economy is booming and unemployment is at a thirty year low. However under John Howard’s economic rug of prosperity are hundreds of thousands of Australians that have fallen through the cracks of twisted statistics. Each night an estimated one hundred thousand people are homeless, with 14,000 sleeping out under our Aussie skies. According to Mic Looby from the Big Issue, Australia’s homeless do not fit the stereotype of an old man sleeping under the bridge. The Big Issue is increasingly being contacted by young people and the so-called working poor who are homeless. As Government policies like Work to Welfare appear to increase the problem of homelessness, it is charities with scarce resources that are keeping people alive. As this week is Homeless People’s Week, The Wire spoke with Mic Looby from The Big Issue to find out more.