Hard luck life

By Melissa Meehan
GREATER Dandenong residents are facing a “constant struggle street” in light of the global economic crisis.
WAYSS General Manager for Housing Programs, Jen Kelly said she had noticed more people facing hardship in Dandenong in the past 18 months.
“Dandenong used to be an affordable, working class suburb,” she said.
“But now we are seeing more and more people relying on a pension to pay their rent.”
She said costs were continuing to rise and that left many residents struggling to survive.
“What we now have is an invisible homeless population,” Ms Kelly said.
“Gone are the days when we’re talking about the homeless sleeping under bridges, they are the ones barely meeting their payments or are staying with friends and family.”
She said families then took risks by not paying insurance or rates and other bills.
“We go to a number of house fires and find that people have stopped paying their insurance,” she said.
“These are just some of the things people aren’t paying and taking the risk.
“It is a grim world out there.”
She said it was also discouraging for those working in welfare because the need was greater than the housing available.
“Life for those living in Dandenong facing hardship is much better off than those living in Cranbourne,” Ms Kelly said.
“Dandenong has the infrastructure of buses and trains, close proximity to markets with good fruit and veg available.
“This kind of infrastructure allows residents to downsize their costs.”
She said it would be possible for families in Greater Dandenong to sell their cars and rely on public transport, but the same could not be said for Cranbourne.
“They don’t have access to markets or public transport like Dandenong.”
She said it was the first time in 15 years that homelessness had been on the agenda for the Federal Government.
“They have realised that homelessness isn’t about sleeping under bridges or in parks,” she said.
“It’s about mums and dads moving between family and friends, embarrassed that they have nowhere else to go.”