This video offers a sobering look at how systemic policy failures have turned housing from a basic right into a precarious luxury. It effectively challenges the public's narrow view of homelessness by exposing the hidden fragility of the modern social safety net.
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Australia’s Hidden Crisis… This Could Happen to YouAdded:
[music] >> This is Melbourne.
>> [music] >> One of the most livable cities in the world.
So, why are thousands of people sleeping on its streets?
In this video, I'm going deep into the heart of the city to show you the side of Melbourne most people pretend doesn't exist.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> The on-court action is what dominates the sports headlines, but it's what's happening outside the grounds of Melbourne's Australian Open Tennis Championship that's exciting Australia's newspapers.
Less Grand Slam than Grand Slum, said one [music] last week, referring to the number of people sleeping rough nearby.
Television news programs, too, have focused on the shame of tennis fans having to see homeless people [music] blighting the city.
Initially, police said there was little they could do to clear the streets.
It's not an offense to be homeless. Um it's not a very good look what's what's down there at Flinders Street, but it's not an offense to sit or sleep on the street.
But under pressure since, politicians have said they will look to change laws so [music] people can be moved on. But even if that happens, it won't solve the underlying issue. People sleeping rough so close to where the Australian Open is taking place has made the issue of [music] homelessness front-page news in Melbourne.
Before the coffee carts open, before the laneways fill, before the city starts performing itself again, there's another side to Melbourne.
The one that [music] slept outside.
The one that was told to move on.
The one that learned the difference between a city that can count [music] you, police you, film you, clean around you, and a country that still cannot house you.
>> [music] [music] >> In 2021, [music] Australia counted 122,194 people experiencing homelessness. Only a minority were visibly sleeping rough.
Most were hidden, crowded into unsafe [music] rooms, boarding houses, temporary accommodations, hotel rooms, [music] and other people's homes. The street is not the whole story. It's a path we can no longer pretend not to see.
>> [music] [music] [music] >> Nah, I'm watching.
Watching for me, my cousin's partner.
Mate, the foreign aid is booming, right?
But you used to live in the streets here? Yeah, bro. But how was it here? Oh, it was it was crazy here.
On the streets, you know, I was homeless here for 8 years. You were, bro?
And I So, what?
I was I was homeless on the street I was homeless for 8 years. I was down here on the streets for like 8 months. Yeah.
Which felt like a lifetime, bro.
Lifetime, huh? Yeah.
So, you know, just day-to-day struggling, you know, trying to get I was I had a habit as well. I was addicted to like heroin and ice, you know. Yeah.
All that stuff, and you know, trying to support my habit with not being on any payments, and then thinking about what I'm going to eat or where I'm going to sleep.
It was crazy. We'll go up here, I'll show you the little bit where I used to sleep sometimes. Yeah. When I would sleep, there was a lot of times I didn't sleep.
But um there was heaps of us, you know, and I was speaking before and I was like a majority of the people I was on the streets with, they were all from regional towns.
So, I was like I didn't click then, but I was thinking I um thought about my story and how I ended up down here. Mhm.
I was like you know, I burnt all bridges in my town. You know, I had no more options left in my hometown.
So, I came down here, you know, and I found a number of people that was the same as me.
You know, they were they were they were homeless they they were addicted, and not everyone was addicted, but there was a a big number of people that, you know, was the same. I could relate. I'm asking from an outsider, right? So, do you reckon a lot of people escape the regional town because of the shame, burning bridges? I think I think, too, like there's that there's that, you know, a lot of people burn bridges, but a lot of people just lose hope in that person, or they lose hope in that town. Okay. Because they the support just ain't there. Yeah.
>> And one of my sister girls I was speaking with her earlier, we have a voice, but we're not heard.
You know?
>> It's true. Yeah. Why the city? Cuz I'm I'm the same I'm just assuming high tra- high traffic? High traffic, you know, a lot more of a chance to um you know, bump into people, a lot more of a chance to get some money. Yeah. Or um as tough as it is, you know, a lot more of a chance to get it get, you know, get support from someone.
Yeah.
>> You know, even if it's one of the public give you a bit of money or Yeah.
There might be more food vans and Just a lot more services. A lot more services as well.
>> [sighs] >> Is that right?
What brother are you?
>> [music] [music and singing] [music and singing] [music] [singing] >> You know, at the end of the day, the ones that are struggling I want to help, you know, I want to give back, you know?
That's awesome. I want to make them smile. I want to make them warm everything, you know?
Yeah. The food's the biggest thing, bro.
It's great food here. The cooks are here amazing. All the food's fresh in kitchens and all that, and then transferred into the city here, so it's amazing. It's amazing, so yeah. So, I can tell from what you were saying as well, bro, like you don't care where you come from No, no. or what your circumstances are. You're here to feed regardless. So, first guy don't have a I don't have much of a background myself.
I just always love to help give out.
Yeah. You know, support people, you know, I want to see someone smile. If I can give them a blanket, if I can give them a sandwich, anything, just even have a chat to them, you know? Yeah.
I've done a lot of traveling over third world countries and [music] stuff, you know, and helped them out there and, you know, still continue doing it back home here in Melbourne. So, yeah.
So, over the times over the years you've been doing it, so you've been doing it for what, 5 years, right?
>> 5 years, yeah, yeah. So, how have you seen it like getting worse over time or >> Yeah, it's definitely got worse, yeah. I wasn't here too much [music] in COVID. I think a little bit of COVID. Um it was quiet it was quiet on numbers in COVID.
Um not sure, you know, if people were interstate anything like that with family, friends, anything, but yeah, you know, it has it has got worse over time, so Okay. So, do you reckon cost of living?
>> [music] >> So, walking past you today, bro, like you were totally totally different person. Yeah. How's it make you feel here, like are you walking on the same streets where you used to sleep?
Yeah, it's still mind-blowing, brothers.
I just have to give all my glory to God, bro. Amen. You know, because I would never ever made it out. Yeah.
>> And a lot of the people that I was on these streets with, they all died, bro.
Yeah. They didn't get to make it out.
>> Oh, man, that's sad, bro. You know, they didn't get to make it out.
For me to be walking here today, 8 years clean, Mhm. you know, I have my home place, I have my home I have a job, um 8 years crime-free, 8 years drug-free, and we're walking back here, you know, I still see flashes of myself, Buzz. Yeah. You know, walking and and being lost and and just, you know, praying and hoping for a better way.
Yeah. So, so during them them times there, bro, it would have been cold, would have been dark, would have been wet. You would have been lonely. Yeah, 100% but I say like the weather was one thing.
But it was more colder internally. Oh.
>> Knowing that there was no one you could turn to. Wow. You know, so that was more cold than it was on the streets.
Wow.
>> was cold.
You know, I remember I slept on the cement up here.
Um I just felt so upset and so like alone.
Um the weather, the cold cement was the least of my worries.
Wow.
>> Having no one to turn to and feeling like I was going to die like that was colder than anything.
>> So, true loneliness. Yeah, bro. Like, you know, you you had everyone around you. You had other people that were on the streets but Yeah. You know, it wasn't like that internal cold, bro. Like, even though like I speak about that fire I had. You know, that fire was about to go out, you know? Yeah. And that was the only thing that was keeping me warm was that little flame.
>> Yep. That that flame that made me think of my children and made me think of what life could be like if I just get through this. Yeah. You know, I had to go cold to survive. Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to ask you a hard-hitting question, bro. With today's cost of living, you are seeing more families on the streets. But would you say that a majority of the people that are on the streets sleeping rough substance abuse, trauma, running deep, running away from domestic violence?
There's all that if you ask them, you know.
I I I reckon that eight eight out of 10 are from substance abuse, you know, things that happen at home, trauma, um Mental health?
>> mental health, >> Yeah. um There's there's a there's a number out there of um home breakdowns, so marriages, people get divorced, people lose everything. Yeah, gambling's a big thing. Yeah.
>> there's people out there that have been married for years and years and they might um have a gambling addiction.
>> Yeah. And they lose everything. They sell their homes, they sell their houses and then they're up on the street. And that's the actually come to think of it, right? Cuz when we a lot of people a lot of us talk about addiction, a lot of us generally think of substance abuse. But gambling is massive as well. Gambling's massive, man. Like, and it's even bigger these days because it's right there on the fingertips on the phone.
Yeah.
>> have to walk into a venue into a tab or into a pokies. Yeah. You know, they can do it all online now.
>> Yeah.
You know, there's people out there that gamble other people's money away. That is true. Savings and stuff and I remember years ago we pulled up and one of our >> uncles was in the pokies and we were waiting in the car for him.
Yeah.
>> this this this couple comes out and she's um she takes off her ring. Oh my god.
>> it.
Her marriage ring. Yeah. And her and her husband like basically split up right there and then cuz he just gambled away everything, you know?
>> [sighs] >> It's freaking sad, isn't it?
>> Yeah, she had enough. That's And we >> off the wedding ring and threw it. And we say it all the time, man, addiction doesn't discriminate. It comes in all shapes and forms, man. And addiction is only there just to destroy you.
Huh?
>> a guy I met back there and he was um yeah, he was homeless, sleeping rough and he didn't even um I don't even think he looked like he used substance but Yeah. he said he just um had a tough time cuz you know, he was waiting on some money to get right.
And and that's reality as well, bro. I mean, people actually lose their job.
Paycheck away. And you can end up on the streets. It's that easy these days.
Yeah. And also, you know, talk about the institutional abuse people go through. This video is proudly sponsored by [music] About Time for Justice. Jake Little is a survivor. He went through institutional child sexual abuse and instead of turning away from the pain, he used his compensation money to build something [music] that could help others. He started About Time for Justice to support people who's been through serious trauma and don't know where to turn. So, disclaimer, Jake and his team do not give out legal advice but they do [music] listen. They support you while helping people like you to connect with lawyers who may be able to assist. They include support around car accidents, TAC claims, and [music] work injuries. They also help people who have experienced abuse in places like schools, churches, foster cares, youth detentions, boys homes, girls homes, [music] and state care systems like DHS, DOCS, and FACS. If you have to stop working because [music] of injury or illness, you may also be able to claim through your superannuation. And if childhood trauma has led to serious [music] mental impacts like PTSD, anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia, that may count, too. You do not have to go through this alone. If [music] you want to reach out, fill out the form which is in the description and speak with the amazing team at About Time for Justice.
>> [music] >> So, this raises a massive question.
Not why [music] the homeless people are visible in the city but where exactly were they supposed to go?
>> [music] [music] >> This is not one type of person.
This is women fleeing violence, children families that have to run out of rent money, people with untreated mental illness, people leaving prisons, people leaving care, workers, pensioners, [music] people using services, people refused by services.
In 2023 to 2024, specialist homelessness agencies helped more than 280,000 clients and the sad thing is around 77,000 >> [music] >> were children.
Family and domestic violence was the biggest single cohort and mental health needs were enormous.
Persistent homelessness was rising.
[music] And I was talking about it before as well, the rising petrol prices and that stuff which is going to push all the costs up for everything.
We're probably seeing a lot more people >> 100%.
>> on the streets, yeah.
>> And what about the youth, Buzz, you know? Yeah.
You know, people are expected to survive, pay rent off a little amount of money.
>> Yeah. And then get by with 50 bucks till the next pay. Yeah. You know, like the rent's so high. It is. You know, um the food's so dear. Yep.
People are expected to survive, man.
It's tough, isn't it? Cuz we're we're at a day and age, man, where corporates big corporates are making big money, big profits and the other people are losing.
People are suffering. And people are just surviving. Just.
>> get a chance to live. Yeah. They're surviving, you know? Like, >> Yeah. All heard, man. Heard about water.
It's no longer there anymore. Yeah, virtually everyone's got a straw these days. Yes, Buzz. Yeah. Or you got to learn how to breathe under water. It's hard, man. Tough times getting tough.
So, we saw them guys sitting there. That was 9 years ago, yeah? Yeah, 100%. Yeah.
Had no shoes.
You know, just they were just doing it to survive. Yeah. Hello, how are you?
No, no cigarettes, are there down there?
Yeah. What are you after?
Yeah.
All right, good one.
Yeah.
>> one of my mates had a squat around around South Melbourne. I wasn't exactly sure where it was but he had a squat and someone poured petrol on it and lit him up.
While he was in there?
>> Yeah, yeah. And he died? Yeah.
Oh my god, that's horrible, bro. Yeah.
Absolutely horrible. Yeah.
Damn, bro. I didn't I wasn't expecting that, bro. I was thought someone would have kicked you or, you know? No, people just like disrespectful. People people would come past like drunk and, you know, >> Yeah.
you know, abuse abuse us or Uh People would say, "Get a job. Yeah.
Get a life." Yeah. You know?
Yeah, I know, bro.
Yeah. And it's not like um And it's not like people like it's not like you want to be there, is it? No, bro. Like, you just had no more options, bro. Like, Yeah. And you wasn't you wasn't at the stage yet to like, you know? Yeah. It was hard to get my life back, bro. Like, So, you're walking past here right now, bro, where you actually used to sleep. Yeah. But where you used to lay your head in right here, bro.
Can you remember exactly which spot?
Right here. Yeah, I'll show you.
But you got footage of you there. In early 2017, Melbourne's homelessness crisis collided with the image of the city itself.
Camps near the CBD were being removed as tourists poured in for the Australian Open.
Then outside Flinders Street Station, police moved to clear a makeshift camp.
Arrests followed. Officials said short-term accommodation had been offered. Advocates said they missed the point. Three nights indoors is not an answer to chronic homelessness.
It's a pause button.
Wow. 9 years ago.
2017. That's crazy, man. I'm pretty sure that was me cuz I had a broken arm.
And you can see I was on my arm at the thing but Yeah. Um yeah, 50 jacks lined up and they just came like a riot squad, basically, and just a few of my mates got assaulted. There's videos of seeing them getting assaulted. Um they just would basically chuck us and got us up and forced us off the street. Did they give you an option to go? No. So, there was no Okay, you can go here, go there.
>> nowhere. They just forced us off.
They came in like riot sort of mode.
Wow. Forced us off.
And a few few of our mates were like basically stood their ground, clashed on with them. Yeah. Um one of my cousins was chased by about three or four of them down here.
Yeah.
>> And they grabbed him and like he just slipped out of his jacket. Yeah.
>> On the news. Oh, wow. Got out of his jacket and he was running.
Wow. But like what what I got from all that was that they were trying to hide the problem.
They didn't want it out in the public eye. Yeah. And they wanted us in the back alleyways and and you know >> But not on the prime going off in the station.
>> Well, that's what they just did in Footscray. The the the one of the royals, Meghan Meghan and Harry, one of them was down in Footscray. They painted all the walls, they cleaned you know, cleaned up all the homeless, everything there. Oh, wow.
As soon as someone special comes, they clean up clean up. Yeah, they always do that, man. Like especially when there's Crown casino and that stuff, they push them away.
>> I would have loved to take Meghan and Harry for a walk. Reality.
>> yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, that's crazy, man. Have a look at the river now. Yeah. Mhm. Take them for a walk, really out.
But yeah, it was um pretty hectic. Well, yeah. Cuz that video is like 9 years ago, right? You were right here in this location right here, winter, cold up, curled up, getting warm from other people.
>> Yeah. Right? Like that bed wasn't even my bed, like Really? No, I was just jumping in someone else's bed.
Like way up there, you know, like I just needed the rest. Yeah, yeah. I remember just like that was that was waiting for.
I remember um there's a guy that's still homeless to this day.
I see him around.
And um he had like a tent down under the bridge there.
And um he wasn't in there and I just I needed to get away from everything, you know, so I climbed in his tent and I just crashed. And then he come and he's opened his tent and he looked in.
He goes, "You all right, bro?" Oh, wow.
And he just let me you know, rest. So, there's that community aspect as well, huh? You got you you're there to help each other. Yeah.
Okay, so back then when you were actually struggling, man so, there would have been people like there, just the other services out there. So, how did that make you feel?
Was that like a Was that a lifeline?
Um People come to give you food.
>> of depended on on the services like there was a bus that just pulled up up here and it was the big blue homeless bus.
Yeah. And it had like a shower on there and it had all the um like toiletries and Yeah. and underwear and all that stuff and and then that pull up in um the park up here, Batman Park.
>> Yeah. And they'd probably cook the feed and we'd just go down. Okay, so if um services like that didn't exist, do you reckon it would have been harder?
If it didn't exist?
>> Yeah, for you guys, yeah. Yeah, 100%.
Yeah. So, that's all yeah.
>> But you still you had to be on the clock. So, if you wasn't there when they were there you was missing out. So, if you was out chasing you know, your next fix or trying to get you know, cuz you were sick from the the drugs it was either go there or stay sick. Wow. You know, so I was like there was plenty of times I was too late. But then like you had like Subway and places like that that would um give you all their day's leftover >> Yeah. food and Yeah.
Yeah. So, like there was times where I had a big crate of stored subs.
And then everyone was coming to eat.
Yeah. We'd eat all of that or um you had Oz Lane, Hosier Lane. Yeah. There's a lot I've seen that alleyway, yeah. And used to be Yeah, the living room. Yeah, we used to go down like they always had like peanut butter and jelly. Yeah. Jam. Victoria now has the lowest social housing share in the country. Public housing wait lists are near record highs and while governments talk about targets, Australia's own housing advisers say the nation is still forecast to miss its broader housing supply goal by 262,000 homes. If you think that emergency system catches everyone [music] before they fall, you got it wrong because it doesn't. In just 1 year there were about 110,000 unassisted requests for homelessness help [music] in Australia, roughly 300 a day. Most were asking for emergency accommodation.
Most were turned away because there was nowhere available. Even among official clients nearly a third of those who needed short-term or emergency accommodation got neither a bed nor a referral. When people say the government isn't doing enough, this is what it looks like in numbers.
All right, guys, we're at the very very famous Batman Park, the very same park where I almost got a freaking taxi. But it is what it is. Jarvis, it's going to be history.
What's up?
Yeah, so they used to um they would cook some food down here for us. Yeah. Like you'd get the random every now and again would come up and you know, um yeah, whip something up for the people that were doing it tough, sleeping rough. [music] Oh, yep. So, I'd come up here and yeah, people um would be able to get a feed here. [music] And then there'd be people sleeping here as well. Yeah. Um all under these Yeah, cuz the bridges here. Cuz I know I was with a mate here last time, Richard.
And he says that he he used to sleep here as well back in the '90s.
>> Yeah. It's homeless it's very commonplace isn't it over here?
Yeah, 100%.
So, you guys are virtually sleeping right next to Crown casino [music] where they're pumping millions a day, bro.
100% bro.
For fun. And people would just like there was people that were coming to help but Yeah. It was like yeah, there wasn't many, you know? Yeah.
Yeah, like someone would like post up on there and that'd be their pile like and then we'd just come and crash on there with you know. Yeah. And then someone over here. I had one at the end here.
Like right next to us, bro. Like massive tourist attraction and obviously we just saw someone sleeping his off.
Like how does it make you feel, man, [music] walking past you that you this here used to be your bed?
All right, like I feel a bit like, you know, sense of relief and and just like I just reflect, you know, bro, like I could have actually I could have died here.
Really? Yeah, I could have died here, man, you know.
And I um I overdosed here a few times.
>> Wow.
You know, I was found face down on the train tracks.
At Flinders Street Station. I'd try and sleep here. Yeah. My cousin had a tent here.
Her and her partner at the time.
There's a few other people here.
Um I remember there was one time I was out cold.
I just needed to block the wind, you know.
I had There was a trolley here and some cardboard and I I flipped the trolley and I put the cardboard like inside you know.
>> Oh, wow.
>> Block the wind and I just sat my legs in there like my body in there, you know.
Wow. Yeah.
Damn, bro. This is how this country survives, the shame of it.
Not by ending homelessness but by hiding it.
Dispersing it. Renaming it and treating the visible [music] poor as if they were disturbance rather than a warning.
When I was down here on the streets you know, I was addicted to everything.
And like I said, you know, I overdosed probably at least five times. The last time I overdosed I I I woke up in that same room in the hospital. Yeah. And I had all these tubes hanging out of me.
I had a drip, I had a catheter.
I had like you know And I woke up and I looked down at my name tag. Yeah. And it said unknown.
Wow. Oh, so it's right here. Yeah. And I asked the I asked the nurse Yeah. I said, "How do I get here?"
She said, "You were found face down on the train tracks at Flinders Street Station." That is crazy, bro.
And I remember just praying to God. I said, "God, why do you keep bringing me back?
You know, why do you keep giving me another chance?" And he said, "I'm not finished with you yet."
Wow. Yeah.
And I walked out of there. I took all the tubes out. I walked out in the hospital road and I went straight back down to the pylons where I used to stay as well.
And I just sorted out my next shot. Man, that's crazy, bro. That life of addiction, bro, it just takes hold of you, huh? Yeah. Like a stronghold, huh?
Yeah.
You're walking here now as almost like a tourist where this used to be your your living area. I I feel like I have I have This is part of my story, you know.
Yeah.
It's part of me now.
You know I feel home now wherever I go, you know. Yeah, that's awesome, bro. Yeah.
Australia is not [music] failing to understand homelessness. Australia understands it well enough to count it.
What it has not chosen to do is to end it at a scale [music] required. And until that happens, every cleared camp, every boarded up place, >> [music] >> every sleeping bag under a station camera says the same thing. This is not a housing market gone wrong. This is a political choice >> [music] >> made visible.
No matter where you come from be warned.
We never forget the struggle that built us.
We wear it with pride.
>> [music] >> We are street king.
>> [music] >> Earn your crown.
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