Three people have died. We can’t fix this crisis on our own

It is a time to talk about how our society can address these issues together, and for government to find the same urgency for homelessness that it has for other social problems. The first time I was a confronted with a person who had died on the street was as a youth worker in Rockhampton, 40 years ago. The memory of that person has stayed with me vividly, as have the many I have witnessed since – in parks, or squats or alone recently housed. Premature death is a reality for people who have experienced years of chronic homelessness, or become homeless with poor health, or for women forced to choose between homelessness and going back to violence. Homelessness is not caused by an ALP or LNP housing crisis – it is a global issue.