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Adelaide Homeless Journal
1 July 2007 to 31 Dec 2007
High Rollers
Welcome
The Adelaide Sky City Casino failed in its attempt to kick out Peter Bagdi for life. Their initial accusation was that he was a danger to other patrons after he circulated a note inside the Casino saying that Sky City Adelaide was being used by dubious people like money launderers and criminals, etc. Commissioner Pryor of the Liquor and Gambling Commission decided Peter was not a danger to other people. Peter was accompanied by three advocates while the Casino was represented by one man who gave his name as “Steve”. 4 July 2007 Questionable Statistics Rumour in the homeless scene is that “the next Pope” has been going around saying that homelessness is down 5% in South Australia. The Bureau of Statistics says their homeless data won’t be available until 2008 but if I wanted to pay $350 they’d provide it right away. The employee of the ABS said the State Government (including Social Inclusion Commission) has paid to get early data. If so, would “the next Pope” like to publish this data on his website? I’ve asked his spin doctor, Danielle Gordon, to provide the data. Why shouldn’t they? It would show how wonderful “the next Pope’s” program has been. It would also be interesting to compare the Adelaide CBD “rough sleeper” data with Roseanne Haggerty and “the short fuse’s (Greg Calder) count of “37” last winter, at about the same time the Census was done. It would also be interesting to see if putting that barbed wire topped cyclone fence around some Aboriginals camping in the sand dunes outside of Port Augusta changed their classification from “homeless” to “not homeless”. from the former Editor 9 July 2007 “Homeless” numbers down 5%???? “The next Pope’s” media release said, “The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 852 people were counted in the 2006 National Census as sleeping rough in South Australia – a five per cent reduction.” But the strange thing is you don’t hear the various agencies that work at the homeless coalface corroborating “the next Pope’s” 5% reduction theme. It appears “the next Pope” is isolated at the top of the power structure and has little idea of what is going on in the homeless scene. He relies too much on those few ambitious bureaucrats in the Social Inclusion Unit that want to succour favour with him. When he does get amongst the “peasants” he’s so often accompanied by his photographer, the “Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust” or media Mike. 11 July 2007 Indira Naidoo’s Sister “The next Pope” is sending a woman around trying to get homeless agencies to provide ongoing housing/homeless histories of its clients. “Indira Naidoo’s Sister” wants clients to be identified using part of their initials and birthdate and the information supplied electronically for easier tracking later. Homeless agencies have been reluctant to provide this information electronically in the past but take seriously New York real estate agent, Roseanne Haggerty’s threat that some people will lose their jobs if they don’t adapt to new requirements. 11 July 2007 “The next Pope’s” photographer It would be interesting to see how much, David Cappo, “the next Pope”, spends on his photographer that seems to follow him around and take his photo for the Social Inclusion Unit’s newsletters and other propaganda. It wouldn’t be remotely close to the $750, 000 that is being taken from the Salvation Army at Whitmore Square but it perhaps it could be measured in blankets or gas that is used at Hutt Street Centre where showers are limited to five minutes. 11 July 2007 Where does the "Social Inclusion" money actually end up? Dominick couldn’t get from the road to the footpath at the Teen Challenge van outside the RAA building last Thursday night. The 12cm rise was too much. He asked someone for a hand but during the process fell with his full weight on the concrete. He was worried his trousers had been ripped: they weren’t, luckily. Tony was there, too. He was having bad headaches. He’s had two strokes and can hardly speak: so soft and muffled, but he’s always pleasant to be around. An inspiration. The Christian fellow who lost a lot of weight recently can’t walk properly anymore because his spine, misshapen from birth, has begun affecting his legs, but he can get around on the bicycle he bought for $35. There were some half-melted Kit-Kat bars at the Teen Challenge meal. Some dude stole a loaf of bread: the bread that is served with the food. No big deal but a little rude. 12 July 2007 Calder the Comedian “Haw, haw, haw,” said a social worker when told the Social Inclusion Unit is still pushing "the short fuse" and the New York real estate agent’s “37” figure for “rough sleepers in the Adelaide CBD. 12 July 2007 Menstrual Cycles and the Listerine Kid It is said that in any female group the subservient women synchronise their menstrual cycles with that of the alpha female. Could this phenomenon be taking place with David Waterford of the Social Inclusion Commission? He's rapidly growing bald as if copying his master, "the next Pope". 16 July 2007 Location, location, location The new showcase homeless centre costing ten million dollars next to the the School of Ballet in Light Square is just around the corner from the Remand Centre. How convenient is that? 16 July 2007 Crim Track or Homeless Track? Having to provide ID to sit at the two-dollar meal at Hutt Street Centre isn't just the humiliation of having to do the charity case dance for Tabitha Collings. It is also part of the Social Inclusion tracking system where the movement of people who use homeless joints is being recorded so a map can be made of their everyday routine. This is great for police, street-to-home types, etc, when they want to grab people, but it doesn't make the Hutt Street Centre look so sweet. 16 July 2007 Rumour Rumours persist about a homeless centre closing down. Ian Cox of Hutt Street Centre better check regularly any noise in that empty lot next door. It could be "the next Pope" firing up a bulldozer, figuratively speaking. 16 July 2007 Rotten Charity Food I felt guilty at home discovering the Coles Chocolate Nobles given out at Fred's Van on Thursday night were stale, inedible. The reason for my guilt is that I gave two packets to a man sleeping in a doorway in James Place, near the Cheap as Chips entrance. He was very happy receiving them but I gave him rubbish. It was sort of like kicking a person when they were down. 16 July 2007 The other side of Child Protection Gale was saying at Chat'n'Chew in Port Adelaide last week that the foster mother of her daughter didn't provide the kid for Gale's scheduled access visit because she decided to take her somewhere else. Gale says the social workers are useless. It is sort of like when one partner denies access to the other partner except that the foster "mother" is paid by the government to look after Gale's daughter. Gale and Jason, along with Anne Bressington, are trying to get her daughter back. Gale was declared bi-polar many years ago and has been stable for years but the stigma of the label means she hardly ever sees her daughter. 16 July 2007 Driller Jet Armstrong need not apply WestCare had a problem with metal spoons from their dining room being used to mix and cook drugs. They solved the problem by drilling holes in the spoons but patrons complained about soup dribbling on their chins and clothing. WestCare finally switched to little plastic spoons. However, if you're a volunteer and have the right contacts with the kitchen staff you get metal spoons. Perks of the office. 16 July 2007 Disquiet Amongst the Diners "That's it, next week Hutt Street," said a client at WestCare's fish and chip meal last Friday. The fish had been overcooked three weeks in a row because the Cook shot through. The fish also smelled horrible until David doused mine with ketchup to kill the taste and smell. 16 July 2007 St Vinnies Night Shelter "It's run like a prison. The Manager is an ex-screw, that's how bad it is," said a resident at St Vinnies Night Shelter in Whitmore Square "Much improved. You have your own room and key and two meals a day for five-dollars," said another resident. 16 July 2007 Comedy at the House of Evil Dominick and Jill were sitting next to "Big Al", the famous comedian, at the Casino on Thursday night. They didn't go to the Teen Challenge meal perhaps because Dominick was still unhappy about falling over last week, or because they decided to take advantage of the one-dollar beers at the Casino, which was happening at the same time as the Teen Challenge meal of Chicken Tandoori. 16 Julyt 2007 Unsweet Logic An African twenty-year-old was trying to register for housing with HousingSA, and get a place so he could move out from Mum's place, but the office worker said he didn't have enough income from his partial Youth Allowance to pay HousingSA rent. She suggested he move out then apply for a Centrelink payment as someone who was living independently: a higher rate of pay. Can't you just love the logic? Of course the whole scene was played out at the front counter: no privacy, no respect. Most staff, but not including Dot Casey, are so used to behaving with such insensitivity that they no longer realise they're insensitive. 16 July 2007 Job Creation Another man told them he wanted to remove one area from the list of five areas previously approved of by Housing SA. Another office worker said he'd have to get a doctor's letter to say why he didn't want to be offered housing in Area 7. He said he didn't want to move there (Rosewater, etc) because of crims and drug addicts. "You can't say that," the office worker responded. He asked for the address of the Housing Appeals Panel but the staff wouldn't tell him where it was. The Housing Trust isn't simply being destroyed by selling off housing: it's the selling off the respect of its clientele. 16 July 2007 That old pervert at Fred's Van "Do you have nuts," Ray, the old, fat volunteer shouted at me, his face close. I gasped in horror then looked, strangely, at the two teenage girls serving food. "Do you have a bag?" the pervert shouted as I fled the scene while he handed out bags of cashews. 16 July 2007 New Talent Dominick said he was thinking of becoming a comedian. He looks like one and people laugh when he talks. That's a very good start. 16 July 2007 The human spirit *** ******* was saying last week that she will live outside until she solves the problems that drove her outside in the first instance. This echoes the Social Inclusion philosophy where housing and the reasons for living outside are dealt with together, or so I thought until reflecting the differences. But the woman was talking of letting her mind and emotions deal with her history while the Social Inclusion response invariably involves degrees of institutionalisation and pharmaceutical subjugation. The woman living outside said there is no pointing in dumping people in housing if the reasons that drove them outside in the first instance have not been resolved. She said the worst thing about government housing is that people are offered units in ghettoes of drug addicts, criminals, often the types of people that the person living outside was trying to escape by living outside. She got pretty emotional after this and I can't remember much else of what she said. 16 July 2007 Brett Grant Dead A person at the Casino says that Brett Grant was trying to stay at the Salvation Army Detox joint days before he died of hypothermia while sleeping outside. He was working days, unpaid, cleaning up Hutt Street so the richer folk would think those living outside were really nice people. He knocked off some wine from a friend's house in Walkerville and that got him over the .05 limit required to enter Detox, the person says. It's strange that while many beds were empty in Detox Brett Grant was sleeping outside and dying. 16 July 2007 Euphemisms from the Sleaze-Meister himself "Some agencies may continue to do what they do while we might ask others to rejig a little. The Council and inner city service providers have been very supportive of Common Ground and Rosanne Haggerty's recommendations. I hope this continues." Vicar General and Corporate Director, David Cappo, "The next Pope" appears long since past using clear frank language that people not "in the know" can understand. 16 July 2007 More Deceptive Language "Over the past four years, 12,609 homeless people have been helped through a range of initiatives." "The next Pope" gives the impression his Social Inclusion Board 14-point plan has somehow done the work. Actually, things were happening before "the next Pope" got his Commissioner gig. And of the 12,609 number I wonder how many were actually living outside? And the few that actually moved from outside to under a roof, I wonder how many returned to living outside, then back inside then back outside and then classed as two homeless people finding housing despite the possibility that the one person may be back outside, anyway. Rumour has it that the Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust is selling off part of the Parks Community Centre to private businesses. If true, no doubt this will be promoted as "saving it". 16 July 2007 Latest Homeless Count The latest inner city homeless count shows that 82 "rough sleepers" were counted by four homeless agencies on 19th June 2007. This compares with an inner city count last year by Greg Calder and Roseanne Haggerty of just 37 "rough sleepers", a figure promoted by Haggerty in "Smart Moves", a book published by the South Australian government. Even more surprising is that the figure of 82 came from just three homeless agencies, Byron Place Community Centre, Hutt Street Centre, and WestCare plus Street-to-home. It didn't include "rough sleepers" who didn't attend the three day centres that day or those who evaded Street-to-home. There were also nearly fifty people who refused to answer or were incapacitated when asked if they were sleeping outside. Another 15 indicated they were "rough sleepers" but didn't say if they lived in the inner city or suburban areas of Adelaide. A further 11 "rough sleepers" indicated they slept outside of the inner city area. The Inner City figure may actually be close to 150 "rough sleepers" according to anecdotal estimates from people living in the homeless scene. A strange anomaly with both surveys is that they were conducted by teams that included Greg Calder, an employee of Street-to-home who, if rumour is true, knew that the figure of "37" was false yet didn't contradict it for fear of annoying his boss, John Forward, or Social Inclusion Commissioner, David Cappo. Thanks to the Central Northern Adelaide Health Service for help in compiling this report. The Homeless Count is conducted by the four agencies for the Social Inclusion Unit. 23 July 2007 Boom Box Baby Gary Rankine, aka Gaz, whose favourite word is "Cock", was playing his Boom Box loudly in arcade at the Central Markets. He wouldn't turn it down so the guards grabbed it and threw it in the dumpster. Gaz reached in to get it out and fell into the bin. We hope he is alright. 23 July 2007 "Good old" Tay “Tay? She didn’t get that job due to intellect.” An Adelaide City Council member referring to Tay Parker, a social development officer with the Council. 23 July 2007 The Next Guy? Diners at one table at the Hutt Street Centre meal last Friday were talking about a second man who died of hypothermia while sleeping in the South Parklands. 23 July 2007 She fell off the roof “I feel sick,” said the woman at a charity meal. “Oh, oh, vomit,” I warned everyone. She fell off her faulty roof the day before. HousingSA maintenance won’t fix it though, to be fair, she was on the roof to remove a dead bird. But HousingSA maintenance levels are a disgrace. 23 July 2007 The Good Man “He's a good man; he had a wife and house and then something went wrong; he played the machines (pokies) and now he has nothing.” An old guy talking about the old Asian man who sometimes goes to Fred's Van. 23 July 2007 That strange hospital Dominick got kicked out of the Royal Adelaide Hospital last week. He was trying to visit his dying mother (probably stomach cancer), but couldn’t. He complained to the customer complaints guy at the RAH who then called four security guards who arrived as they were putting on surgical gloves. “Why are you doing that,” Dominick asked the guards. “So we don’t get our germs over you,” one guard answered. Dominick ran away, chased by the guards. He said he did say nasty things to the complaints guy. He also says he’s so worried about his mother's decline. 23 July 2007 Peter Reports "Just some info I thought you might like. On page 2 of yesterday's Advertiser (Wednesday July 18) it is reported that the homeless statistics used by the South Australian State Government are inaccurate. "As luck would have it Cappo himself was on ABC Radio National this morning quoting those same inaccurate figures and saying what a wonderful job he and his friends are doing. "For a long time now it has been well known that Rann idolises Tony Blair, well Cappo said Rann got the idea of the "social inclusion unit" from Blair's own policies. "Also, Rann is doing something (I'm not sure of the details) about some Greek or Cypriot people forced from their homes on one of the Greek Islands (I think) yet he is also evicting pensioners from their homes here so that the dwellings can be developed and sold. Small groups of housing trust workers are attending homes and explaining why the tenants need to be re-located. One worried woman I know of was told multiple times on the phone that there was no plans for her own house. She made a freedom of information request and found the architectural plans for the redevelopment of her property! What none of these people are being told is that the Housing Trust don't have the right and can't under their own rules and regulations evict or transfer tenants simply to redevelop a property. Ignorance is bliss as far as Rann, Cappo, Weatherill and Kalamaras are concerned! 23 July 2007 Media Mike Peter's Second Report "Mike Rann has a habit of getting himself into films his government provides assistance to. He even has his own 'Internet Movie Data Base' page (any negative comments get deleted, Mikey knows where to complain). He uses the Office of Premier as a blatant self-promotion on the national and international stage with the encouragement and support of Labor lacky left-overs like Bob Ellis. Methinks these two stooges have an eye on "The Lodge" or even a job at the U.N. like Tony Blair himself? Ah, to dream the impossible dream! But then as little Mikey knows with duo citizenship and a British passport, the sky's the limit when South Australian taxpayers are providing the funds." 23 July 2007 Dirty Politics “It’s discrimination,” answered a government employee to the question of why the Adelaide City Council keeps rejecting WestCare’s application to build accommodation units on their church mission property near Whitmore Square. “Units are going up everywhere in the Southwest corner, my informant said, "It’s the people WestCare wants to accommodate that is the problem.” “Can Cappo step in?” I asked. “Doesn’t he have the power?” “It depends on who actually has the power,” the employee responded. 23 July 2007 Vanity House The $10 million "Vanity House" for homeless and artistic people will fit between Light Square Studios, The Australian School of Ballet and Club 69/Rise at Light Square. A fitness gym is around the corner where some guy once sold horse steroids. The Remand Centre is also nearby and Offenders Aid just up Morphett Street. Talk about product placement: drugs next door; young girls on the other side for the perverts; Remand Centre when you get caught and Offenders’ Aid when you get out of the slammer. Of course, while the construction plans have already been broadcast by "the next Pope", the actual completion date is years away. PS: Let's hope "the next Pope" doesn't develop a taste for horse steroids. 26 July 2007 New Green Picture Barmera fraudster’s latest activities John Green has been operating an eBay account since January this year He was selling shoes, jeans, jackets, dolls not the sort of things you’d think a homeless man would have on hand. Customers appeared satisfied until May, 2007 when three complained they’d sent money but not received the items. Green’s eBay account http://myworld.ebay.com/shortyjag was quickly cancelled just five months after he began “trading”. He operated his eBay business from the Grote Street library and the Hutt Street Centre and might have had a female accomplice from Hackham West, a southern Adelaide suburb. His user-ID was “shortyjag”: “shorty” is the nickname from his football days in Barmera, South Australia; “jag” stands for John Andrew Green. 27 July 2007 Getting the mix right New York real estate agent, Roseanne Haggerty, when she was "Thinker-in-Residence", recommended a mix of business, “homeless” people, students and artists for buildings like the proposed "Vanity House" in Light Square. But Adelaide middle-class art students tend to rage throughout the night while ex-homeless people are trying to get off alcohol and drugs and make up for chronic sleep deprivation. The mix rarely works well. Ask the staff from Spectrum when they tried to mix African refugees with ex-Glenside patients. So perhaps the Social Inclusion Unit will have to fudge the books, so-to-speak when they fill "Vanity House": Something that will make it look like the $250,000 spent on the New York real estate agent was actually acted on: that elusive mix of business, homeless and artistic people. It would require quite an amount of “spin”. They could hire “Hand Job” Hancock, Street-to-home's spin-doctor-on-call. He might recommend filling Vanity House with homeless people exclusively, but like any “spin doctor” worth his or her salt would be able to put a different spin on the situation. He might recommend asking each one if they've ever drawn a picture in Reception or Primary School, whatever. Those answering yes could be classed as Artists. Or, conversely, Vanity House could be filled with TAFE art students. Each one could be asked if they've ever been camping. Bingo: Problem solved. But how could they add fictitious business people to the mix. Perhaps by asking either group if anyone had ever sold raffle tickets. Those answering yes would be Vanity House’s new “business people”. 30 July 2007 The Ian Cox Tradition "This worker at Hutt Street Centre helped me a lot. I was three days in St Vinnies, phew, and yesterday moved into East Park Lodge. Three floors up to a cell-like room," said the new inmate. "At least it's clean," I replied. "Do they still have unisex showers?" "Yeah," he shuddered. "I was in and out early. You wouldn't want to take chances with some of those sheilas there." "Does Lady Adolf still work there?" I asked. "I don't know. Like I said, I only moved there yesterday." 30 July 2007 At Fred’s Van More about the other side of child protection "She can sue them [the perpetrators] when she becomes an adult," says Gale quoting a social worker responding to her claim that her nine-year-old daughter had been sexually molested twice while in foster care. Gale adds, "FACS [FamiliesSA] knew this but didn't tell me for three years. After five years [In Care] she was five-years-old and they sent her to a psychiatrist - she's so mixed up." Gale is trying to regain custody of her daughter who was taken away at birth when Gale suffered post-natal depression. "The problem is that most social workers haven't had children; they don't know what it's like to lose your child," says Gale. Gale and Jason were at Chat'n'Chew in Port Adelaide. 30 July 2007 Last person out please turn off the lights Staff at the Disability Information and Resource Centre were heard talking about retrenchment payouts: 1.3 weeks of pay for each year of employment. DIRC has lost half their government funding that appears to have been redirected to “the next Pope” at the Social Inclusion Unit. 30 July 2007 The Xanax Kid “I’ve had ten full-strength Xanax this morning and they’re not doing a thing. That’s equivalent to 60 Valium. I should be overdosing,” said “J” at a WestCare lunch. “What happens if you don’t take them?” I asked. “I get violent,” he said, adding, “I was in Goulburn [Prison] for sixteen years.” But “J” is congenial and recently lost seven front teeth while helping a drunk stranger across West Terrace. The drunk thought he was being attacked and punched the “J” in the mouth. The drunk appeared in danger of being hit by a car. “J” has blood clots around his heart and has had a heart attack and is due to go into hospital within a week – for a short stay. 30 July 2007 Reactions to John Green in the Adelaide Homeless Scene “He should be stopped. He could kill someone: if they had a heart problem or something.” Person 1 “Call the police. If you don’t, I will.” Person 2 “He looks evil.” Person 3 “Oh, he’s around the place, all over, uh, so I’ve heard.” Person 4 – A Green Supporter “I can have him bashed for you,” Person 5 30 July 2007 Strange “Officials” outside Parliament Charity collectors standing outside Parliament House were getting people to sign contracts allowing automatic monthly debits from their bank accounts. The “good cause” was child welfare or something like that. Donors probably aren’t aware that the first $45 goes to the person who signs them up; the next $45 goes to the agency that hired the collector. Only after that does the charity actually receive anything and this is still only a percentage of what is donated because by signing the contract the donor becomes “a product” of the collections company. On average just 15% of what is donated actually gets to the charity. This is because the donors often get sick of the monthly debits and this often happens before a cent reaches the charity. Save the Children Fund and a whole lot of major charities hire these collection agencies. The collectors mentioned above were acting as if they were Parliamentary officials, greeting people as they entered Parliament. 2 August 2007 Oysters “I like Kilpatrick better than the Oysters in ‘Oysters Kilpatrick’.” Sandra, Port Adelaide 2 August 2007 Courage and Discretion There is open disbelief from homeless bureaucrats about Cappo’s media claims that “homelessness” has gone down. Why don’t they have the courage to publicly dispute “the next Pope”? 2 August 2007 Afton House Redevelopment Here is the backyard of Afton House. Does it give you that warm, cuddly feeling looking at the picture? It appears there won’t be any backyard. I wonder who will work there. Maybe Lady Adolph from East Park Lodge will be tempted. 2 August 2007 The Chinese Student There was a mature-age Chinese student desperately trying to contact the Barmera Scam Artist, John Green. The student had worked fifteen-years in China saving money to study Accountancy in Australia. He came to the homeless scene to practice his English. John Green was having quiet meetings with him elsewhere and then Green was laughing that the student kept phoning him and that he, Green, wasn’t going to reply. Big Joke, it seems. What was it about. 2 August 2007 People with food stains on their coats You can pick Fred’s Van clients. We’ve usually got food stains on our coats from eating while standing up and being jostled in the crowd. Or we’re wearing those striped, high-quality beanies, all of similar design and given away at Fred’s Van. 3 August 2007 Dominick’s mother died last week. 3 August 2007 This week’s food report It was Tandoori Chicken again at the Teen Challenge Meal. It was superb food from Jasmin Restaurant though the venue – across the road from the RAA – was horrible and almost everyone took the food containers and pissed off. Fred’s Van forgot the rice and curry last night and the cheese sandwiches were just cheese and margarine – no tomato and lettuce. But the fruit was high-quality, not throw away junk. The mood at Fred’s Van was excellent, too. The mood was also good at WestCare and a slice of orange was provided for the horrible fish though it needed tomato sauce and vinegar to kill its “flavour”. The bread was plentiful and “day old” rather than “week old”. The staff are respectful of the diners just like a real restaurant. 3 August 2007 Horse Steroids “D” was saying his “you-know-what” was getting big then would get small, really small and he wondered what was wrong. He blamed it on “J” but I said it was his age. “What can I do?” he asked. “Get some horse steroids from one of those fitness gyms,” I answered. “What does it do?” he asked. “When you try to walk slowly you gallop down the street,” I replied, adding "There are other symptoms associated with stallions. " 3 August 2007 Ooh, what poor people, ugh, derelicts A man and woman aged about sixty, well dressed, walked inadvertently amongst fifty of us lining the footpath opposite the RAA building last Thursday. We were waiting for the cooks from the Jasmin Restaurant to bring the boxes of food to the rust-covered Teen Challenge truck. The woman was shocked seeing so many “poorly dressed” people in one place. Her face went into “compassionate mode” then disgust and fear at finding herself amongst “needy people” then back to compassionate. It was both touching and disgusting to see the human side of such hypocrisy as the couple walked, eyes straight ahead, through us. When the food arrived almost everyone took a container then pissed off. Who wants to eat standing up as office commuters walk by with such unbelieving yet angry gestures? posted 6 August 2007 "The Galloping Next Pope" “The next Pope” could increase his efficiency by using horse steroids. Steroids change a slow walk into a breakneck gallop. “The next Pope” could gallop from his bedroom at the Archbishop’s House to Catholic Central in two minutes flat. He’d also become famous like the “Galloping Gourmet” of the 1960s; he’d become “the Galloping Next Pope”. As to “Cappos’s Cure for the Gang of 49, well, it seems he must have pressed “auto text” on his computer and printed some old report: Lock them up, drug them out, offer education courses like in the Job Network and start an “Arts Festival There appears very little change in the homeless scene except the hiring of new bureaucrats. We never see them except the luminaries at events like the Christmas Party at Hutt Street Centre when “the Galloping Next Pope” and Media Mike turn up for the cameras then piss of once the shooting is finished. 8 August 2007 Cappo's Deceit As Cappo was spruiking his report on the Gang of 49 Media Mike's government announced it was cancelling a $520,000 grant to Classic Cars at Beyer Road, Elizabeth South. Classic Cars was a car repair joint where young "offenders" would repair car wrecks back to new then donate them to victims of crime. Of 90 "offenders" who faced charges of car theft, assault and home invasion in the past 18 months just one has since "re-offended" after going through the course. So what will the government do with the saved $520,000? Well, it will keep the office bureaucrats of the Social Inclusion Unit, in the State Administration Centre, going for just over ten weeks: enough time to churn out another report. And what of Cappo's recommendations for the Gang of 49? The bottom line appears to be longer jail sentences and the treating of minors as adults in South Australian courts. And what is the usual result of prison sentences? It's more re-offending for the majority of people coming out of prison. 13 August 2007 Gang of 48? Some time back one of the Gang of 49 was killed. Does this mean the Gang should be designated the title: Gang of 48? What happens if the Gang recruits four new members? Should it be renamed the Cappo Meal Ticket Gang? 13 August 2007 Positive Response Teen Challenge has responded favourably to suggestions that they park the rusty truck pulling the Raven Trailer Ministry on the grass under a tree in Hindmarsh Square opposite the RAA. It was previously parked in a parking spot on the street. It still isn't ideal because the Council has removed most of the seating and knocked down the toilets. 13 August 2007 Make me Laugh, Joe Women like men who make them laugh. They treat men better who play the clown for them. Aunt Agatha and Esmerelda at the Hutt Street Centre should remember not to disfavour men who choose not to make them laugh at the compulsory $2 lunch interview. 16 August 2007 Flu Vaccine Ray, who uses Hutt Street Centre (The Daughters, says they're giving away free flu vaccines there. Some of the other homeless joints also offer a free flu jab. 16 August 2007 Thanks The former editor of this column acknowledges the supply of documents from anonymous senders and which he regularly passes on to me. We never disclose sources and destroy physical packaging and email details upon receipt. 16 August 2007 eBay Mystery Before John Green was turfed out of eBay http://myworld.ebay.com/shortyjag he'd received 96 complementary notices from customers for his dolls, shoes and clothing plus three complaints from people saying they'd paid but not received the goods. The mystery is where does a man who lives on the streets obtain his supplies. And how could he sell items for such low prices, lower than wholesale? 16 August 2007 Galloper the Innocent A new Pope gets a new name when ascending to the position. Any suggestions for "the next Pope's" new name? 16 August 2007 Human Destiny The most important experience for human beings is to consciously live their individual destinies. If helping the "homeless" involves forcing a human being to consume psychiatric drugs that anesthetise the brain permanently, then that help may be an evil act. 16 August 2007 "Where's Philthy?" Someone looking for Celebrity scrap collector, Phil, who had been working with dirty matrials that day. 17 August 2007 Mystery Man Reports "Australia is a lucky country. We got everything we need. We should appreciate everything we get. Government put a roof over our head. We shouldn't complain. In my book heads would roll." Mystery Man at a church homeless centre. 17 August 2007 Inspirational Recipes No 1 Street Charity Collectors Two of those dodgy charity collectors from Child Fund Australia, operating outside Parliament last fortnight, were seen in a city pokies joint playing the one-dollar minimum machines. 20 August 2007 Gambling A man in the homeless scene was saying how he won $32k at the Melbourne Casino. When he was leaving the table a Pit Boss tried to get him to stay in a hotel room that night compliments of the Casino. He said he was leaving and returned to Adelaide. "They wanted me to go back the next day and lose it," he told me. 20 August 2007 Disease Gambling is a huge disease plaguing people in the homeless culture. The problem is that the staff are welcoming; losers are often rewarded with quality coffee from the bar rather than the cheap and nasty free stuff. One man even brings roses for the change counter at one place. 20 August 2007 Vague Talk If you want to experience vague replies ask the Sky City Casino employees at the Action Station to explain how their points system operates. It appears to be in their interest that people don't understand the hidden clauses. For example: the Casino was advertising in Messenger newspapers their two-for-one offer for meals at Café Junction. So one would assume their $5 lunch would be two meals for $5. Oh, no. A clause at the bottom of the ad said, "Not valid with any other offers." This included the Action card discount which usually reduces the meal price to $5. So if you can't use the Action card the two meals would be $8.00. This is a slight discount but definitely not two-for-one. 20 August 2007 Strangely Alert Cleaners Those cleaners who dress up in Port Power colours and check in nooks and crannies everywhere aren't simply cleaners. Watch them closely and you'll see they do very little cleaning. And when you look at them you might discover they're already looking at you then they'll look away, not wanting to make personal contact at any level. 20 August 2007 Preying on the Addicted Last week's Woolworth's grocery flyer had one page advertising fruit and vegetables and five pages of alcohol. 20 August 2007 Drug Dealers have it Easy A person on the dole earning seven dollars an hour at some odd job like mowing lawns may lose forty-percent of this amount to Centrelink. This is often 40% of the gross amount so the actual amount earned may be reduced to two or three dollars an hour. Yet a Drug Dealer earning a few hundred dollars a week needs to declare nothing because that activity is illegal and doesn't involve ABN numbers and tax payments. And getting caught doesn't seem to be an issue when you consider the thousands of small-time dealers here in Adelaide and how few of them are caught. 20 August 2007 Scam Monitor Rumour has it that the ACC public libraries IT section is logging and monitoring emails and messages sent and posted by John Green. Green can often be seen at the Grote Street library during weekdays, aggressively pushing his chair back if someone peeks at what he is doing. 21 August 2007 Pokies Player Prosecuted The Sky City Casino is prosecuting a pokies player who won over 20k on a pokies machine that Sky City Casino allege was faulty: he shouldn’t have won. 21 August 2007 Calling all Homeless Adelaide SkyCity Casino “earned” a lousy $98 million last year, a slight drop on the previous year despite raising the price of their Café Junction meals to $5. They can’t get too much more from the homeless scene unless they get more homeowners to sell their houses and blow it in the Casino. 21 August 2007 Inspired Recipe No 2 Systemic Corruption and Dysfunction Tonight will be a cold night for the 150 people sleeping outside in the Adelaide CBD area. Tonight there will be dozens of halls, foyers, rooms, porches, courtyards, board rooms, restaurants in Adelaide kept locked and empty. They're all owned and/or controlled by homelessness agencies and missions. 22 August 2007 Sweet Talking Deceiver Jay Weatherill, The Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust announced last fortnight that the sell-off of 16 Trust homes per week for the next ten years would now include sales to low-income people. Prior to this whole suburbs were sold to developers and even the tenants were not offered a choice to buy: it was simply, Get Out. This enabled the developers to make money from the redevelopment then sell or rent the houses back to poor people at a higher amount. Developers will still get big sections of suburbs, especially around Elizabeth where hundreds of houses will be knocked down, the tenants shifted elsewhere, then new houses built on the sites that will be rented or sold to military industry people. The “next Pope” was strangely, but not uncharacteristically silent on this type of issue. 22 August 2007 Hyphen-Smith and her old job “…the joy and simplicity and short term satisfaction of a dead body.” Jane Lomax-Smith talking about her old job of doing autopsies. 22 August 2007 Coastlands Keeping An Eye on Green A certain staff member at the Coastlands Christian Community Church was keeping an eye on John Andrew Green last Sunday at the free meal for homeless people at Gawler Courtyard. Especially when he got near the volunteers: they're Green's favourite target: well meaning and with wealth from a lifettime of working. 22 August 2007 Missing In Action? Peter Henry? The former footy and race tipster from the Melbourne Truth; an icon in the homeless scene: Where is he? 22 August 2007 Breath of Fresh Air on Fred’s Van Last night, where normally all the special stuff is grabbed by 5 or 6 people, who prevent others accessing it, the guy in charge insisted they took one, and went around again .... or Fred's would leave ... and once he did that. So the smart ones tried him out and hurled insults at him. People in the line grumble about how they get treated, but the abuse that the volunteers get in trying to be fair is one side your "column" rarely *(mentions). But it may well explain why no one wants to do any more than they are doing now, and I can see why. You said that Brett Grant got refused at the Salvos, but it wasn't just a find a bed for the night project, you had to agree to give up drugs and alcohol. His friends say that he didn't want to. The rules were set by the Gov with the grant, and whether it was empty or not depends on who you believe ... Cappo's Mob or the Salvo's. I believe the Salvos as I've spoken to some guys who *(were) there ... they were on TV, and lots of them. There is only one way to give up alcohol ... cold turkey. Brett would have died anyway ... his massive brain damage was the results of his substance abuse ... it was only which day. As soon as his death was announced it was pointed out he had been taking drugs and alcohol that day, and he had massive medical problems, but wouldn't take his medication. In June, 4 other people from Hutt Street Centre also died ... in bed ... of alcohol, drug problems ... one a girl just 16 years old. 50 to 60 people from the homeless/disadvantaged circuit die each year and have an annual memorial service. It is sad, but you can't get brain transplant, and if it is your kidneys or liver, transplants are rarely available and you probably won't get one if you still drink as it will automatically fail. The sad fact, but inescapable, is that huge numbers of Australians kill themselves each year from smoking, drug abuse and alcohol (and kill or maim others in drink/drug driving or in murderous rages *(fuelled) by drugs and alcohol). Brett's death was very sad, but he pulled the trigger, not anyone else. Remember that over 90% of the population can drink, drive, *(and gamble) etc without killing themselves or others or becoming addicted. No one can smoke or take drugs without causing harm. People can give up addictions but they have to do the "Hard Yards." No one can change behaviour *(except) the person that is having the problems, and it is tough changing, but many alcoholic and drug addicts are living on very precarious borrowed time, especially with brain damage. In excess, alcohol is a cruel and deadly poison: remember it is used to pickle specimens; it pickles the brain, kidneys and liver, and damages the blood vessels, which in Brett's case burst in the brain. You then die or if you ever recover you are a sad, hollow shell of your former self ... a life of "vigor mortis" which is next worse to "rigor mortis." I've seen these "Dead Men Walking" too many times. Dr X 28 August 2007 Strategic Analysis The Government should provide more drying out facilities that just provide safety for the night, and then provide counselling to help people make the longer term decisions about rehabilitation ... for which some people may need to make the three steps forward and two steps back till they reach their goals. They used to use prisons to dry people out, but maybe better is just a simple small room setup, with just the basics and a brekkie and maybe a chat with a trained person, and just basic supervision. The Salvo project is a more comprehensive project for people with a more advanced degree of motivation ... but "one size doesn't fit all" even in socks, let alone rehabilitation. The same as some people aren't ready for H-Trust immediately, but maybe some staged, assisted steps along the ways. I am sure many more lives could be saved in a flexible, humane process, without being hamstrung with complicated bureaucratic red tape, and impossible guidelines. Rehabilitation can be tough, but do you don't have to make it in one go, individuals vary. Brett could have been saved with more care earlier, as his work in Hutt Street showed, but sadly often when people's medical conditions deteriorate too far, they sadly lose. Dr X 28 August 2007 Prison Numbers Increasing David Cappo ("the next Pope") trumpeted a decrease in homelessness in South Australia by fifty people in South Australia between 2001 and 2006. He didn't mention the continuous increase in prisoner numbers especially those charged but not convicted because of a clogged court system. 28 August 2007 The Meths Guy The Meths Guy (aka Lloyd), splashed the last half of his litre of methylated spirits on the bricks in Gawler Courtyard last night. “Take me to Detox,” he shouted at soup kitchen volunteers, some of whom veered away in fear, not knowing The Meths Guy is as safe as gold. A more experienced volunteer known as Mrs Everedge tried to get the Mobile Assistance Patrol or the Emergency Medical Technology ambulance but they were unavailable. Police eventually took The Meths Guy in a paddy wagon to Detox. 28 August 2007 Just Another Lie In Bob Ellis’ movie, Run, Rabbit, Run the Premier of South Australia is saying that upon election in 2006 he issued an edict that there would be no further selling off of assets. Yet his government continually sells off public housing flats, units and houses to developers: they don’t hide this fact. It’s like Rann doesn’t care if he’s seen to be lying. 28 August 2007 Bad Weather-ill The Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust, Jay Weatherill, has flagged the further selling off of public housing beyond the 8000 scheduled over the next ten years. He’s blaming it on reduced funding from the federal government. 28 August 2007 The "Lost" Wallet John Green "found" a wallet in Adelaide. It contained a dozen plastic cards and a considerable amount of money. The owner's Driver's License listed a Goodwood address. Green took the money for himself and later blew it on the pokies. He could still have placed the moneyless wallet and cards in an envelope and posted it to the owner, but he said the Driver's License picture indicated the owner was probably an unpleasant person. He tossed the wallet and cards into the rubbish. Green shouldn't be considered harmless, either. He "lent" $500 to an angry homeless man last year then tried to manipulate him to attack another man whom Green had duped for $1400. The mildly disabled creditor was trying to regain the "one-week loan to buy a car for my son" and Green was trying to have him beaten up. 3 September 2007 The "Short Fuse" Was that Monica Lewinsky seen with the "short fuse" from Street to Home? Speaking of Bill Clinton, Lucky Jackson of the northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth heard that Bill was a little depressed so he invited Bill to pose with him in a photograph. Lucky wanted to help Bill regain a little of his previous prestige just as many famous media stars seek out Lucky when they're in career meltdown. 3 September 2007 Child Fund Those sleazy "fundraisers" were outside parliament house again last week. I heard a woman ask who "Child Fund" was and the sleazy answer was, "check out our website". What sleazy scammers they are with their complex donation contracts. One must admit they are smooth operators with their smiles and official looking uniforms. They may be out of work actors maintaining their skills while degrading the benevolent industry. So different to St Vincent de Paul: It would be hard to accuse St Vinnies of high pressure fundraising tactics. 3 September 2007 Inconsistency of Service The amount of respect by homeless organisations for their clients can be measured by consistency of service. If something breaks and it takes a month to fix it then this is disrespect. When a scheduled service is delayed because of some mechanical defect or administrative problem then the amount of time it takes to repair the problem is inversely proportionate to the amount of respect the organisation has for its clients. There are exceptions but this rule generally applies. 3 September 2007 Speakman Can't be Trusted In 2000 Speakman and Associates, Adelaide recruitment specialists connected with Select Personnel, told job applicants on their website that: "Your Information is treated as confidential. We make no approaches to third parties without your full approval." Norm Barber applied for a job with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, who had hired Speakman to select suitable candidates. An employee of Speakman passed on his application to Centrelink saying that Mr Barber was not really trying to find work. Centrelink stopped Mr Barber's payments though he later won on appeal. Mr Barber attempted to get hold of the letter Speakman sent to Centrelink, via a Freedom of Information Request. Centrelink refused to hand it over under threat of legal action from Speakman. There was also an order in The Administrative Appeals Tribunal, instigated by Speakman and Centrelink, to prevent Mr Barber from publishing details of the story. Not any more. Speakman are now part of Tanner Menzies and are still at the original Speakman address at 12 Pirie Street, Adelaide. The moral of the story is: Don't trust any organisation that promises to keep your details confidential. Well, at least not Speakman. 3 September 2007 Pretending to be Friends Kevin Naughton, former Chief of Staff at the Sunday Mail and ABC presenter has taken on a new role as Senior Media Advisor to the opposition leader Martin Hamilton-Smith. I wonder if John Green will continue to tell people “Norty” is his “good friend”, prior to asking them for a large loan to help his “children”. Kevin says that rather than being friends it is "quite the opposite". 3 September 2007 Housing SA Ripe for Corruption Many clients and advocates dealing with HousingSA realise how open it is to corruption. Lack of accountability to clients; an opaque waiting list; anomalies like housing going to less desperate clients while others wait for years; selling of blocks of government houses to developers rather than put them up individually for auction. It all leads to a corrupt HousingSA that may be infested with people like Douglas Norris of the New South Wales Housing Commission who placed people in vacant houses if they paid him bribes. And who is the watchdog of HousingSA? It’s the lame-dog State Ombudsman: underfunded, undermotivated, useless. South Australia needs an Independent Commission Against Corruption that could also investigate how so much money for “homelessness” gets chewed up by bureaucrats like David Cappo and others in the Social Inclusion Commission. 17 September 2007 ShelterSA Annual General Meeting, Methodist Meeting Hall back of the Pilgrim Church in Flinders Street, Adelaide. Wednesday 19 September 10am-12noon Wanda and her sister "I don't have any friends; I'm all alone; I'm strong." Aboriginal woman at Fred's Van. She kicked a white fella sitting on a bench eating food. It was a high powerful kick. He told her to get away. She broke a branch off a tree and whipped him a few times before her sister broke up the one-sided fight. "Do I always have to be a referee?" her sister complained, with some pride. 17 September 2007 The Next Pope's Influence? (Galloper the Innocent) "Hutt Street is getting dominant: If you let them they'll stand over you. If you don't go their way they kick you out." Frank Jones, 74, living in his van, speaking about Hutt Street Centre. 17 September 2007 Death of Diane Margaret Hodge Diane Margaret Hodge died on 3 September 2007. She was aged about 61 and lived in a hostel in Semaphore. Diane was a pleasant, inoffensive woman who never expressed bitterness about the cards that life dealt her. She used to attend the Cottage Kitchen in Port Adelaide where not a few people are sad that she died. 17 September 2007 Words can mean almost anything Below is a section of Cappo's writing in black, from the Adelaide Advertiser of 12 September 2007. I've written in red the possible interpretations of what he might really mean. "…We know that many people who use homeless services are housed. These people also have needs that must be met but government resources must be focused on those who are most vulnerable." At any point in time most of the homeless culture have a roof over their heads. People repeatedly move in and out of homelessness. Creating artificial divisions between people currently housed and those outside is an attempt to destroy the homeless culture, that is, isolate people further from their peer group. "Over the next four years, tough decisions will be made by government, council, inner-city support agencies and other key organisations." Stopping government funding to church-based homeless organisations that refuse to share personal client details with coercive government agencies. "As a community we have to support this effort to not just deal with homelessness but stop it." Cappo frequently comes across as a prosecutor vowing to stomp out criminals rather than a bureaucrat offering help to those living outside. There is enough government accommodation to house all those living outside in Adelaide within a month, but Cappo isn't about housing. This is a ploy. What he is really about is the re-institutionalisation of the homeless class. 17 September 2007 Lesbian Social Workers? Gale from Chat and Chew at the Wesley Care Port Adelaide was saying her daughter wants to stay longer at Gale's house than her one weekend per fortnight access. Gale couldn't keep her any longer or else the government paid foster mother would get the FamiliesSA social workers to stop her from visiting Gale altogether. 17 September 2007 The Cause of the Housing Shortage Those attending today’s ShelterSA AGM in Adelaide heard that $25 billion had been put into housing by the federal government: $3 billion went on rent assistance and first homebuyer grants and $22 billion on tax relief for richer people who invested in housing. The speaker said the government, by providing housing investment as a tax haven, prompted the huge rise in house prices, which has increased mortgage payments for everyone. This happened because investors rarely built new houses but instead purchased existing housing. The speaker also said that a 100,000 of the million people facing rent and mortgage stress was due to the decline of the public housing sector especially in South Australia. The Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust, Jay Weatherill, was on holidays and sent his apologies for not attending the meeting. 19 September 2007 Inspired Recipe 3 Inspired Recipe 4 Mark Parnell 24 September 2007Greens MLC Mark Parnell became jittery at the ShelterSA Annual General Meeting yesterday. A man three rows back accidently kicked a chair. Mark jumped noticeably though his entourage remained calm. 20 September 2007 Latest Homeless Statistics No Longer Available Remember the city “homeless count” where the numbers of primary homeless in the Adelaide CBD was counted at three homeless centres. The number was 82 plus another fifty who refused to comment. This was compared to the “official” Social Inclusion Unit number of 37. The Social Inclusion Unit coerces the three homeless centres to do a homeless count every two months. When its employees “get” the homeless centres to collect these details they emphasise their (Social Inclusion) accountability to people who supply these details. The statistics are collated by Social Inclusion then sent back to the homeless centres. But, surprise, surprise, after these figures were compared to the “official” 37 figure in this column dated 23 July 2007 http://www.geocities.com/homelessaustralia/hotgossipverylatest.html the Social Inclusion Unit changed their tune. The August total has been kept secret by the Social Inclusion Unit, even from the agencies that supplied them. 24 September 2007 Frank “horses around” then gets kicked out of Hutt Street Centre “For horsing around,” Frank said. “Ian Cox sent me this letter saying I was banned for September. He didn’t say if I could go back after that but it would be considered.” Frank says he was pretending to be trying to punch a disabled man, “horsing around”, he says. Frank is 74. We won’t say more about Frank in case Street-to-home attempts to hunt him down. “I knew nothing about life until by wife died six-years ago and I moved to Adelaide to live with the street people,” Frank adds, as the conversation unfolds. 24 September 2007 Julian Disney Julian Disney spoke at the ShelterSA Annual General Meeting last week. He was inspiring in that he explained the basis of the housing shortage: federal and state government policies. This was refreshing compared to David Cappo's attitude to homelessness: those living outside or in bad circumstances are mentally ill, criminals, victims of "abuse" and should be treated as such rather than for their primary need of shelter. 24 September 2007 Trans Adelaide Trains Guards wouldn’t allow Phil and his can filled fridge trolley on the train one night. He pushed it to Bowden and tried to board there but the guards again wouldn’t let him on so he pushed it home to Woodville Gardens. Strange that the guards allow drug dealers, drunks, drug addicts on ICE, thugs and everyone else but not the well-spoken Phil. You’d think “the next Pope” and the Social Inclusion Unit would be up-in-arms over this. Sorry, just kidding; they wouldn’t be interested in the slightest. "Social Inclusion" is simply a euphemism to cover-up what they're really up to. 24 September 2007 Core Promises Did anyone ever hear the Premier of South Australia say that Glenside Hospital would never be sold. Well, the government announced 42% of the land will be sold and a smaller hospital rebuilt. David Cappo, (the next Pope), says he hopes the bulldozers will be in there by Christmas. 24 September 2007 Erica-on-the-street “Erica”, aged 70, and living in a HousingSA unit, wasn’t seen in the homeless scene these past four months. She cracked her neck and was in hospital then stayed for four-weeks in Glenside. “They fill you with drugs,” she said. It was an unhappy return to the scene. Some guy at the Teen Challenge meal in Hindmarsh Square yelled at her so much and she didn’t get any food last night. She didn’t want to go to Fred’s Van because she was feeling bad at being yelled at: Her first night back. This was an example of how psychiatric drugs had dulled her survival instinct and she made some small social miscalculation. The “homeless” scene is far too dangerous in which to make errors. This is how psychiatric drugs can actually put a person at risk where previously they would have survived without incident. 24 September 2007 Can and Plastic Collectors A recurring complaint amongst can collectors (often known as bin scabs), is that the general public fail to see them as humans making a living from collecting rubbish that they sell as recyclable material. People look at them with disgust but fail to recognise that these dozen or so men in the Adelaide CBD are doing what most of the rest of us say we should do, that is, reduce our waste load that we dump into the environment and increase our recycling. 24 September 2007 Urine Rumour has it that a certain derelict soaks his money in urine then dries it out before spending it. 24 September 2007 Photography Student A photography student was at Fred's Van asking people if she could capture their images as part of her photography course. 24 September 2007 Government Forces Aboriginals into Dangerous Situations A Commonwealth Government employee told me that the federal government was kicking Aboriginals off the dole if they stayed in their outback communites. The government was ordering them to move to the town camps around Alice Springs, Darwin, Tenant Creek where violence and degradation was rife. Those who refuse get kicked off the dole. The government uses the argument that there aren't enough employment opportunities in the remote communities. Yet unemployment isn't available for most black folk in these larger towns so what is the point of forcing them to move to the more dangerous bigger towns. Sinister thoughts comes easily. 24 September 2007 Kidney Stones Angelo, in his fifties and on a disability pension, has been shifting his body around to try to relocate the kidney stones that cause him to wake up vomiting. He is on the long waiting list for surgery but no one at the Royal Adelaide Hospital will say anything. The health system has partially collapsed. 24 September 2007 No Thanks A man asked Tony Roach of the St Vincent de Paul Society for the legal name of their society so he could name them in his new will. Mr Roach didn't reply. 24 September 2007 Howard Williams on the War Path “Its time for a New Start,” says Howard Williams, advocate for the homeless, on his Adelaide City Council election poster taped to the window of that Greek barber shop in Whitmore Square. It’s time to get serious, adds Arni Rossis’ on his election poster in another window. 28 September 2007 Brain Damage “He’s got brain damage,” said a man at WestCare, about someone behaving badly. “Yeah,” responded a white woman who says she’s an Arab, “He fell on his ass.” 28 September 2007 Pyne in Election Mode Christopher Pyne was touring WestCare while we were eating lunch today. He has promised money for treatment of co-morbidity, which means you’re killing yourself slowly in many different ways like eating too much sugar or smoking too much. ”Isn’t that humanity?” asked Chris, the scrap collector. I meant to yell at Pyne, or at least shout out that the Social Inclusion Unit shouldn’t get a cent, but was listening to someone more interesting. This person said someone broke into Westcare’s cold room during the night and stole a car load of food. 28 September 2007 Improved Fish at WestCare The cook, who thrives when addressed as “Chef”, has begun cooking the fish properly. Two minutes in the oil instead of ten as before. She has also added bush lemons to brighten up the flavour. But she’s going on holidays for two weeks and we’re all deeply worried. 28 September 2007 Social Inclusion Unit Strategy in Action Ian Cox has kicked Frank Jones, aged 74, from the Hutt Street Centre for a further two months. Frank lives in his black van on Adelaide city streets. Readers of this column remember that Ian Cox, the Manager of the Hutt Street Centre, kicked him out for one-month in September after Frank was “horsing around”. Frank was pretending to punch someone he has known for four years. That guy didn’t complain but Hutt Street Centre employees Brenda (Esmerelda) and Phil, the ex-cop took the initiative to complain to Ian Cox. Street-to-home, of 15 Bentham Street, Adelaide and who also operate out of Hutt Street Centre, have offered accommodation to Frank if he undergoes “treatment”, and allows their employees entry into any accommodation gained through them. Frank won’t bow to these conditions so at 74 is being refused housing. Frank won’t go to Byron Place Community Centre for showers or to use that laundry because he says the place is too dirty and full of drug dealers. Frank is looking a little bedraggled. The above treatment of Frank represents the strategy of the Social Inclusion Unit and Monsignor David Cappo in which homeless people are denied cheap or free food, showers, laundry, a place to rest during the day, even housing so in their desperation will be more amenable to having their lives legally controlled by Street-to-home. But doing it to a 74-year-old man living in an old van seems a little cruel. 5 October 2007 Scam Artist Welcomed at Hutt Street Centre While Frank Jones is denied services at Hutt Street Centre fraudster John Green is welcomed with open arms. Green, originally from Barmera, is a career criminal who defrauded a volunteer of $600 at Byron Place Community Centre; a church worker at WestCare for $100; a mildly disabled man at the Disability and Information Resource Centre for $1400; and Kevin Naughton, the media advisor for opposition leader Martin Hamilton-Smith, of an undisclosed amount. Green has 26 convictions for fraud and forgery and spends many hours a week at the Metropolitan Hotel pokies room (corner of Grote and Pitt Streets in Adelaide). Yet he is welcomed at Hutt Street Centre while Frank Jones is banned. 5 October 2007 Blood on his Hand “I’d shake your hand but it’s covered in blood,” said the tall fellow to Wanda at Fred’s Van last night. 5 October 2007 Father Crappo A new title given to David Cappo by a new reader of this gossip column. 5 October 2007 Inspired Recipe No 5 Ken heads for Anglicare Ken Henderson of WestCare near Whitmore Square has switched jobs to Anglicare at Elizabeth. It was discussed amongst others how he could bear to be around Elizabeth-type people. One person came up with the answer: he grew up in Elizabeth and was used to them. He is also Pastor at the Baptist Church and lives there. While Ken was waiting for the job interview an Anglicare client came up to him and asked him to unlock a door. "Ah, WestCare," the man remembered where he'd seen Ken. 8 October 2007 PJ Fire A new shrub has been planted in the Gawler Court, Adelaide where the burnt tree was removed after **** poured meths on PJ's blankets and food then torched the lot last year. 8 October 2007 The other Alcatraz Frank Jones, 74, living in his van, was supplied with a rental flat by HousingSA last year. The rent was cheap. This tale initially sounds like a happy story within a benevolent welfare system, doesn't it? But because Frank was living in his van at the time they sent him to those blocks of flats on the corner of Henley Beach Road and Marion Road in Brooklyn Park. Some are managed by MACHA, others by HousingSA. One MACHA employee said of the flats, "They give us the shit." He was speaking of the quality of HousingSA units being transferred to MACHA, who largely house homeless people. Frank began living in one of these flats still managed by HousingSA. He said he experienced 14 unpleasant incidents in 21 days. One was some drug dealers telling him they'd torch his van if he told the police what they were doing. Frank moved back outside and now Street-to-home are acting as if Frank was the problem for not adapting to living with the drug dealers and psychiatric patients dumped out of Glenside while still paranoid. Frank doesn't have a history of drug use and lived in a stable marriage for most of his adult life, but because he began living outside after his wife died they classified him in that non-homogenous "drug addict/psychiatric patient/ \criminal" grouping. 8 October 2007 Fred's Van Someone at Fred's Van made the observation that most of the volunteers were very old or very young: the former soon to be too frail to continue while the latter were there temporarily as "work experience" or part of their religious education. One Fred's Van "volunteer", there must be a more deserving and complimentary word to describe him, has had a serious heart attack and last Thursday was wearing a black patch over one eye. A woman, blond and wearing glasses, is also another "solid as a rock" worker at Fred's Van. They never preach religion but through their example seem to embody the qualities to which many aspire. 8 October 2007 Cash Converters "Mostly junkies with stolen goods," said a former Cash Converters employee describing people who sell stuff to them. 8 October 2007 Teen Challenge Meal Mentioned at the Casino Adelaide stand-up comedian, Bowley, said last week that his father was so mean that when he took his kids to a restaurant it was the "soup kitchen" in Hindmarsh Square. Two people in the audience had just been there. The comedian didn't mention the food was from the Jasmin Restaurant frequented by the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams when they were in Adelaide. 8 October 2007 Cleaner now unemployed Most people will remember those public toilets in the park across from the current RAA office in Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide. They had two cleaner/attendants at all times. You could see the men's cleaner reading a newspaper in his office as you entered the male toilets. After the Adelaide City Council bulldozed these toilets and removed the rubbish bins this same cleaner became unemployed and instead of being a cleaner he now goes to the pokies. He also gets a free meal from Teen Challenge in this same park just in front of where he used to work. He suffers anxiety and high blood pressure because he doesn't have any productive labour. 8 October 2007 Anti-Psychiatry Group in Rundle Mall The Citizens Committee on Human Rights (CCHR) has a stall in Rundle Mall today and tomorrow. They’re distributing pamphlets such as, “Child Drugging: Psychiatry Destroying Lives”. The CCHR was founded by Scientology and the famous writer, Thomas Szas, who wrote, “The Myth of Mental Illness” and other books. The stall cost $616 in rent to the Rundle Mall Management for two days plus $200 for compulsory insurance. The CCHR contains Scientology members but a rule is that within the CCHR Scientologist are not allowed to promote Scientology. A sign on the Rundle Mall stall clearly indicates the CCHR was founded by Scientology. A man at the stall said that Methamphetamine hydrochloride (ICE) is similar to the psychiatric drug Ritalin. Given that the Social Inclusion Unit promotes psychiatric drugs to “control” homeless people then Commissioner David Cappo is somewhat similar to a drug dealer boss. Is this a farfetched comparison or does it have comparative legitimacy? 9 October 2007 Theo Maras’s Message to those living outside “…here is your opportunity to come to the avenue of Common Ground; by the time you graduate from Common Ground, you’re in the real world, and you’re out there standing on your own two feet.” I wonder if Theo has ever lived outside in a city like Adelaide. From the Adelaide Review, 28 September-11 October Issue 9 October 2007 Blacks Only “You’re white; you’re not welcome here.’ A white fella reported this response when he went to the free Friday lunch barbecue in the West Terrace Parklands. The Aboriginals have essentially reclaimed this land from the white underclass. This is the barbecue that used to be held near the children’s playground on Glen Osmond Road but the children and their parents using the playground equipment were offended by the drunken brawls and swearing so the barbecue day moved to West Terrace. 9 October 2007 Erica-on-the-Street An elderly Canadian couple made a hasty retreat back to their hotel in Hindmarsh Square next to the RAA office. Erica complemented her coat and opened it up and there was a gold ingot hanging from her neck. Erica didn’t mean anything offensive but the old couple became worried when they realised we were “soup kitchen” types. 9 October 2007 Slack Trans Adelaide General Manager Bill Watson, the manager of Trans Adelaide still hasn’t replied to a letter asking for clarification of their policy on can collectors boarding trains with their fridge trolleys full of bags of deposit cans. The letter was hand delivered so he can’t say he didn’t receive it. 9 October 2007 Trouble at Teen Challenge The Chef from the Jasmin Restaurant was ropable when he spotted one man in the food queue in Hindmarsh Square last Thursday. “That coat must have cost $200,” he said, doubting that some of the people there were “homeless”. The Chef was worried Teen Challenge was giving the tickets to anyone. He accused people of simply turning up because the curry was good: he was right on this last point. The Chef took his complaints to the venerable retired cook, Frank Jones, sitting in the hand painted van in which he lives. Frank said he could do a better job determining who deserved the free food and the Chef agreed and went back to the restaurant. Frank then advised Ricky of Teen Challenge that next week he would be taking over. The quiet Ricky became unusually talkative saying it was a Teen Challenge operation and he’d get his brother, Rangi, to “pull the rug under Frank’s feet. The Chef returned with two employees carrying the food then stayed to observe each person getting the food to see if they were homeless. He looked at me suspiciously but my association with Frank got me through. What he didn’t like was some with multiple tickets collecting food for “friends and relatives”, etc. The $200 coat fellow turned out to be okay; one person said he was a gambling addict now homeless and just returned from Melbourne after a disastrous gambling campaign. Another man not questioned later told me he pays $190 a week rent from his single Centreline benefit and that rent was going to rise 20% in the near future because of higher property values. In the end the Chef decided Teen Challenge would continue issuing the food tickets. There were complaints from two clients of Hutt Street Centre who said Frank Jones always wants to take over. 12 October 2007 Street-to-Home “Allan”, an employee of Street-to-home, has conned Frank Jones into signing a document that allows “Allan” to legally contact Frank’s personal doctor, HousingSA and Centrelink in preparation to offering Frank somewhere to rent. Frank doesn’t want to be near drug addicts and mental patients or in Elizabeth because of the type of people that live there. “Allan” didn’t tell Frank his last name despite gaining such intimate personal information about Frank. “Allan” didn’t even provide Frank with the address of Street-to-home. 12 October 2007 Barmera Scam Artist Games (an anonymous email forwarded to Norm, but originally sent to John Green) From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Meeting up with you - re Norm Barber - 10 Oct 07 Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:46:32 +1030 Hi John Green Dear Brother in Homelessness We would like to catch up with Norm Barber. He is has been annoying a lot of people and we'd like to show how much people can annoy people who do what he does ... kick people when they are down. We know he goes to Disability Information Services (DIRC) in Gilles Street, and from tomorrow we will be photographing, from a car, everyone who goes there and we will show people the photos till we find which one he is. He goes to Fred's Van on Thursdays and to other places, so we will wait for him there. We are going to follow him around, taking photos, pointing him out to people as a dole bludger, trouble maker, and bully. Some might get mad. We will pciket his home, when we follow him there. We are going to stir up Members of Parliament about him, and point out that he keeps on insulting the City Council, so maybe they will start followiing him around to stop him taking photos of their tollets and maybe shove his head down one and flush it. We'd like to meet up with you and chew the fat and you can tell us what you know about him, where he goes etc. We'll be in contact and perhaps on Thursday night you can be near Fred's and we can meet up and you can point him out. Then we'll tell everyone at the Fred's crowd what he is doing to the good name of the homeless and maybe they will make sure he never comes back. Maybe tar and feathers. When we get out our "War on Homeless Wars" website, we will let you know and you can gather stuff on Norm and feed it to us, and we'll drive him out of Adelaide. Down with Norm Barber Down with "Homelss Wars" Down with scumbags Good on you Mate, keep up the fight. The Serb Brothers "Don't bother us and we won't bother you, but watch out bothersome people" 12 October 2007 Inspired Recipe No 6 The Trouble with Theo Maras (Kalamaras) by our Anonymous Informant "One thing i know about that pig kalamaras is that before his own son began making films he offered "assistance" to an up-coming filmaker (Murali Thalluri) in the form of a free lease in some empty offices kalamaras owned. Either towards the end of thee free lease period or just after it ended the filthy pig "developer" handed Thalluri a bill for $3500 for "air-conditioning" expences. " And the Adelaide Review article about proposed flats above the proposed Bus Station... "That story you quote (entry 9 October 2007 below on this page) from the AR [Adelaide Review, 28 September-11 October Issue ] is edited quite strangely, Maras has obviously said something not fit for print at least in their [Adelaide Review's' ] heads. Perhaps you could interview the fat pig himself? It would be interesting to know exactly why he is involved in "common ground". He is certainly anything but a benevolent builder - or benevolent anything for that matter. My own reading between the lines of that article is that he wants to get his hands on assets at a cheaper than market rate price, but I think that's what all of those creatures are always up to. The "things" and people behind such entities really are quite vile when one looks into it." 15 October 2007 Invisible Land Theft The southwest grass area of Hindmarsh Square, opposite the current RAA office, once included public toilets. They were bulldozed. Why? It was determined by the Adelaide City Council that they detracted from the view from the hotel and expensive flats recently built across the street. Property developers complained the toilets lowered property values. The Council bulldozed the toilets. This had no affect on those living in the flats because they could use the park then rush back to their own toilets, if necessary. But it did discourage poor people and visitors from the suburbs from using the park because they had few options especially on the weekends, and everyone knows how filthy and humiliating the computerised toilets are on the other side of Grenfell Street. So the bulldozer got rid of both the toilets and the people who previously used the park. The park has, in effect, become a semi-private park for the apartment and hotel dwellers: public land has become semi-private land. This "theft" is called social exclusion: excluding certain classes of people from prime parklands. It's going on all over Adelaide. The Social Inclusion Unit, a section of the Premier's Department and headed by the Catholic Monsignor, David Cappo, is doing the same: pressuring the church agencies, especially Catholic organisations, to reduce their services, kick people out of homeless joints, in order to discourage them from being in the inner city area. It's a subtle but devastating process. (Go Back To Photo) 16 October 2007 Afton (Surveillance) House Redevelopment (latest photo) They've painted the red bicks on the main building in a tinted version of Housing Trust Cream. They've added brown to the paint: is this philosophical symbolism? The Glenside Hospital Sell-off ShelterSA Homeless Forum The Homeless Forum at the Pilgrim Church yesterday was loaded with interesting speakers, but what engaged us who have lived outside was the slide show by the white fellow from No Pulgi, of places where people sleep in the Adelaide CBD parklands. There was one fellow’s campsite that contained a pitchfork to fight off intruders. We could relate to this stuff because it was culturally relevant. 17 October 2007 The "next pope" and the "industrial prince" A reader asks whether one of the buildings mentioned in the post below was built by one of Theo Maras’s companies. Is Theo profiting by disenfranchising general park users, particularly those living outside, while being touted as an “industrial prince” by David Cappo: “the next Pope”? Cappo certainly walks through murky water as Social Inclusion Commissioner. 17 October 2007 The True Story "…some [patients] at Glenside have been there twenty to thirty years…when they're moved on many people…become homeless." Dorothy Belperio, Richmond Fellowship 22 October 2007 The Glow Cafe Expense Account The Social Inclusion Commission spent $588.50 last year at the Glow Café at 98 Gawler Place, Adelaide. Father David Cappo of the Social Inclusion Commission spent $23,243 of taxpayer money on travel last year and flew business class. He stayed at the Hillgrove Hotel Leisure and Spa when in Ireland last year. From Freedom of Information material obtained by The Adelaide Advertiser 22 October 2007 West Parklands Tent Resident Speaks "The system strips people of their children...The system breaks up families." Clara Campbell at the ShelterSA Homeless Forum posted 23 October 2007 Big Al's Prescription "The world needs more dreamers who can put their dreams into action." Allan Campbell at the ShelterSA Homeless Forum Posted 23 October 2007 ******************************************** Fan Mail - New 23 October 2007 Social Inclusion Commission Expense Accounts An Open Letter Dear David Cappo, Would you be interested in a recorded interview about the Social Inclusion Commission expenses as noted in the report in The Adelaide Advertiser of 22 October, 2007. I would like to ask you about your personal expenses while travelling overseas and within Australia. Also, about the Glow Cafe bill of over $500; the cost of the photographer who takes your photos that appear in Social Inclusion Commission literature; rough sleeper homeless statistics for the Adelaide CBD; reduced privacy of personal details for those living outside; your professional relationship to Theo Maras plus a number of other issues. I seek this information for publication on the website www.geocities.com/homelessaustralia If you would like to discuss this request I can meet you at Catholic HQ, your office in the State Administration Centre or at Fred's Van on Thursday nights. Yours sincerely, Norm Barber PS What really fascinates me is why the Social Inclusion Commission is so secretive. What don't you want us in the homeless community to discover about your activities? 25 October 2007 Housing Trust Shrinkage Ciarian Synnot, from the Community Housing Council of SA said that the government is pressing the large community housing organisations to provide increased low-income rental housing in the future. It would require the usually church-based groups to borrow money for construction off their own backs. Mr Synnot said new constructions will be “…substantially funded by a selloff of public housing stock.” 25 October 2007 Picture of the Glow Cafe where the Social Inclusion Unit spent 588.50 last. This isn't a large amount but it would be interesting to see what was purchased and for whom. 25 Octonber 2007 Teen Challenge Fallout George, the Chef from the Jasmin Restaurant said that some of the people at the free meal in Hindmarsh Square didn’t appear “homeless”. Frank Jones, 74, who was living in his van last week, offered to help choose the “real homeless” by handing out the tickets only to those who appeared genuine. This would effectively sideline Ricky of Teen Challenge so he got his strapping brother, Rangi, to turn up at last Thursday’s meal, to “sort out” Frank Jones. Frank might have heard this. Everyone from the previous week turned up except Frank who is arguably the most genuine “homeless” person. Perversely, tragically the “crackdown” netted just one person – the wrong one. 25 October 2007 Language Use Social workers substitute the word “excluded” with the word “disengaged”. “Excluded” apportions blame to the majority who “exclude” the minority, in this case, those who haven’t adequate housing and security. So the social workers use language that exonerates the majority. 25 October 2007 Robert and “the next Pope” Robert, aka "Shorty", was pictured with David Cappo (Business Class) in a recent edition of the Social Inclusion Commission newsletter. “The next Pope” was pretending to sell Big Issue Magazine alongside the genuine Vendor, “Shorty”. David Cappo plays his “one of the boys” personality for the media but behind the scenes he’s an upper class cleric overseeing a program to semi-institutionalise the “homeless” class. 25 October 2007 The Next PopeMobile When John Paul 2 went on tour he used a PopeMobile, quite often little more than a bullet-proof glass box on the back of a ute. Considering that “the next Pope” travels business class on airplanes then would he settle for the back of a ute. 25 October 2007 Flow Downs Effects from "Social Inclusion" "… [homeless] concerned about their autonomy being removed…" A phrase from a bureaucrat at the ShelterSA Homeless Forum. Posted 25 October 2007 Tauto Sansbury "Tauto Sansbury has been talking about it [homelessness] for 36 years - [and getting paid] - he'll talk about it for another 36 years." Allan “Big Al” Campbell at the ShelterSA Homeless Forum 25 October 2007 West Terrace Camper "I'm homeless in my own land… I left school at the age of 7 from racism, lived in the parklands, (West Terrace) at 12… I had to steal to get food in my own land… I come from the tree of respect." Clara Campbell at the ShelterSA Homeless Forum 25 October 2007 From the former Editor Disappearing Social Inclusion Money "…we're not seeing any new housing options coming in for our client group…" Ian Cox of the Hutt Street Centre speaking at the 26 October, 2007 HomelessnessSA AGM. Posted 29 October 2007 A Sad Sight It was a sad sight seeing people who "work with" homeless-style folk apparently more comfortable talking shop with government bureaucrats than with those from their client base attending the AGM. 29 October 2007 Jodi Jumps Aboard? Jodi Kirkby was at the HomelessnessSA AGM at the Pilgrim Church meeting room last week. She's the Greens candidate for Boothby in next month's federal election. She said she didn't think the State Government spending a billion dollars on South Road was good use of that amount of money. Her leaflet said the Greens support better public transport, affordable housing and dental care assistance. Then she said she had to catch a train home and was last seen laughing with two Street Socceroos as they walked down Pirie Street. 29 October 2007 The Resurrection "He looked like a corpse," said Sally "Our Sal" Langton, of Spectrum Housing for disabled people. "Our Sal" was talking about a homeless man who arrived on a Gopher electric scooter. She saw him six-months later: "In walked this handsome man…I thought he was someone's support worker, but he was the Gopher man." This change came from having a stable address for six-months. 29 October 2007 Mr Peter Bagdi refused entry to Casino The Adelaide SkyCity Casino prevented Mr Peter Bagdi from entering its North Terrace Casino last week saying his strange chequered shorts weren't "dressy enough" and that their length should end below his knees rather than just above. Earlier this year the Casino got the Liquor and Gambling Commission to ban Peter Bagdi for three months after he passed notes to staff saying he believed terrorists were laundering money through the Casino. They tried to extend this ban indefinitely but Peter's advocate and supporters argued at the Commission Hearing that Peter should be allowed entry because he wasn't a problem gambler, he likes eating cheap meals, he goes there to interpret the esoteric symbols on the pokies machines and that he wants to start up a textile factory. They added that Peter was imaginative and inspirational but declined the opportunity to mention that Peter does his jogging and workouts in the Casino. The Commissioner determined in Peter's favour, but the Casino is using the "too short, shorts" argument to prevent his entry. Peter says he's going to get some longer shorts and that World War 3 may erupt soon and we'll all be fried to a crisp. 29 October 2007 Frank gets the crowd hopping A witness reports that two people wanted to “bop” Frank Jones last Saturday at the Gawler Court Fred’s Van run by Coastlands Christian Church. The witness sounded like he felt like punching out Frank as well. One complaint against Frank is that he talks like he knows everything and tries to takeover. Two other gentlemen yelled at me at the Teen Challenge meal in Hindmarsh Square just for talking to Frank, aged 74. Frank creates a stimulating atmosphere to the extent you're glad you have ambulance cover. I wonder how the paranoid “Allan” from Street-to-home reacts to Frank. Let’s hope his isn’t easily agitated like his short-fuse boss, Greg Calder, who turned violent last year after “someone” took his photo. 30 October 2007 Homeless Health Housing Day The Homeless Housing Expo Health Whatever day is at Whitmore Square on Tuesday, 13 November, 2007 starting about 10am. This event is a highlight on the homeless social calendar. There will be free food and knick-knacks like faulty pens and slices of watermelon handled by people carrying a minimum of fourteen diseases. Plenty of interesting social workers attend this yearly event and make all kinds of rash statements for which then spend the rest of the year back peddling. Will the short-fused Street-to-home manager turn up? Calder running amok would make a good youtube file: “Here’s Greg trying to grab the camera. Here’s Greg running to the Wakefield Street Police Station claiming he’s been threatened by a shutterbug.” 30 October 2007 Death Notice John Monopoli of Largs North killed himself last week. A woman told me he hanged himself. Another said he’d been overdosing on doctor’s pills for quite some time. He tried to get into Glenside Psychiatric Hospital but they wouldn’t let him in. John was desperately lonely because he didn’t have a wife. “There’s the perfect woman for me,” he told me last year while we waited for a bus on Commercial Road. His dream woman was very, very short. John was also of short stature, maybe 115cms, but he had what people described as “a big heart”. John, also known as Andrew, once worked at Farmer Joe’s in Port Adelaide and when he retired the owner gave him “apples for life”. People never spoke badly of John; he might not have known that. Picture 1 November 2007 The Hard Sell? School students were collecting money for the Daughters of Charity and the Hutt Street Centre last Friday. They didn’t stand quietly on street corners like St Vincent de Paul collectors. Instead three of them would approach a person to make the request. It wasn’t totally passive collecting. Two men soldiers in uniform were right behind the students. The soldiers were collecting for breast cancer “research”. 5 November 2007 MacDonald's Environment That obese woman who collects money “for the environment” in the city is frequently pigging-out on junk food outside MacDonalds. Other times she’s sitting on the footpath drinking coffee from disposable cups and licking the lids with the full length of her tongue. It's the licking that upsets me. 5 November 2007 An Unhappy Loser An old man punched me in the SkyCity Casino last week. Some of us went from Fred's Van to the gambling den for free coffee and the free comedy performance. Head Office recently told the Adelaide Casino to cut costs so they removed their water cooler. The old guy was shouting that the bar staff wouldn't give him a glass of water even after he'd lost $3000 that day. He ended his tirade by punching me in the shoulder then ran down the escalator. Then I shouted that the coffee was horrible. The Casino has replaced their quality coffee and insulated cups with cheap and nasty brands. The cups are simply plasticised paper thinner than milk cartons and too hot to hold comfortably. One woman dropped her coffee down the front of the machine. The coffee is atrocious and the computerised sugar dispenser is faulty on each of the four new machines. 5 November 2007 Different Opinion to Street-to-Home? "I'm not a great fan of transitional housing," said Sally "Our Sal" Langton, the new Chair of HomelessnessSA, and an employee of Spectrum. She said homeless people need "roots" to grow, to thrive and that transferring them from one place to another stands in the way of that growth. 5 November 2007 The Frank Saga Frank Jones, 74, living in his van, told the paranoid "Allan", of Street-to-home, that the latter couldn't provide any housing because Street-to-home doesn't have any stock. "They go on the waiting list like anyone else," Frank said to me at the Jasmin Restaurant free meal. Frank said the paranoid "Allan" claimed he worked for the Department of Health and that he had "influence". "Allan" couldn't guarantee anything, Frank said, and that he might be forced to seek private rental if he didn't get anything before Christmas. 5 November 2007 From the Former Editor Aged Vegetable Soup I was camping near Norton Summit from 1999 to 2002. One night someone dumped six boxes of rotting animal guts nearby. The guts were dumped to simply dispose of them or, perhaps, it was a tactic to discourage “homeless” people from camping in the area. Eventually the neighbours complained of the stench and the police forensic squad arrived in force to investigate whether the odour derived from a chopped-up human body. The incident fled from my mind until last Thursday night when Fred’s Van were giving away cans of food and I got vegetable soup. The recollection occurred while I was eating it. The flavour didn’t seem right. It triggered my recollection of the rotting guts incident. The soup tasted like the guts smelt. It put me off eating for two days. People wanting to lose weight might consider the canned food at Fred’s Van. 5 November 2007 From the former Editor Glenside Sell-Off "We're the catchment for a failed mental health system." Ian Cox of the Hutt Street Centre speaking at the 26 October, 2007 HomelessnessSA AGM. Posted 2 November 2007 Failure with Teen Challenge Teen Challenge and the Jasmin Restaurant got their numbers wrong at last Thursday's meal in Hindmarsh Square, despite issuing tickets. At least three men with tickets, who waited half an hour, didn’t get meals. They were the polite men who wait at the back of the queue as distinct to the “pushers” who want to be in first. 6 November 2007 Dealing With the Devil Ian Cox from Hutt Street Centre said they're negotiating with Macquarie Bank for funding of its homeless services. Macquarie Bank runs on an economic model that is strangely similar to the Mafia. The former takes over a profitable corporation then forces its takeover victim to purchase its managerial services at premium rates. This reduces the corporations' profits but Macquarie bank thrives. The latter, the Mafia, also "take over" target industries then insist that in return for "protection" and "managerial and political skills" the business pays up big. In both cases the victim corporations are not "sucked dry" but maintained so as to produce long term income. 6 November 2007 Not For Profit Groups "…at the end of the day we're a not-for-loss organisation as well." Ian Cox of the Hutt Street Centre speaking at the 26 October, 2007 HomelessnessSA AGM. 6 November 2007 HousingSA You can tell the Social Inclusion Unit don’t have their feet on the ground regarding “social inclusion”. Getting rental housing from HousingSA may take ten years on the waiting list but if you ask them to advise you a few months before they’re about to offer you a place they say, “no”. You get a letter out-of-the-blue saying to respond within 48 hours. It’s like a psychological war where they’re trying to create the maximum pain and injury. All that talk by “the next Pope” (Business Class), about social justice, is simply “talk”. 6 November 2007 Letter-to-Trans-Adelaide Saga From the former Editor The receptionist at Trans Adelaide in the Railway Station said she will be contacting General Manager Bill Watson’s personal assistant about the letter I wrote six weeks previously, in which I asked him for their policy on can collectors with trolleys using suburban trains. She said they hadn’t done anything since the last time I was there, (also asking why they hadn’t replied), because they weren’t sure whether a letter in my surname was a “b” or a “k”. Also, she asked, was the letter addressed to “The Manager” or “Manager” of Trans Adelaide. This would make a big difference, she said. I said it was addressed to the Chief Executive Officer. This appeared to stymie her and she repeated the “Manager”, “The Manager” line. It wasn’t clear whether they intend to reply about the issue of whether one particular can collector can get back on the trains with his fridge trolley or not. Previously, guards twice refused him permission to board the Outer Harbour train in one night. Nothing was clear but the receptionist smiled at me and I smiled at her. Meanwhile, just outside her office one of the turnstile gates has been out-of-action for weeks and rumour has it the equipment is so old that Trans Adelaide is trying to get used parts via eBay – without success. On another turnstile the light has been busted for one year. 7 November 2007 “Desperate, not clever.” A man living outside discussing small-time criminals who manage to commit small crimes every day, year in, year out. Those living outside tend to be less forgiving of those committing crimes than the general public. There is, to some extent, a strict behaviour code. That is why so many “homeless” people bear scars and injuries. 8 November 2007 "PJ's" Triumphant Return “PJ” arrived back last night. He snuck into the queue at the Teen Challenge meal, late as usual, no ticket but still got a container of meat, vegetables and rice. He says he had a heart attack and was in hospital for four weeks. It seems to have done him well apart from a further wait loss down to 62kg. “PJ” is quite tall. He showed us the tabs stuck onto his chest where they plug in the heart monitor electrodes. Quite a few people were very happy to see “PJ”: like a long lost brother returning from afar. 9 November 2007 Bullet Proof Tits A smiling young woman in tight jeans and a white T-shirt walked by me during the WestCare meal on Friday. She was carrying handcuffs, pepper spray and a pistol strapped to her belt. Her bra seemed unusually bulky as if made from Kevlar material. Later one man admonished another for talking to the police during the meal. "But I like the police," the first man protested. "If anyone sees you talking to them they'll think you're an informer," his friend warned. From the former Editor 12 November 2007 Frank Jones talking about the paranoid "Allan" "He's promised me the world but we'll see what comes out of it," says Frank Jones, 74, quoting the paranoid "Allan" of Street-to-home. "We're looking at a place in Kilkenny tomorrow," Frank adds. "He - [the paranoid "Allan"] - says I don't have to take it if I don't like it." Frank Jones speaking at a free meal in Hindmarsh Square near where those public toilets used to be before the Council bulldozed them to increase property values for the developers across the street. 12 November 2007 Frank Turns in His Bibles A regular at Fred’s Van said that last weekend when Coastlands Community Christian church was serving food Frank Jones gave back his Bibles. The reason has not been stated and I’ll try to get an update from The Man himself. My informant said that some people “wind-up” Frank, 74, to exploit his explosive personality [for malicious entertainment]. Frank, if this analysis is correct, actually becomes the victim while appearing to the world to be the verbal aggressor. 16 November 2007 Third Reminder for Bill Watson Bill Watson’s Personal Assistant told me she would begin work today researching Trans Adelaide’s policy on allowing can collectors with their trolleys to board trains. She said Bill was “in a meeting”. At first she said she would do it today or tomorrow then changed it to today. This means Bill has sat on my letter requesting their policy for six weeks and done nothing. 16 November 2007 Government Secrecy Who or what is this “Common Ground”? It’s constantly promoted by the Minister for Destroying the Housing Trust but who actually controls it? 16 November 2007 Greg Calder’s Mental Condition At Professor Ian Gibbins's lecture last week in Adelaide: Body, brain and the new science of communication: turns of phrase, figures of speech, the neuroscientist said that when a person watches someone perform an act the same parts of the observer’s brain fires up as the person who commits the act. Does this mean that those who watch pornography and violence have the same mental experiences as the perpetrators? As an actual perpetrator how would Greg Calder, the Manager of Street-to-home, and formerly with ACIS, mentally experience his career with its history of manhandling patients? Would his mind experience all his “controlled violence” as if he were a chronic thug? Or could his mind override the aggressive imprinting with a consciousness that he was simply “doing a job” and didn’t actually want to hurt the patient? 16 November 2007 The Mystery Device Revealed A feminist group was giving bags of toiletries to those attending the Homeless Health Day. My bag contained a long, round black tube. “What’s this?” I asked Ray, the diabetic, as we sat under the Teen Challenge umbrellas. It appeared to be a plastic herb grinder for people living outside. “It’s a miniature dildo,” Ray exclaimed while trying to turn on the motor. It wouldn't start up so we asked an old man for a second opinion, seeking his wisdom in these matters. “It’s a f**king dildo,” he said, affirming Ray’s belief. But he couldn't start the motor. At this point we sought the advice of a woman walking by. She looked at the herb grinder and pulled the top off revealing a tiny toothbrush and a white package. “What’s this white package,” I asked her. “It’s a tampon,” offered the old man. 16 November 2007 The Dominant Animal Last week I went to the Homeless Health Day in Whitmore Square, Fred’s Van in Gawler Court and the Ian Gibbins lecture: Body, brain and the new science of communication: turns of phrase, figures of speech at the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra hall in Hindley Street. All three events offered free food and drink with the latter providing alcoholic drinks. The first two events were attended by “homeless style” people while the latter’s patrons were academic and administrative folk. The behaviour at all three events was similar except in the latter where those who hogged the booze and food pretended not to be doing that. In all three events there were people who missed out because they didn’t want to degrade themselves in the scrimmage. 16 November 2007 Blood and Violence at Fred’s Van I saw a bunch of drunken Aborigines (and toddlers) walking towards Fred’s Van declaring that they were off to "settle some scores", but I still went, and there was a another similar number of drunken Aborigines, and it was on for young and old. One non-Aboriginal woman got smashed to the ground, while just standing there, and the boots started on her head, so I went over and someone helped me and we rushed her to safety. The Fred's volunteers arrived and went ahead regardless, but eventually when it was a full-out barney with people being bashed with tree branches, cups and bottles flying everywhere, and a young Aboriginal woman with a very nasty head wound, they had to pull out ... it was impossible to continue, but they still waited for the Police and I helped them clean up, but they couldn't serve food still ... it was just too dangerous. And you say the violent ones and trouble makers still have a "right" to get a meal? They just make it impossible for the majority of well-behaved ones to get food. No one is obliged to continue under those circumstances. There were 15 to 16 children from about 18 months to about 6 there, in the middle of all that, and at risk of serious injury or worse. The Fred's Van crew that you so mercilessly hammer at times, will all be back tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday, as usual. You claim that Cappo and the Adelaide City Council want the trouble makers out of the City, why not? Most nights the RAH has a line of people who get stabbed, shot, bashed in the City by the drunken, drug sodden thugs that roam our streets, and maim and even kill. One guy got stabbed 14 times on Sunday night, and the blood-stained thug wandered into Coles to buy lollies. Last night was deliberately planned, as many such nights have been. I've been watching with anxiety as it builds up, and most of us know it is coming. On Monday night (Salvos), I was told that a white gang turned up and one guy was robbed of his wallet. What about the quiet ones that want a meal and then go off quietly into the night? Why should the thugs, and bullies and mayhem-ists be the ones that have rights (to riot, threaten, abuse, terrorise), rather than the ones who really deserve help? Last night the trouble makers had lots of alcohol, including the bags from inside the wine casks. If they can spend so much on alcohol and drugs before they get to fred's, how come they have the "right" to a free meal, and often prevent others from having one, who lack the resources? You told me that you don't mind violence, but I notice that you quietly remain in the background when it happens…" Dr “X” 19 November 2007 Paranoid “Allan’s” sneaky trick against Frank Jones The paranoid “Allan” simply cannot restrain himself. He arranged for a psychiatrist to visit Frank at his van behind the ************* offices. Frank escaped with 15 minutes to spare. Frank thought initially that it would be a good chance to prove he is sane. He appears sane. But the paranoid "Allan" of Street-to-home was probably trying to have Frank "certified" so voluntary housing would become incarceration-style housing via the Public Trustee. That's my guess based on observing these "short fuse" types. 20 November 2007 Accidental Social Exclusion Uniting Care Wesley is taking control of Christmas Hamper Distribution. This is to stop people collecting multiple hampers from its various welfare outposts. They also now require a Health Care Card. This will exclude those homeless not getting the dole or a pension, said a client from Byron Place Community Centre, he being in exactly this position. Those people living outside, and exclusively from church handouts and rubbish bins, will be even further excluded, he told me. It forces people to tap even further into welfare dependence, he continued. The client says Byron Place Community Centre is making special arrangements for him so he will get a Christmas Hamper. "But what about those who won't speak up?" the man asks. "They'll simply miss out." 19 November 2007 Frank Jones rejects inappropriate housing The paranoid “Allan” and Frank Jones inspected a flat near Kilkenny. Frank rejected it due to the lack of carport to lock up his van. He also said people would be disturbed by him playing his banjo. Why doesn’t Street-to-home and the paranoid “Allan” simply offer Frank a medium density two-bedroom unattached unit with a lock-up carport. These units are frequently offered by HousingSA and are built with disability aids like ramps, wide-doors and handles and railing. Frank, 74, already requires some disability aids so he would easily qualify. One MACHA insider told me it is government policy to offer “shit” to homeless people. Another person said Street-to-home has very little credibility with HousingSA so can't pick and choose. Personally, I think the Street-to-home employees have very little understanding of human nature. The good thing for Frank, at least, is that Dot Casey at HousingSA in Flinders Street is handling his case. 19 November 2007 Frank's Bibles : The True Story Frank Jones returned his Bibles to the Coastlands Christian Community Church because one of their volunteers at Fred’s Van told him to get to the back of the queue because he’d already been through once. Frank had already got one “chicken stick”. Frank told the fellow that those in front of him had already been through, too, but the fellow wouldn’t listen. Frank rejoined the end of the queue and eventually got another four “chicken sticks”. He also returned their Bibles in anger and humiliation. Frank might have been the oldest person there; and certainly the most genuinely homeless. 19 November 2007 Big Trouble at Teen Challenge "You already got a ticket," Anton from Teen Challenge tells me at the Hindmarsh Square free meal, cooked by the Jasmin Restaurant and served by Teen Challenge. "No, I didn't," I reply. "I've been here twenty minutes but was talking to Frank Jones." He peels a ticket from his pad then turns away. "You're working. You shouldn't be here," he says to the man who lives outside, earns less than the dole and refuses to receive any welfare payments, even the Health Care Card. "You look too clean," the ticket man says to the elderly Dominick, southern Italy's answer to Elvis Presley. Dominick has balancing problems and falls to the ground easily. “Don’t come back next week.” "You're not homeless," Anton challenges a former helper and long time member of the homeless scene. The man throws his ticket back in disgust and misses the meal. “They’re [Teen Challenge] trying to get rid of as many as they can,” a veteran whispers in my ear. “The Jasmin is questioning whether everyone here is actually homeless.” "Should they be told that most of the homeless actually live inside but have been homeless in the past and will be so in the future?" I ask Rangi, the Teen Challenge bouncer. He doesn't reply. "Teen Challenge told me they want more young people,” the veteran whispers again. "People who can be converted." "Maybe they're having trouble filling the youth house at St Lukes," I ponder. While we're eating the Teen Challenge person stands over us, saying. "I wish I could get a feed like that," "Why don't you?" I ask. "Because I have to make sure you blokes get fed," he replies. Teen Challenge management style resembles the recruitment style of the Revival Fellowship of Adelaide, another charismatic religious group. A Revival Fellowship Pastor told me they attract large numbers into their congregation then identify the "true believers" from the "hangers-on". They then discourage the latter and this process repeated over and over establishes an ever-increasing core of "true believers". From this growing platform they establish evangelical drives to save human spirits from damnation. Teen Challenge is a similar charismatic group that aims to inspire people with religious belief. It also operates drug rehabilitation programs. The free meals for homeless people are, in effect, recruitment drives to attract drug addicted young people for rehabilitation via abstinence and belief in Jesus. This has two affects for those in the "homeless" scene. The drug and religious programs of Teen Challenge help some dramatically. But the attracting and expelling process means that the rest of us experience the ignominy of being welcomed with food then later expelled. But Anton of Teen Challenge says differently. He says he’s forced to turn people away because the Jasmin Restaurant wants only the actual homeless to be served. He is speaking the truth because the Jasmin Chef handed out the meals last night asking many if they were actually homeless. Kaylene, who was homeless but now works for free at Magdalene Centre and lives in a Housing Trust joint was refused food despite getting a ticket from Anton and waiting an hour. The man living in his car outside Hutt Street Centre also didn’t get served because he was too sensitive about explaining his situation. (I gave him my meal and went to Fred’s Van, anyway.) Another man who sleeps under a bridge has decided to switch from the Jasmin Meal to the more reliable Fred’s Van. The numbers were down to 50 from 80 over the last three weeks and are set to drop further. You can’t blame the Jasmin for not wanting to supply containers of food to people who now live somewhere. The difficulty is determining who actually lives outside. 26 November 2007 Not Enough Customers Ironically, Teen Challenge has stopped their Raven Trailer Ministry free barbecue lunch at Light Square on Friday because not enough people were turning up. One former client exclaimed: “What do they expect with all that fatty food?" He said he rinses the snags of fat by squeezing them with his hands. Another person said he feels guilty about receiving free food then rejecting their religious message. 26 November 2007 A Stroke of Good Luck? The “Common Ground” Bus Station project will provide 38 “studio and one-bedroom apartments” by Christmas according to “Media Mike”, the Premier of South Australia (Adelaide Advertiser, 17 November 2007. That New York Real Estate Agent Roseanne Haggerty wrote in "Smart Moves", a book published by the South Australian government early in 2007, that there were just 37 “rough sleepers” in the Adelaide CBD. Is anyone thinking like me? 37 rough sleepers; 38 apartments for the homeless. That could leave one empty apartment and no rough sleepers. What’s the bet these apartments will be filled quickly and the 37 rough sleepers will still be sleeping outside? 26 November 2007 Deterioration Masked as Progress The much-vaunted “Common Ground” project will be offering 38 “studio and one-bedroom apartments”, supposedly to the homeless. The cost will be 30% of a person’s income. This is for one-bedroom flats and “studio apartments”, (which means bed-sits). Both types of “Common Ground” accommodation are smaller than HousingSA units yet cost a higher percentage of a person’s income. How is this an improvement for homeless people? It seems like another David Cappo and Theo Maras con job. 26 November 2007 The “A” List Hey, how come no one from this website got an invitation to the “Common Ground” Public Relations stunt put on by the Premier and that New York Real Estate agent? Many in the media were equally sidelined but it didn’t stop the Adelaide Advertiser from adopting the same “slant” as the Premier and the real estate agent. 26 November 2007 Prostate Problems ? Men needing a cynical laugh might try phoning the Prostate Health Clinic on 1800 429 361. They advertise in Adelaide's Messenger Newspapers with big display ads every week. They also advertise on radio. Their sleazy salesmen offer a "Prostate Elixir" while pretending to be associated with doctors. They operate out of Sydney but don't provide a business address or an ABN in their advertisements. They want $2400 for a one-year supply of their "elixir". They offer a discount of $300 if you pay over the phone by direct debit or credit card. They guarantee an 85% success rate. (What's the bet you'll be one of the 15%). You might also want to try the Advanced Medical Institute on 1800 078 120. They offer a product where you spray some crap up your nose and it gives you longer lasting sex. Wouldn't a kick in the balls do the same thing? 27 November 2007 The Paranoid "Allan" The paranoid "Allan" of Street-to-home accused Frank Jones, aged 74 and living in his van of being paranoid. "Allan" tried to spring a psychiatrist onto Frank at his van but Frank left 15-minutes before the appointment with a "doctor". 27 November 2007 Latest News on Trans Adelaide’s Social Exclusion of Can Collectors A friend collects cans from Rundle Mall rubbish bins. Trans Adelaide stops him from boarding trains with his fridge trolley loaded with striped “derro” bags full of plastic and cans. He’s forced to push his trolley from the city to his home at Woodville Park or get a lift from others. Trans Adelaide (V.R. Evele, Executive Manager Rail Systems) wrote me saying that they stop can collectors from boarding trains because trolleys can’t be secured and that stuff might leak from his load. Anyone catching trains regularly experiences food and liquid dropped on the floor and seats caused by people eating and drinking on trains. Trans Adelaide doesn’t seem worried about this. Also, bicycles and baby prams are regularly carried on trains and they aren’t tied up (although prams do have brakes). Yet who has ever been injured by a can collector’s trolley? Has anyone seen liquids leaking from can collectors’ bags on trains? Not me or anyone I’ve ever asked about it. Meanwhile, drunks, drug dealers and addicts, those who rub their dirty shoes on the seats, and people who slosh and spill food and drink on the floor and seats are welcomed on Trans Adelaide trains, but not a man who conducts an ecologically sound activity. 23 November 2007 Beautiful Downtown Kilburn Does anyone remember the gossip entry from last summer about Street-to-home offering a place in Kilburn to a homeless woman suffering from severe depression, alcoholism and oncology health problems? She declined and two weeks later on the very street where Street-to-home offered the place another woman was murdered. That part of Kilburn is full of drug addicts and dealers. Well, Frank Jones, aged 74, and living in his van, dislikes being around drug addicts and criminals. Guess where the paranoid “Allan” of Street-to-home found a place for him? Yes, it was at Kilburn in a crowded block of flats with insecure parking. Frank declined paranoid “Allan’s” offer. Another person in the housing service industry said they were happy that Frank rejected this inappropriate housing because it wouldn’t have worked out and they’d all be back at square one. One must wonder if better quality staff couldn’t be obtained for Street-to-home? Of course, the problems there start from top down with that short-fused Manager and his tendency towards “controlled violence”. 23 November 2007 Good Old Fred's Van? Rice and vegetarian stew was delayed at Fred's Van last Thursday because they forgot the plastic dishes. But the good thing about Fred’s Van is that there are no requirements for food. Anyone can go there. So when you're really down-and-out Fred's Van volunteers are there. Only those who have actually starved in this land of plenty know what Fred's Van means. 23 November 2007 The Hospital that functions best with no patients Remember that “Yes, Minister” episode where Sir Humphrey described a hospital as functioning perfectly despite not having any patients: the lack of patients didn’t seem to bother him? It was the MACHA table at the Homeless Health and Housing Expo in Whitmore Square last week that jogged my memory of this TV show. The cheerful MACHA staff said their waiting list was closed. It had been closed for six-months. They didn’t indicate any time when it would be re-opened. So what were they doing at a Homeless Housing Expo? Having a good time, it seems. I left their table thinking, “what nice people”. I was happy; they were happy. 23 November 2007 Cheap Show Bags St Vincent de Paul was giving away Show Bags at the Homeless Health Day. Great bags: thick brown paper with rope-like handles. The only problem was there wasn’t much of value inside. But the bags were great. I like good paper bags especially brown bags. They’re very useful. Still, one must always remember that St Vincent de Paul didn’t cash in on the slave labour program called “Work for the dole”. Slave labour corrodes an organisation. To manage Work-for-the-dole labourers an organisation needs to hire meaner type of employees, sort of like prison guards. Then the rot sets in. 23 November 2007 Homeless Health Day It should have been advertised more effectively. WestCare helped by cancelling their daily lunch saying a free lunch was available in Whitmore Square. But there weren't any notices at Fred's Van. I asked a dozen others ? including professional scavengers ? if they'd been to the Homeless Health Day. They said they hadn't known it was happening. There should have been notices posted everywhere that listed precisely what people could expect to get. Those in the homeless scene respond well to little showbags and free chocolate bars and toothpaste. I think there is an inbred culture within "homeless organisations" where they keep services secret to avoid being swamped by genuine and non-genuine clients. But the Homeless Health Day organisers and participants wanted lots of people to turn up. The more the better. It was a terrific day though I personally was disappointed: I didn't get enough free stuff. I should have brought a larger bag. November 2007 "Short Fuse" misses Homeless Health Day Street-to-home didn't have a stall at the Homeless Health Day. MACHA and HousingSA were represented but not the "short fuse" and the paranoid "Allan". How strange that a major arm of psychiatry and housing in the homeless scene avoided the homeless health day. Were they scared of that frail elderly man with the cheap Kodak camera? November 2007 Inside the Black Heart Homeless Centres are attempting to prevent or delay their takeover at the hands of David Cappo and his Theo Maras allies. They're expanding their Boards of Management to include more lawyers, accountants and others with mainstream backgrounds. Improving society by helping vulnerable and disenfranchised people has been deemed by those in power as a quasi-subversive activity. It requires more than a pure heart to maintain operations: an organisation serving the homeless requires legal and political muscle to survive. These homeless centres face an avalanche of objections when they offer free food to underclass people, many of whom live outside. Richer people want both the centres and their clients expelled from the Adelaide CBD. It takes much money and expertise to resist this onslaught. Strangely, those fake charity organisations that launch dozens of "charity workers" onto city streets daily face little government resistance. They collect money by direct debit then keep 85% of this money for themselves. One man collecting on Hindley Street told me he gets the first $40 donated from a person signing up to direct debit. The collection agency grabs the next $40 and only thereafter does the actual charity that employs them get a percentage of the money donated. This means the donor's first $80 doesn't reach the charity and the donor remains a licensed product of the collection agency. These collection agencies appear to have no problem conducting their activities on Adelaide CBD streets, as distinct to the problems faced by homeless centres offering food and medical services from their private property. November 2007 “Quite a hurtful little comment, really.” David Cappo, (Business Class), talking on ABC Mornings 5AN about SACOSS CEO, Karen Groegan’s comment in the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper that the Social Inclusion Unit lacks transparency. She said, "We are a little worried because what we’ve seen with the State Government social inclusion agenda is a lack of transparency around the representation on the board.” That’s the nice way of putting it. 28 November 2007 "Joined Up" A source tells me this is the new term used by David Cappo and "Social Inclusion types" to indicate the breakdown of client information firewalls between government departments, church charities and clients' personal doctors. Also, “…some versions of ‘joined-up’ thinking manifest themselves in holistic practices that can ‘see everything’, ‘know everything’ and ‘do anything’, and thus a ‘holistic power’ to discipline and control every aspect of welfare recipients’ lives.” C. Allen, British Journal of Sociology 54 (2): 287-306 Jun 2003 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0007131032000080249 29 November 2007 Banjo Jones Frank Jones, aged 74, says he’s moved into a unit at Sturt owned by the Adelaide Benevolent and Strangers' Friend Society Inc. It’s a unit, mind you, and Frank’s main hobby is playing the banjo. Let’s hope the other tenants just love the banjo. One source in HousingSA says it is temporary until they find something better for Frank. Ah, another temporary place of abode. Don’t we all know about that. 29 November 2007 St Vincent de Paul Cleanskin status challenged "On your gossip site you said St. Vincent de Paul didn't cash in on the slave labour and cutting people off of payments racket - QUITE WRONG! - Vinnies is the charity arm of the Australian Roman Catholic Church. That vile organisation owns an organisation called "Centrecare", which cut many, many welfare payments from many, many thoroughly decent people." From a confidential source 3 December 2007 Attempted Lock-Out? They’ve locked the gates at the “Common Ground” Vanity House redevelop site in Light Square. But our people can still sneak in through the hole in the gate. 4 December 2007 New Flats Back of Afton House re-development - a HousingSA initiative. 4 December 2007 Teen Challenge Six new Teen Challenge men managed the Thursday night meal in Hindmarsh Square last week. The Jasmin Chef still watched carefully as the food was handed out. Anton and Rangi weren’t there but the ever-reliable Ricky sat in the front of the truck. The food in the plastic packs was, as ever, excellent. The Jasmin Restaurant was judged No. 1 for Best Indian and Best Service in the Adelaide Restaurant Awards. They’re also the most generous restaurant in Adelaide to those in the homeless scene. 4 December 2007 Celebrity Can Collector, Phil, from Fred's Van discussed on ABC Radio Matthew Abraham and David Bevan discussed with Patrick Conlon, Minister of Transport the action of Trans Adelaide staff banning Phil and his can-loaded fridge trolley from the trains. Patrick Colon: "…you know, you can take cans, you can take bags on trains. Now, I don't, I'd suspect the issues might be how many cans and how…I think there's a suggestion that there's some unsecure trolley or something involved and my view would be in practice if the guy was getting on an empty train they probably wouldn't worry at all but if he's getting on a train full of people like problem how do the people themselves probably haven't really liked the experience of it if there's a trolley of cans. David Bevan: "So that's your advice to Trans Adelaide: the transport minister hasn't got a problem with this guy with his trolley of cans provided he's of no inconvenience to anybody else on the carriage. Patrick Conlon: "And provided there's not a safety issue, look, I mean, it's very strict in, in, you've seen the furore in public transport if we do something that people think is unsafe, now, um, they've got to be pretty rigorous about safety issues because at the end of the day if something goes wrong they won't be suing the guy collecting the cans; they'll be suing Trans Adelaide. David Bevan: "No, but this is the system which has train doors that close on ladies and husbands as they're trying to get out of trains with pushers and, well, there's serious… Patrick Conlon: "David, David…" David Bevan: "There's serious safety issues there. Patrick Conlon: "David. David Bevan: "and you're worried about a guy with a bunch of cans? Patrick Conlon: "David, that's, those, that thing about the closing doors, can I tell you, has been going on as long as there has been trains because people will often try to get on a train too late or try to get off a train too late, now, I can show you the numbers year on year. There's no difference this year, in fact, um, I'm happy to say there are fewer, there have been fewer door entry incidents in recent years than in the last years of the previous government. I'm not saying because they were bad…door incidents with trains go on, have been going on forever and now it's regrettable but that you can't control every aspect of human behaviour and, uh, it will be sometimes it might be us taking off too soon, I doubt it, but often it will be people trying to get on a train when they're late or get off when they just realise they're missing the stop. David Bevan: "What is the latest report on that couple? [passengers caught in the doors as the train was moving off] Patrick Conlon: "Oh, look, I've no idea, mate. I've, I've absolutely no idea. I'd have to find that out for you. Matthew Abraham: "Okay. David Bevan: "So you don't know whether that was the fault of Trans Adelaide. We all know the incident we're talking about. Just a few weeks ago a young num, she got off, her husband was trying to help her with the pusher; the doors closed on them and [the train] started to move away. Patrick Conlon: "Yeah, uh, well, look, I don't know and, um, you know, one of the things is, you know, we've talked about, uh, the kids, one of the things is the parent, I mean, it does give you a cold shiver when you know about children being involved in incidents so it's something none of us want to happen, but I really don't know. I'd have to find that out for you. Matthew Abraham: "Okay. 1300 222 891. Dorothy of Blackwood Dorothy: "…we stand on dangerous territory when we start to say who cannot go on public transport because the whole point of public transport is that if we are a member of the public we should be allowed on the train and I find the Minister's point about public safety rather, uh, pathetic because you have bikes, which are much more dangerous with all the spikes and the protrusions. And you have pushers with children which when they are fly are weighty. I wouldn't think the cans contained in that bag would be that dangerous and any more dangerous than anything else on the train and I think if the gentleman pays his fare he should be entitled to go on public transport. He doesn't appear to be a danger and it's important that we celebrate somebody who actually wants to work. And one other thing: Trans Adelaide should be focussing on improving their services than worry about a couple of bags of cans. David Bevan: "Minister, do you want to respond? Patrick Conlon: "Well, no, Dorothy's got a view and she, I mean, I'm not prepared to claim I know much about it, is, that, is, to answer Dorothy's suggestion is not a problem. I'm just telling you that the Trans Adelaide does not have a blanket policy of stopping people with cans from getting on trains, now this particular individual circumstance, I'm, I'm sure they've got a very good reason for it but, you know, we'll check it out, okay. There's no blanket ban for people taking cans on trains…we have no hostility to it… David Bevan: Allan rang to say there could be a concern with ants and wasps collecting in the empty cans. Geoff rang to say he's travelled with the gentleman with the cans for a number of years and it was something all of the other commuters worked around and there were no dramas. Interview broadcast on 29 November 2007 Free Petrol Discount Vouchers from FamiliesSA The FamiliesSA office in Morphett Street, Adelaide displays a sign offering free petrol vouchers. I asked the guy behind the counter for one. “I can do that,” he said, and handed me a wrinkled Woolworths receipt that offered 4 cents off per litre. 4 December 2007 Train Doors Fixed? “They’re paper-working over the doors,” said a ticket inspector to the guard on a train last week. He went on to explain that the Trans Adelaide bureaucrats had fixed up their paperwork making it appear that the faulty train doors opening unexpectedly between stations had been fixed. “Shouldn’t they just fix the doors?” asked the guard rhetorically. Neither of them laughed. 4 December 2007 Special Announcement You can often see Jimmy from Uganda with Charlotte and Cockroach and his girlfriend at the Elizabeth Railway Station. Last week the man formerly know as "Jim" announced to the crowd at Fred’s Van that he was changing his name to “Kevin Rudd”. This drew a mixed reaction. 5 December 2007 Cappo "is compromised" Comments on the “Cappo ‘is compromised’” article in the Adelaide Advertiser none of which were posted from anyone from this website. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/comments/0,22638,22832221-910,00.html Fred's Van worker assaulted The guy wearing the red baseball cap shoved old Ray, the unpaid worker at Fred's Van on Thursday night. He was pissed off over the distribution of packets of Tim Tams and became abusive so Ray ignored him. He then shoved Ray in what could also be described as a "punch to the shoulder". The blond-haired woman wearing the rectangular, black glasses ran in to protect Ray, who packed off toward the coffee table. Ray seemed to be in mild shock. Ray is about 70 while the other man about twenty-years-old. Two St Vinnies women grabbed their phones and a "Police Security" car emerged two-minutes later from behind the Wakefield Street Police Station. The driver appeared reluctant to stop but did so on the beckoning of one of the St Vinnies women. After a brief discussion they drove off and a few minutes later the real police arrived and talked to Ray and the other man. I'm not sure what happened after that. It should be noted that the man's behaviour appeared not meant to injure Ray and is common behaviour amongst the rougher crowd in the homeless scene. But there is a taboo amongst those in the "homeless" scene against hitting church-based and unpaid workers. "You don't bite the hand that feeds you," one veteran said. 11 December 2007 Santa's Little Helpers The Salvation Army is running radio ads begging for toiletries and food for their Hampers and Christmas gifts at Fred's Van. One ad said something like, "On behalf of all our needy, thank you." 11 December 2007 Glenside Sell-Off Fallout Incompetence and bad planning all down the line. Could it be called corruption? It was reported in the City Messenger newspaper of 6 December that St John's Youth Housing Service was refusing entry to 226 people each year despite having on average two empty beds each night. Wendy Malycha blamed the clients saying "some people are extremely difficult to deal with". She's got a point in that many "homeless" people in another era would have been inmates of Glenside and Hillside Hospitals; others currently need detox centres. Another point of the view, perhaps held by those refused entry on rainy nights, is that Wendy Malycha is hard to deal with. The St Vincent de Paul shelter on Whitmore Square says 15 to 20 of its 49 beds are empty each night. How different from the old days when the whole stinking place would be packed to the rafters. One man living outside told me the conditions of entry are too humiliating so it's easier to stay outside. He also said thieves operate within the joint so you lose your stuff. Another man told me last year that their restaurant is empty 23 hours a day and used only for a quick, timed evening meal. The strange thing is that since a few million dollars was spent on renovating the shelter building, actual occupancy has declined despite similar numbers of people sleeping outside. 11 December 2007 "Carpet Baggers" at Christmas Parties It will be interesting to see which homeless joints invite media crews to report happy homeless people being fed on Christmas Day and given little presents. One source told me that two years ago the Hutt Street Centre brought in a certain "next Pope", the Premier, a camera crew and a security guard to stop the grateful clients from busting the camera. The source said the Premier shook hands with everyone but a certain "next Pope" did not. I haven't been able to corroborate this story. 11 December 2007 Teen Challenge Anton and Rangi missed another Thursday meal. The new guy plus Ricky handled the situation nicely though the Jasmin chef thoughtfully observed us when they were handing out the food. We moved from the park to under the eaves of the RAA office while Ricky moved the big truck like a sports car. We ate the food while crouching on the footpath next to the expensive restaurant and apartments. Many people using the restaurant developed vertical facial wrinkles when they saw us eating on the footpath. Watching the disapproving faces of affluent dark skinned people while semi-destitute white folk eat charity food is a lesson in human nature. 11 December 2007 Homelessness Down One I forgot to mention this previously but Barmera Scam Artist, John Green, has reportedly found a place to live. 11 December 2007 Dangerous Tram Crossing "R", who lives outside, stated emphatically last Tuesday at Fred's Van that the tram and street crossing at Victoria Square, near the GPO, was an accident waiting to happen. He'd noticed that people inadvertently crossed one set of tram tracks then stood in the middle only to be surprised when they heard a tram swishing behind them. "R" says there needs to be an extra warning or barrier to prevent pedestrians, especially old folk from standing between the two sets of tracks. He wanted the matter brought up in this gossip column. 14 December 2007 Frank Jones and Mother Theresa "...he would probably have trouble with any neighbours he had, even Mother Theresa, if she were still alive and living in SA." from an Anonymous Source 14 December 2007 The Charismatic Frank Jones Frank, aged 74, drove by the Teen Challenge meal area in Hindmarsh Square last Thursday. He's stuck more red tape to his black van. But simply driving by aroused hostility in one man who shouted and made coarse gestures. Frank knows how to motivate people. 14 December 2007 Yet another assault at Fred’s Van Last night (5th) at Fred's someone got assaulted. I didn't see what happened but he wanted the police to attend, but they hadn't when we all had left. There were a lot there, and the usual lot blocking other people, grabbing everything, and frayed tempers among those blocked off. Whatever, the Police Security were there at the time. I'm planning to drift out over time, my enthusiasm is near zero. My enthusiam for other things is gradually taking hold. Dr X 14 December 2007 Galloper the Innocent Was David Cappo on 5AN promoting his post-Papal career of marathon running. He detailed his training route from his office in Catholic Central to his other office in the State Administration building. What wasn’t stated was whether he goes the long way to the front of the building or cuts off five-metres by sneaking in a back door. 14 December 2007 Fred’s Van Last Week Quite a large crowd in Gawler Court especially when compared to the smaller than usual Teen Challenge/Jasmin meal in Hindmarsh Square, the latter attended by just 41 people. The Fred's Van meal began with sausages and tomato sauce on bread plus the Thursday Night Special: rice and vegetarian curry (the rice was soggy but the curry excellent). Fried chicken followed for meat eaters and there was lots of it. (Even “PJ” wasn’t complaining). The cheese and salad sandwiches were marked with "V" so the vegetarians in the crowd (just one) didn't have to toss the meat onto the ground. There were also meat sandwiches. The fruit didn't run out too quickly though two women handing it out noted that Dominick's girlfriend, Jill, was especially keen on bananas. And she’s so quiet. "Jed" added a certain zest to the evening by asking if anyone wanted a body buried. "Yes or No?" he demanded. Everyone ignored him except one man who said, "No". A woman shouted, “Rick”, at “Jed” which seemed to quieten him down. Another man sat on the dirty ground playing a guitar and sang the Lionel Richie song that starts with: "Hello, are you lonely?" A church man handed out packets of chocolate chip biscuits (Use-By 7 October, 2007). I gave mine to Dr X. There were also buns (plain and cream) and bags of marshmallows and jelly things. The guitar player added more vocal accompaniment to his songs of sadness and hope. PJ was looking rather sensitive and intelligent and said to someone: "I'm glad I look old." Tony collected drink cans from nearby rubbish bins while competing with a few others doing the rounds. He loaded them into his Coles trolley that he pushes back home to Crazy Cottage. The ever-present scowling woman smiled at something I said, such a beautiful smile that transformed her. Ally, the man from Sudan looked tired because he had worked all day unloading shipping containers in the 350 heat. He isn't strongly built and you'd expect him to be a uni lecturer or doctor rather than a labourer and taxi driver. The Emergency Medical Technician ambulance trio stood around but left early as there weren't any customers and no one was angry enough to create such customers. The Fred's Van staff lingered after packing up. They talked to Dr X and PJ. It was if they didn't want to leave so soon. The church women looked beautiful as if their everyday hard and nasty faces had melted away leaving something softer and more sensitive. Even the church men hung up their guns. 18 December 2007 Hampers at Festival Centre The Wesley Bowden Mission is handing out 2000 Christmas Hampers at the Festival Centre today. Isn’t that kind? “It’s what Christmas is all about,” said Deb Tribe (formerly of Tim and Debbie), on ABC-5AN today, about the Hamper Pick-Up. But how do the people picking up the hampers feel about it? The Festival Centre is a public place, parking is limited, (if the recipients have cars), and catching the train or bus with a big hamper is somewhat embarrassing. 18 December 2007 Sky City Silencing Critic Mr Peter Bagdi was kicked out of the Adelaide Sky City Casino last week. They accused him of looking in the trays for coins left by departed gamblers. He said he didn’t do it. They kicked him out previously for three months last year after he passed notes to staff saying he thought terrorists were laundering money in the Casino. They sought an indefinite banning of Peter Bagdi in the Liquor and Gambling Commission, but failed ? the Commissioner said Peter could legally return to the Casino. But the Casino circumvented the ruling by saying Peter’s chequered shorts didn’t meet their dress code despite meeting their dress code for the previous year. Peter changed his clothing to meet their standards but now they’ve used the “scavenging” rules to kick him out. The State Government is introducing legislation to force the Casino to be more vigilant against suspected terrorists and criminals who they believe use the Casino to launder money. Peter says he isn’t returning to the Casino because he thinks they might hire the mafia to “bump him off”. 18 December 2007 "Homeless" Christmas Day Meals St Lukes: 11:30am Perhaps 400 attended including many ex-homeless though few currently living outside. The Hall was packed. The tables were too close together making it difficult to move about with ease. Fifty children attended and were given presents. There was heaps of food: quality meat, fish, salads, cherries, Coke, excellent deserts, but no salt and pepper until half way through the meal. There wasn't any coffee and the whole meal was handled with surprising few staff. Patrons weren't hurried to finish eating and piss off so the meal lasted three hours. There wasn't any fighting one person noted with regret (not me). One woman screamed loudly when she didn't get enough ice-cream so they gave her more. The behaviour worked. Gary, that man who shouts at strangers on the street, made two speeches. Could anyone understand a word he said? Maybe a few. He received the loudest applause. People have good feelings for Gary despite his being so damaged by alcohol and other stuff. The reason is that he has retained his humanity in a situation where others become mean and nasty. "John the Baptist" was there. He's the older man who works at WestCare, the one with long hair who appears to have just stepped out of the Bible. "The food must be pretty bad at WestCare if their people come here," said another WestCare worker who chose St Lukes despite having helped order and buy their food the previous day. A third WestCare person also abandoned the WestCare meal in mid-flight saying the turkey was "dry as shit". A man from Byron Place warned me against sitting near "the fat guy and the old man with a white beard" because they eat like pigs and it puts everyone near them feel sick. He said they hog everything nearby so the table becomes a moonscape within a five-metre radius. After sitting down I looked around warily and low and behold "the fat guy and the old man with a white man" were two chairs away. But they weren't as bad as reported except when the fat guy started eating a whole plate full of prawns. That wasn't a pretty sight. The Ghost Who Walks wasn't there but his friend, The Removalist, was. They both move into any venue that provides free food and begin loading up boxes as if they're working for a removal business. Their behaviour is breathtaking to watch but censured by those actually living outside, and who sometimes haven't eaten for 36 hours. Posted 27 December 2007 Byron Place Community Centre: 9:30 am I got there late as things were finishing up. People were friendly and the staff seemed happy to be there. There was food, good presents and free UV protection sunglasses for those living outside. Byron Place offers the most practical help for people living outside so most at their Christmas brunch actually live outside. Posted 27 December 2007 Hutt Street Centre I didn't go there because of possible TV cameras and their policy of requiring ID for their weekday lunches, which seems discrimination against poorer people and an invasion of privacy. A St Lukes diner who also went to Hutt Street for an early shift, (Their Christmas meal is in shifts due to high demand), said the meal was "crap as usual". It should be noted that loyal Hutt Street patrons no doubt had similar harsh criticisms of the other places. There was a rumour going about that each person attending Hutt Street would get $50. Some hung around after their meal waiting for the bonus, but later reported that the cash did not eventuate. Hutt Street do a terrific breakfast throughout the year because it's free, dependable and staff don't require ID. Posted 27 December 2007 Wesley Uniting Care Adelaide (Pitt Street) 6pm "Why don't you talk some sense?" "D" interjected during the warm-up speech by Dirk, a church worker. Dirk was saying how many of us attending had had a "shit year", and maybe last year had also been a "shit year", and that we might have forgotten what it was like not to have a "shit year". He said we should all put our hope in Jesus or someone like that - I can't remember the rest because there was quite some muttering amongst the guests. We don't want to be treated as "losers" simply because we attend Christmas charity events. We think we're normal people like anyone else. "D" was unhappy for the rest of the meal and said to me, "Sometimes I feel like a loser." He lost his mother three months before and is still grieving and people experiencing this state of mind are very susceptible to negative suggestions. The food itself was good with lots of green salads, chicken, ham and tea and coffee. They also served wine but the kind without alcoholic content, and this fact disturbed one patron. The atmosphere was described by another as "subdued" though I thought it was good. They did end the meal a little abruptly as many wanted to stick around because of the good atmosphere. There was a much higher ratio of staff to diners than St Lukes and the staff were respectful: you could see it in their eyes. Two fellows played a piano and a violin. A church person named, "Tim" went around taking pictures for the Wesley Uniting Care Adelaide mission. Don't these people realise how much we resent being promoted as "charity cases" for propaganda purposes. However, all in all, most people attending these Christmas events feel a respect and admiration for those providing the food and service. Posted 27 December 2007 Salvation Army Food Van The Salvation Army provided the Fred's Van meal on Christmas Eve. It was okay but nothing special. Reports from others said the Coastlands meal on Sunday at Fred's Van was terrific. Posted 27 December 2007 Street-to-home A man never before mentioned on this website and I were talking about HousingSA. The man introduced the subject of Street-to-home. "They don't talk to you; they talk at you," he said, adding, "They're not very good." Posted 27 December 2007 Peanuts, Anyone? Bags of peanuts began appearing on city posts during the week prior to Christmas. They were tied with elastic cord just above the button you press to activate the green walk signs. "Uum, I'm homeless. I'll take these," said one "rough sleeper" on Thursday night. This bag was one of four spotted at the pedestrian crossing on Grenfell Street near Adelaide Arcade. Posted 27 December 2007 Salvation Army No-Show On Friday, 21 December, 2007 Fred's Food Van didn't show up. Friday Fred's Van is organised by the Salvation Army. An old man arrived at 6:40pm to make the announcement to waiting patrons. He apologised profusely then left. A quiet debate ensued. One man said the reason there wasn't a meal that night was because the Salvos couldn't get the volunteers because of the violence; another said the volunteers were occupied with their own Christmas business; another said the Salvos tend to be unreliable, anyway. You’d think the Salvation Army would fund this area of their operations a little better. After all, they’re one of the wealthiest outfits in Australia with assets approaching $3Billion. Some of the people at Fred’s Van are clients because they were kicked off the dole by the Salvation Army’s Job Network outfit, Employment Plus. Couldn't some of their "kicking-people-off-the-dole profits" cross subsidise their participation in Fred’s Van? Posted 27 December 2007 Abdominal Problems? "John Lamprell works his guts out keeping Fred's Van going," said a man leaving Fred's Van last week. More on Peter Bagdi Getting Kicked Out of Casino "It's his expression on his face. People feel uneasy. That is why they kicked him out," said a friend of Peter Bagdi. Posted 27 December 2007 The old "turn the crust inwards" trick on Fred's Van sandwiches. An abandoned camp being taken over by nature near the West Terrace Cemetery. Social Exclusion “I don’t give a f**k what the Minister says,” said the shift co-ordinator at the Adelaide Train Station last week to Phil, who was trying to board a train with his fridge trolley and bags of deposit cans. Phil told him the Minister of Transport, Patrick Conlon had said in a radio interview that he was allowed on the trains with bags of cans. Conlon said in the interview that he was going to look into the specific issue of Phil and his fridge trolley. Conlon doesn’t appear to have done anything despite a direct request to investigate this matter and issue a Ministerial directive. Phil has also lodged two complaints with Trans Adelaide but doesn’t expect a reply. Where is David Cappo, the Social Inclusion Commissioner in all this? It isn’t as if Galloper the Innocent is lazy. For example, land developer Theo Maras simply has to ring a little bell and Cappo “comes-a-running”. Posted 27 December 2007 Cameras at Homeless Christmas Parties A certain person in-the-know told me that either last year or the year before a female client attending the Hutt Street Centre Christmas Party ran away without eating when she saw the TV camera arrive with the Premier and Galloper the Innocent. She was afraid her violent “ex” might recognise her on TV and then know where to find her. Two others have also commented on the TV presence at Hutt Street at Christmas, one deciding not to attend this year because of it. Another, a Catholic, said he always tells them not to take his picture. One of the above commented that the Premier shook everyone’s hand and that it was okay if the Premier visited on Christmas Day but he shouldn’t stay the whole two bloody hours. The person noted that Galloper the Innocent (Business Class) didn’t shake hands with anyone. Posted 27 December 2007 A Sobering Experience The Christmas meal at the Otherway Centre was attended by white celibate men, mostly. Those preparing and serving the food were indigenous (Aboriginal) women, mostly. Few Aboriginal “clients” attended though the tables were full and the food finished up. The dominant voices and body language were from the Aboriginal women. This role reversal was a sobering experience. The Hampers included coffee and Twinings Tea and the food was fresh and new. This was distinct from the Uniting Care Wesley Adelaide "Hampers from Hell". That food was old and the tea bags were from the Reject Shop. “PJ”, the hoarder, needed a wheelbarrow to carry off the food he got at Otherway. It was embarrassing and I pretended not to know him. "PJ" who? Later, another person explained that PJ doesn’t have an income and has been barred from some homeless centres. Food is his only item of trade in a sometimes dangerous homeless scene. Posted 27 December 2007 Report On Maslins Beach A certain gentleman at the Otherway Christmas Lunch recounted his visit to Maslins Beach. He chose to wear his underpants but said nudists laughed at him and a woman told him to take his pants off. He retreated to the cliffs to peek down at the bathers through binoculars. The police arrived and asked him what he was doing. He said he was watching a friend swimming below in case sharks appeared in the water. He said the police told him to leave. Posted 27 December 2007 Burner Leaves Adelaide “Jed” was seen leaving Adelaide on a Sydney bound train last week. Not everyone’s eyes were filled with tears. “Jed” is famous for torching a homeless man’s stuff at Fred’s Van plus visiting the police station to show them the book he was reading: “Night Stalker”. The last I heard of "Jed" he was trying to raise an army. He is never boring. Posted 27 December 2007 Free Motel Rooms for Homeless “PJ” was released from hospital after treatment for heart problems. He said some social workers kindly put him into a motel in a distant suburb. “PJ” says he doesn’t have an income despite being in his late sixties. He said they didn’t give him any bus tickets or enough food so he felt trapped and hungry. But at least he didn’t get the “John Green Treatment”. Green was injured in a government sponsored football game between “homeless” men. He spent a night in the Royal Adelaide Hospital then social workers transferred him to the Brecknock Hotel, but they forgot to send the hotel enough money. The Brecknock manager kicked him one day at 5pm while Green was still injured. Posted 27 December 2007 Fred’s Van Closing at Christmas No Fred’s Van on Christmas Day. They were handing out slips of paper on Wednesday night announcing the Christmas “no show”. The language on their notice is interesting: “As there are a lot of charitable agencies providing Christmas lunch on next Tuesday 25th December there will not be a Fred’s Van operating in Gawler Place that night.” Posted 27 December 2007 Hamper from Hell (Cancel the “Snap and Crackle) The Wesley Mission in Pitt Street provided library bags to hamper recipients to make it easier to carry the stuff home. Library bags were less humiliating to carry than a big box with "charity case" labelling though trained eyes could still see that the bags were charity shopping. The food came with the following advice: “If you think of the old Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles claim of the product making a ‘snap, crackle, pop’ sound, well, assuming this happened at time of optimum freshness, (prior to Best Before Date expiry), then perhaps the product might only make the sound of ‘snap and crackle’ some 5 months later. Just because the inherent characteristics of the product, [in their hamper], are no longer at their optimum (whether it be taste, freshness etc), doesn’t mean the product is unfit for human consumption or no longer nutritious.” You have to be a welfare recipient to understand the significance of the above information. Posted 27 December 2007 Resentment Brewing An unpaid worker at the Otherway Centre initially had trouble getting a meal ticket at the Teen Challenge meal in Hindmarsh Square because he was wearing a CDEP shirt. The Teen Challenge fellow said he was a worker and shouldn’t be there. The Otherway fellow informed him CDEP was a form of work-for-the-dole program for indigenous people and didn’t signify a paid job – and it was just an old shirt, anyway. “C”, also had a problem about being seen as a worker. He pays 60% of his gross income on rent, but walks with pride and strength. I showed him the right way of walking: stooped shoulders; silly bounce; head bent over; erratic course: the required behaviour at charity events. Alas, he was not a good student and insists on walking with pride thus will probably continue to have trouble. Posted 27 December 2007 |
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