http://vinnies.org.au/files/NSW/SocialJustice/Year%20in%20Review/YearinReview_09_web

SOCIAL JUSTICE

YEAR IN REVIEW

2009

CONTENTS 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12:

PREFACE

Preface: NSW Social Justice Committee Informed Choice Disaster Recovery Rethinking Homelessness Financial Literacy Animation Regional Homlessness Migrants and Refugees Rural Task Force Community Support Accepting Difference Social Inclusion Social Justice

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Writing to a colleague, just a few years after the formation of the St Vincent de Paul Society in 1833, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, the organisation’s founder, was unambiguous about how social justice research and advocacy should be conducted.

Frederic stipulated, “Two things may be demanded from a scholar. Firstly, that his belief shall be independent and intelligent, and Christianity requires no less. Secondly, that the desire to justify a conclusion shall not induce him to distort facts in order to produce the desired proof.” Even today, every facet of the Society’s research and advocacy work remains faithful to these principles.

For Frederic, faith and a desire to draw nearer to Christ fuelled his unwavering commitment to social justice, but his remarkable intellect and academic cunning apprised him of the need to produce research of sufficient rigor.

The years have not dimmed the profundity of Frederic’s words, nor have they weakened the Society’s steadfast commitment to social justice and the tenets of Catholic social teaching.

The social justice commentaries in this review, written by Senior Researcher, Dr Andy Marks, confirm Frederic’s belief that the facts of marginalisation and disadvantage need not be distorted to be noticed. All that is required is that the Society speaks out when injustices occur. This is precisely what the Social Justice Social Justice Committee has sought to achieve throughout 2009, and it is the commitment we carry into the year ahead.

Yours in Christ, NSW Social Justice Committee

RESEARCH St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Dr Andy Marks

Senior Researcher andy.marks@vinnies.org.au Media enquiries Marion Frith Communications Officer

Telephone: (02) 9568 0215 Mobile: 0417 446 430 Email: marion.frith@vinnies.org.au

Writing by Dr Andy Marks

Layout and design by Rachel Anne Irvine

Michael Callaghan (Chair) Maria Degabriele Greg Hogan Des Kinsella Sheila Kinsella Pat Leonard Andy Marks Julie McDonald Brian Murnane John Shelley

Privacy Statement: In accordance with St Vincent de Paul Society policy, the names of the clients featured in this publication have been changed and stock images used. © 2009 St Vincent de Paul Society NSW ABN: 46 472 591 335

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“It is the struggle between those who have too much and those in poverty which is shaking the ground beneath our feet. Our duty as Christians is to throw ourselves between those two camps.”

Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

Preface: NSW Social Justice Committee

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s frustrating as it may be to witness people pursuing poor options, it is too simplistic to put their predicament down to a question of bad choices alone. More than 175 years of serving people experiencing disadvantage has shown the St Vincent de Paul Society that the causes of poverty and marginalisation are complex.

Despite how it may appear, rarely does somebody actively choose to loose their job or have their family breakdown, nor do they choose to be physically, sexually or emotionally abused. Similarly, when struggling to cope with deteriorating relationships, mental health issues or addiction, nobody chooses to compound their problems by becoming homeless.

One of the catchcries of modern life is “freedom of choice�. We are constantly reminded by the media and government that we have the right to choose between things like public or private healthcare, brand or generic goods, and even plasma or LCD televisions.

In theory choice is a perfectly reasonable thing. Democracy is built on the principle of choice. The right to participate in community life is enshrined in the process of political choice, so to our right to choose not to take part in something we disagree with is an example of freedom of choice.

POVERTY AND THE

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RIGHT TO CHOOSE Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

1: Informed Choice

For all of our efforts to promote the right to choose, little attention seems to be directed towards understanding exactly what choice means. Making a real choice requires that we fully understand the options before us and we accept the implications of our decision; this is often described as an informed choice.

In the eyes of a large proportion of St Vincent de Paul Society members, serving people experiencing

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disadvantage means dealing with the fall-out from bad choices. In some cases, this may appear true; for example, in a situation where a homeless person seems intent on remaining on the streets despite the many recovery options available to them. But is this view entirely accurate?

In many ways, modern society recognises the possible risks associated with choice, yet we remain reluctant to accept them. Choice has always involved risk. Risk is an important part of growth and engagement with others. So conscious are we of the presence of risk in any type of choice, we now have a whole industry set up around the practice of risk management.

The current global financial crisis is in many ways a reminder of the presence of risk. The record economic boom of the previous fifteen years led many in the financial market to believe their investment choices were infallible. One of the most disturbing factors about the recent financial collapse is the fact that countless professionals, making supposedly informed choices, were unable to predict the crisis, nor were they remotely prepared for the absolute devastation that came when the crisis hit. Even the most sophisticated risk management strategies did not anticipate market failure.

In a world where even those able to exercise informed choice are at risk, what chance do ordinary people have?

This is the question many analysts and policy makers are posing in the wake of the global economic crisis. In an effort to ensure vulnerable groups, such as low income earners and pensioners are protected from the bad choices of others, the federal government has tabled legislation designed to protect people from predatory lenders. These lenders make it their business to prey on people with limited or no choices.

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The new legislative measures, due to come into effect in January 2011, will require lenders to lend money responsibly or face penalties or deregulation. Until now, the onus has been solely on the consumer – the person seeking the loan – to make an informed choice about their ability to meet the repayments. The lender (or broker) currently has no legal obligation to fully disclose the implications of their product. This is an extraordinarily unfair system, one that has caused immense harm in the community.

In recent years the intense marketing of so-called ‘low-doc’ loans, such as those with interest-free periods or credit checks wavers, has prompted many people on low incomes to seek credit they would typically be refused.

Struggling families hearing the words, “no interest for 18 months”, have proven easy pickings for predatory or ‘low doc’ lenders.

The lack of regulation surrounding ‘low-doc’ loans has meant that many consumers are now trapped in impossible situations where interestfree periods have expired and they are unable to meet repayments and additional charges. In the worst cases, people are confronted with the many risks associated with defaulting on a loan. In some parts of the state, the Society has noted a 90 per cent increase in the rate of bankruptcies in the past year alone.

to see are an acknowledgement that to date, the risk associated with credit choices has not been fairly distributed.

Predatory lenders have deliberately marketed their credit to people who aren’t in a position to make an informed choice.

Most people who resort to ‘low doc’ loans do so because they have run out of choices. A person who seeks an unmanageable loan to avert eviction, for example, is hardly exercising choice. Predatory lenders place little or no emphasis on the applicant’s ability to pay or comprehend the risk. In some instances the St Vincent de Paul Society has seen clients facing repayments greater than two-thirds of their total income. This is unsustainable.

For the first time, it will be an offence for lenders to provide loans that do not meet clearly designated guidelines concerning an individual’s capacity to pay. Equally, lenders will be obligated to revise credit contracts in cases of financial hardship, particularly where the elderly and other vulnerable groups are concerned. Should a creditor repeatedly breach any of these new guidelines, they will lose their license.

This new legislation will not eliminate the inequities that abound surrounding questions of informed choice. The

revised laws will however, encourage a greater consideration of the risks involved for both parties.

The reforms are an important first step in restoring meaning and parity to the fundamental human right to choose.

For the Society, an organisation founded on the principles of social justice, choosing to support any such initiative that champions the rights of the poor and disadvantaged is a choice that comes naturally.

In recent years various state and territory governments have been unable to adequately police predatory lending, with few prosecutions occurring. Notably, in 2007 a Canberra loan broker was convicted for providing a $340,000 home loan to a 20-year-old homeless man.

The proposed legislation will bring disparate and ineffectual state laws under the federal umbrella. Managed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the new system will require all credit providers to abide by a strict code of conduct. Creditors will also have to be licensed.

The government’s decision to put unscrupulous loan providers on notice is a welcome move, one that is fully supported by both sides of parliament.

The legislative changes we are about

INFORMED CHOICE FAST FACTS

The Australian Consumer Charter of Rights and Responsibilities states that consumers should receive a service only when they have made an informed choice and given their consent.

Community Support Incorporated (2009)

The last decade has seen the rapid expansion of low-doc lending. As a share of new loans nationwide, low-doc loans are estimated to have more than doubled, from 4 per cent in 2002 to nearly 10 per cent in 2008. Much of this non-traditional lending was enabled by the expansion of mortgage brokering, and concerns remain about brokers’ remuneration structures.

Reserve Bank of Australia (2008)

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

1: Informed Choice

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he February 2009 bushfire tragedy in Victoria was a reminder of the devastation and despair that follows in the wake of a natural disaster. The thoughts and prayers of the St Vincent de Paul Society remain with the victims of this tragedy and those who continue to suffer the painful long-term legacies of ‘Black Saturday’. It is difficult to find the words to describe the trauma many rural Victorians endured. In some cases, whole communities were wiped out.

Young mother Danielle told ABC radio of her experience of the fires. With the sky blackened and fire closing on all sides, she explained how she and her husband Wade faced a series of dire split-second decisions. “Our last option was to go down to the back dam, chuck the kids on a raft and chuck blankets over us and try and hope that the fire would jump us.”

NATURAL DISASTERS STANDING BY TRAUMATISED COMMUNITIES

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

With the situation worsening, Danielle recalls how a neighbour fought through the flames, urging her and Wade that evacuation was the only option.

“Everything was on fire, we had to drive through the fire to get out, but we weren’t going to leave the kids there.”

With the immediate threat over, residents then faced a new kind of trauma. “We’ve lost absolutely everything”, said mother of two Jackie.

“We’ve lost neighbours, friends, people we’ve known our whole lives. I don’t know what we’re going to do”.

While many people have suffered, many have shown great selflessness and courage in the face of grave danger.

Countless stories of heroism have emerged of people putting their lives on the line to help others. Characteristic of many rural Australians, these heroes have been reluctant to take any credit, most of them just content with the knowledge that they had “done their bit”.

2: Disaster Recovery

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While the devastation in Victoria unfolded, floods ravaged large parts northern Queensland, and fires spread throughout regional pockets of NSW. The scale of these events, particularly in Victoria was unprecedented, so too, the response of individuals and groups committed to helping others was overwhelming.

Relief agencies worked tirelessly throughout the peak of the disasters and in their wake ensuring that those who had experienced trauma were supported when their need was greatest.

The Society’s Disaster Recovery teams in Victoria continue to contribute to the long-term recovery of the communities affected by the tragedy, helping them to rebuild their homes and their lives with financial and material aid. Ongoing assistance includes emotional support, counselling and friendship.

The work being undertaken by the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria has the full support of its interstate brothers and sisters, including NSW. Thanks to the generous support of its donors, the St Vincent de Paul Society has long played a proactive role in serving people who have fallen victim to natural disasters and other critical events.

As the year unfolded, fire continued to pose a threat to many rural and urban communities. Lessons learned from past experience have resulted in a greater focus on planning.

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Responding effectively to disasters requires sound preparation. Like any well-drilled emergency response unit, the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Disaster Recovery Teams conduct ongoing training and capacity building exercises. This process ensures the Society’s response is able to adapt to and effectively address the often unpredictable outcomes of natural disasters and critical events.

Effective disaster recovery comes through recognising what a particular agency can and cannot do. Nobody succeeds by trying to cover all contingencies. Clear lines of communication between the Society, relief agencies, the government and emergency services ensure that each part of this coalition of services is clearly aware of their area of responsibility.

The Society’s development of a Disaster Recovery training package throughout the past year added strength to existing partnerships with government and created more opportunities for collaboration at the local level.

While training, resources and partnerships are essential ingredients of disaster recovery, nothing can replace the vital energy, faith and commitment of the thousands of St Vincent de Paul Society volunteers who work to build up trust with communities in trauma, forging personto-person connections through the core Vincentian calling of visitation.

In the months and years to come, communities will pull together and rebuild. Faithful to our mission, the St Vincent de Paul Society will stand alongside them and help support this process.

At this traumatic yet eternally hopeful time Vincentians recognise the healing power of Christ’s love and endeavour to realise His compassion in the eyes of the people they serve.

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

DISASTER RECOVERY FAST FACTS

As many as 400 individual fires were recorded in Victoria on 7 February 2009, a day since referred to as ‘Black Saturday’.

Rural Fire Service (2009)

The Victorian bushfires claimed a total of 173 lives. Many people (414) suffered serious injury and 7,562 were displaced, with 2,029 homes destroyed. The fires wiped out over 4,500 square kilometres of national park and farming land, and obliterated more than 1,400 community buildings, shops and farming sheds.

Victorian Government (2009) / Rural Fire Service (2009)

By 2020, Australia is expected to see a greater number of extreme fire weather days, longer fire seasons and a greater potential for multiple fire events like those seen in the Victorian fires. It is not yet known how these changes will impact fire behaviour.

CSIRO (2008)

3: New Perspectives

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t the invitation of the Mercy Foundation, Joe McGarry, senior manager with the charity Novas, offered his incisive perspective of homelessness at a recent forum in Sydney. Novas provides accommodation, housing, support and specialist care services for homeless people throughout the United Kingdom.

Joe has considerable knowledge of the issue of homelessness, having amassed nearly twenty years’ experience in management roles within the sector. While his professional background is impressive, his unrivalled insight into the experience of homelessness stems from two decades spent as a homeless man in inner city London. This is the story he shared with those fortunate enough to attend the forum.

Born in Belfast in 1950, into a large Catholic family of nine, Joe recalls how in those days people felt differently about how to treat children. His older brother died at a young age sending his mother into a deep depression from which she never recovered. He felt as though his mother somehow blamed him.

A VIEW FROM

THE OTHER SIDE

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

3: Rethinking Homelessness

“We never celebrated birthdays in our house”, recalls Joe. His father was “a severe alcoholic with a violent streak, who eventually wound up in prison.”

Around the same time his father was sent away, Joe’s grandfather was murdered. “To cope”, he remembers, “mother took to us kids with a stick. In her mind she thought this would make sure there was no anger in us. It had the opposite effect.”

“I was a child who desperately wanted to learn and please people”, Joe explains, “but physical, emotional and sexual abuse made that impossible.”

By the age of 16, his self-esteem was at rock-bottom. “All I knew was fear, I was

very despairing and insecure.” It was at this point that he first experienced alcohol. “It took all of my anxiety away”, he recalls. “All of a sudden I felt quite normal, as though I could join the rest of the world. My world was upside down.”

As if growing up in a violent home and a brutal city were not bad enough, Joe’s life worsened when in 1968, “the troubles” descended upon Ireland. “A lot of people I went to school with”, he recalls, “got involved with organisations like the IRA”.

The early 1970s were an incredibly damaging time for Joe. “I remember drinking with two friends one evening in the pub. The following day I learned they’d been brutally tortured and murdered.” Like many people wracked with personal pain and anguish, Joe decided to flee. Before the year ended he emigrated to London. “My fear had become terror and I took that with me.”

Like thousands of his countrymen, Joe found “bare-basics” accommodation at Arlington House in Camden Town.

Arlington House was one of several hostels in London, low cost “digs” made famous by writer George Orwell who described them in his tome, ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ (1933).

Joe picked up cash-in-hand labouring work in the black economy. Lacking order and responsibility he started drinking heavily. “There was nothing else to do”, he says. “I liked working hard, it made me too tired to focus on the pain. I worked in a macho culture, I drank in a macho culture. It was a culture in which you couldn’t say, ‘I’m frightened, I don’t know what to do’. I was mentally exhausted.”

One night, Joe breached the strict rules of Arlington House by bringing a bottle of alcohol back to his room. He

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was thrown out onto the streets. “I slept rough”, he says. “I was a young man, I continued to work, continued to drink, but in time it took its toll.”

It was 1981 and Joe was admitted to hospital. On referral he saw a psychologist. “I sat on one side of the desk and she sat on the other”, he recalls. “She was an incredibly kind woman.” It emerged that she had been born on the exact same day as Joe. “I told her my story and we both sat there with tears in our eyes”. Joe was referred to a psychiatric facility in Surrey.

Joe was ashamed to be in a mental hospital. Ironically, he remembers he was not ashamed to be homeless or an alcoholic. Although he received treatment for alcoholism, his refusal to admit he had a problem saw him return to Camden Town upon his discharge.

Over the ensuing years, he continued to drink, continued to work sporadically and run into trouble with the police and the magistrate.

In between stints on the street and in prison, Joe recalls staying at a notorious London hostel ‘The Bruce’. “One night I was robbed of my last 18 pounds in my sleep”, he says. The insecurity and harshness of the hostels led him back to sleeping rough. “I felt it was safer to be on the streets.”

In 1989, Joe recalls, he finally broke the cycle. Arlington House had reopened.

The philosophy had changed dramatically. “Arlington allowed people to drink, if they chose to”, he says.

“They decided, ‘we will accept you and your problem and work with you to get through it’”. He sees this as “a major breakthrough”.

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Joe explains, “I was barred from nearly every other hostel in London. The setup at Arlington House enabled me to get de-tox. I failed a few times, but because I knew they accepted me no

matter what, I was able to develop the self-belief to try again. I got sober; got an understanding of me. One of the most important things about Arlington House was the fact that they gave people assured tenancy, regardless of their problems.”

Having successfully come through the trauma of alcoholism and chronic homelessness, Joe was asked to join the Arlington House Tenants’ Association. “This gave me a purpose.

I was responsible for others. I sat on the hostel’s management board.”

innovation. Most importantly, his insights come from his journey from fear to hope, a journey made possible by the right measures of compassion, acceptance and honesty.

feel genuinely included. Joe says his story proves how “new perspectives can come from old heads”. All we need to do is to be willing to listen.

Whether or not we agree with Joe’s approach or understand his journey, it is important that he and others who have experienced homelessness are given the chance to tell their story and

Joe says he succeeded because he was “included” by management. The Arlington model soon expanded to other areas and Joe eventually became Chair of the management board, part of the charity Nova. “I’d gone from being homeless to being in charge of a charity with an annual turnover of more than twenty million pounds”, he Joe. “I decided to take the hostel model back to Ireland”, says Joe. “We were very fortunate that the St Vincent de Paul Society donated a property to Nova in Limerick City.” Within a matter of months, Joe recalls, “we’d dramatically reduced the homeless population in the area.”

The Limerick City hostel is a combination of “dry” and “wet” areas where clients are given the support necessary to attempt de-tox, yet they are not thrown out or barred if they fail. It has proven to be a very successful model, recently receiving a major government grant to enable further expansion.

In consultation with Catholic groups like the Mercy Foundation in Australia, Joe is now looking to bring many of the methods he’s used successfully elsewhere.

Like his own story, Joe’s progressive approach to homeless services is characterised by re-invention and

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

RETHINKING HOMELESSNESS FAST FACTS

“The distinctive approach of Vincentians to issues of injustice is to see them from the perspective of those we visit who suffer from injustice.”

The Rule of the St Vincent de Paul Society (Part 1, Section 7.4)

Nearly 90 per cent of people surveyed thought that mental illness and substance abuse are the most common causes of homelessness. This is incorrect. The reality is, only 15 per cent of people have mental health issues prior to becoming homeless, and 16 per cent develop mental health issues after becoming homeless.

Hanover Welfare (2006), Social Policy Research Centre (2009)

3: Rethinking Homelessness

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t’s like a hotel forcing drinks on somebody and then asking them to drink responsibly!” At first glance this confronting statement may seem out of place at a workshop on the impact of the global financial crisis. However, on closer inspection it is clear that this kind of straight talk is exactly what is needed at a time like this.

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The responsible drinking analogy, raised by Dr Steve Keane, Associate Professor in economics from the University of Western Sydney, was a very effective illustration of the double standards that abound in Australia’s financial system. Dr Keane was referring to the lack of protection and recourse available to disadvantaged people targeted by unscrupulous or “predatory” lenders.

An increasing number of lenders are offering “interest free repayments”, “no credit checks”, and a range of other “too good to be true” incentives, yet it seems there is little that can be done to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.

FINANCIAL 16

STRESS

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

The impact of predatory lending was just one of the many issues discussed at the Policy Workshop on Financial Stress in May 2009. Chaired by the Wesley Mission, the workshop drew participants from the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Salvation Army, Mission Australia, the Smith Family, Anglicare, the state government, universities, and the business community.

The workshop was a great example of diverse agencies and people working together for a singular aim and a common good; specifically, to ameliorate the impact of the current financial crisis on the most disadvantaged members of the community.

The participants discussed a range of recent research findings concerning the social, psychological and emotional

4: Financial Literacy

implications of financial stress.

Correlations were drawn between families spending more than they earn and resulting declines in the quality of family relationships. Studies confirming the negative impact of financial stress on physical and mental health were also discussed.

Facilitated by the Nine Network’s finance editor, Ross Greenwood, the workshop was more than just a talkfest. It was also an occasion to put forward solutions. Equally, it wasn’t just a forum for researchers. The voices of practitioners confronting financial stress in the community were also heard.

While it was agreed issues like mortgage stress are on the increase, there was consensus on the fact that renters were most at risk of financial stress. With unprecedented demand for rental properties and a record shortfall in supply, rents throughout NSW have reached levels approximating mortgage repayments.

Even with state and federal government commitments to invest record sums into public housing, it will be years before the chronic shortfall in affordable accommodation will be redressed. In the meantime, preventative strategies are the best available option to

One financial counsellor, Susan, who works at the grassroots level with countless families in financial stress called on banks to be more flexible. Many people she said, were on the brink of homelessness, simply because the bank refused to negotiate reasonably with them about unforseen changes in their circumstances such as ill health or unemployment.

The issue of inflexibility in the banking sector prompted calls for banks to waive fees for vulnerable groups such as pensioners, students, carers, people with a disability and the unemployed. A senior representative from the Bankers Association present at the workshop agreed that banks could do more, however she also drew attention to the many measures already in place for disadvantaged groups, conceding that these concessions could be better publicised.

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reduce housing stress and avert homelessness.

The fundamental question of how we define financial stress became a central issue for workshop participants.

Rather than looking solely to economic indicators, it was agreed that if a person’s financial situation prevented them from engaging in the community then they were in financial stress.

Placing community engagement at the heart of any definition of financial stress is a critical progression because it captures the full experience of financial stress, showing how it is not just an economic problem but one that has complex social implications for individuals and the wider community.

Financial counselling and financial literacy programs were identified as being the most widely adopted strategies currently in place to prevent and alleviate financial stress. While it was agreed these programs can work, it was felt that their impact is low because they do not effectively appeal to people experiencing financial stress.

The majority of workshop participants concurred that most people are not interested in entering into budget counselling. In most cases, they will only agree to counselling if they are required to do it to receive financial or material assistance. The low uptake rate and appeal of many existing financial literacy programs led to a discussion on the behavioural aspects of money management.

The St Vincent de Paul Society’s contribution to this aspect of the forum was well received. The Society observed how research and practice confirmed people do not typically plan their lives around financial matters.

This assertion is backed by statistics confirming that less than five per cent of people in financial stress seek help.

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Rather than planning for financial eventualities, behavioural studies prove people prefer to manage their finances around what can be called life ‘events’; for example, marriage, the birth of a child, the commencement of education, the loss of a job, inheritance, ill health, death and other issues.

Given our tendency to plan our futures around major life ‘events’, shouldn’t our financial planning also mirror this structure? ‘Event’ orientated financial planning has been adopted recently in the United States and proven to be remarkably successful as it effectively utilises everyday language and timescales.

New approaches to financial literacy and a range of additional ways to ameliorate financial stress flowed through the workshop. One participant remarked that the current global financial crisis meant that agencies like the St Vincent de Paul Society and others needed to work more with one another to find the best solutions for those we serve.

As the workshop drew to a close, one panellist commented that the financial stress workshop was like a ‘war cabinet’ where various parties whose paths sometimes diverged, worked together to stare down a common threat.

While it may not have been the first united campaign designed to reduce the impact of the global financial crisis on disadvantaged Australians, the Financial Stress Workshop was certainly not the last salvo.

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

FINANCIAL LITERACY FAST FACTS

Throughout 2009, Australian Public, Independent and Catholic schools developed implementation strategies for consumer and financial literacy teaching programs across their primary (K-6) and secondary (7-12) curriculums.

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2009)

A national survey found the following groups exhibit low levels of financial literacy: people aged 1824 years; those aged 70 years or over; people whose household income was less than $25,000 per annum; the unemployed and Indigenous Australians.

Social Research Centre / ANZ (2009)

Such is the concern about the rising number of houses being repossessed by banks – a total of 3,260 homes in the first six months of 2009 in NSW – Legal Aid NSW and the Consumer Credit Legal Centre have established a mortgage stress service two days a week at the NSW Supreme Court.

Sydney Morning Herald (2009)

Financial counsellors say in the past 12 months their client base has shifted significantly from mostly long-term unemployed to those who, after a lifetime of employment, are out of a job and struggling to pay their mortgage or worse, feed their family.

Credit Counselling Service / Sydney Morning Herald (2009)

Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 40 per cent from May 2008 to May 2009.

Australian Council of Social Service (2009)

4: Financial Literacy

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“

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hat we’re trying to do is to get people to stand on their own two feet”, says John Stone, manager of the Caroline Chisholm Centre for Social Justice. Established in 2000, this St Vincent de Paul Society facility provides all manner of critical assistance to people experiencing pronounced disadvantage.

Located in Emerton in western Sydney, the Centre has grown considerably in recent years. As poverty in the region has worsened and demand for its services has increased, the facility’s capacity has expanded.

The average household income in Emerton is $712 per week, compared with the state average of $1,036.

This exceedingly low income level is compounded by an unemployment rate that is more than twice the national average. Community health indicators are also extremely poor, particularly in relation to mental health.

ENDING INTERGENERATIONAL POVERTY

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

The staff’s commitment to meeting the many challenges the Centre faces is an excellent example of the St Vincent de Paul Society toiling where it is most needed, at “the frontline of the war on poverty,” standing alongside the poorest of the poor.

Western Sydney has long been identified as a region of socioeconomic disadvantage, but the impact of the global financial crisis has seen a significant worsening of conditions for many vulnerable families and individuals. This fact is spelt out on the faces of the people who come into the Centre for help.

Like all St Vincent de Paul Society Special Works, the Centre keeps comprehensive records of the services it provides, including anonymous statistics of the people assisted. This

5: Animation

information is vital, as it helps the Society plan ahead to meet demand and direct resources where they are most needed.

John and his team are clearly concerned at the situation that is unfolding. Some issues are more troubling and urgent than others. “Homelessness is on the increase, dramatically”, he says.

In the 2006-07 financial year, the Centre provided assistance to 110 people experiencing homelessness.

By 2008-09, the figure had jumped to 1,010. This is an extraordinary, nearly ten-fold increase in demand.

As John points out, this rapid increase in homelessness is not matched by the level of appropriate services in the region. “Between Parramatta and Penrith, there are virtually no facilities for homeless people”. John cites a De La Salle facility in Richmond called San Miguel’s, and St Michaels at Baulkham Hills, both of which cater for women and children; however, there are no accommodation services for homeless men.

John says he and his staff are witnessing the emergence of a shift in the region’s homeless population.

“There’s a new trend in homelessness here which no one really caters for and that’s homeless men looking after children.” He continues, “Out this way in general, we have a problem with a lack of appropriate facilities for homeless persons.”

Unfortunately, steep rental increases associated with the ongoing shortfall in housing supply and job losses resulting from the global financial crisis are just two factors suggesting that the rate of homelessness will continue to rise in the region.

Homelessness is only one of the many forms of need the Caroline Chisholm Centre seeks to address. Rather than offering a one-dimensional service, the Centre responds to the multi-faceted nature of poverty and marginalisation by offering a suite of integrated services.

“Using Animation techniques (see p.25) in a welfare situation”, says John, the Centre employs a “holistic approach”, seeking to educate and empower disadvantaged people to make positive choices.

The range of progressive services the Centre offers includes: budget counselling, financial counselling, family support, employment help, legal aid, court support, Housing NSW liaison, DOCS support, school holiday activities, anger management, immigration and refugee support, transpersonal art therapy, sewing, parenting skills, computer courses and driver education. In addition to this impressive array of services, the Centre also has a full-time social worker on staff, and a visiting psychologist.

In nearly a decade of operation, the Centre has tracked many changes in the types of need encountered.

“Out here, we’re dealing with intergenerational poverty.” A series of disturbing trends in the profile of people accessing the Centre, suggest much work is to be done.

In the last two years the number of people on unemployment benefits accessing the Centre has increased by nearly 80 per cent. Unemployed youths are presenting at an even higher rate, with 249 youths accessing the service in 2009 compared with 98 in 2008. The Centrelink practice of ‘breaching’ which

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has led to a 61 per cent increase in the number of penalised welfare recipients accessing the Centre.

Mental health issues are also very concerning. John comments, “There is a high level of people that come in here who feel suicidal”. In addition to counselling and psychology services provided on site, John explains, “We have a good relationship with Blacktown Mental Health and Nepean.”

Clearly the work of the Caroline Chisholm Centre is of vital importance to the local community. Spend one minute in the facility and it is clear that it represents a refreshing departure from traditional modes of social service delivery. While some the region’s problems are longstanding, others are new and confronting. The progressive approach championed by the Centre ensures that it will continue to meet the many challenges that it encounters.

The rapid increases in demand experienced in Western Sydney throughout 2009 are also apparent in other regions of pronounced disadvantage. Barely 30 minutes away from the Caroline Chisholm Centre, the Society is working closely with extraordinarily disadvantaged members of another community.

Some important successes have been achieved, yet the year began with a setback, not from within the community itself but as a result of damaging external prejudices and judgements.

“When a whole community is stigmatised in this way, it’s only natural that they come together and fight back.” Teresa Harm, manager of the Vincentian Social Action Centre in Campbelltown has joined a growing chorus of community members from

22

south western Sydney seeking to redress the negative publicity following in the wake of a disturbance in the Rosemeadow public housing estate.

fighting back doesn’t mean resorting to violence. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite, a point emphasised by community elders.

In January 2009, several arrests occurred in response to an alleged brawl among residents at the socalled ‘3M’ region of the Rosemeadow estate. The term ‘3M’ refers to three cul-de-sacs, Macbeth, Macduff and Malcolm Way, adjacent to Copperfield Drive, roughly two kilometres south of Campbelltown city centre.

Respected Indigenous figure Uncle Ivan Wellington is one of many local leaders who have strenuously called for calm. Much of the community’s efforts to restore self-respect and compassion are based on a range of considerably successful grass roots initiatives.

Many of the headlines that followed the incident were perhaps predictable: “Youth remained indignant, targeting police and media and taunting officers”, said one Sydney tabloid, adding, “pizza deliverers refuse to visit the troubled suburb”; “Rosemeadow is a cauldron”; and, “anyone who does not live in Rosemeadow is not welcome.”

Considering the actual circumstances of the region in question, these kind of comments are unhelpful and grossly ill-informed.

Residents of 3M are some of the most socio-economically disadvantaged in the state. Unemployment levels in the Campbelltown area are nearly twice the national average, a figure expected to worsen as the full impact of the global financial crisis spreads.

Young men in particular, says Teresa, find it difficult to cope. It’s not always a question of motivation. Many youths actively try to get work, but as she explains, “they say where they live and they don’t get a look in”. This has a pronounced impact on already low levels of self-esteem.

Teresa stresses that for the overwhelming majority of residents

Although rarely reported in the tabloid press, Teresa tells how residents at Rosemeadow run a thriving community garden and a community eatery called the Yummy Café. These types of enterprises are not limited to the Rosemeadow estate.

Throughout Campbelltown’s many community housing estates, residents are breaking down the myths and stereotypes unfairly attached to people in the region.

In Claymore, the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Animation Project has enabled residents to establish a community laundromat and a range of other programs producing very encouraging outcomes for residents.

Unfortunately, the media does not view these extraordinarily positive initiatives as newsworthy.

In response to the 3M disturbance, police called on residents to “take ownership” of their problems. It is unfair to blame police, as they are not social workers, nor do they have the resources to conduct intensive community building exercises; yet it is vital that the broader community, government departments, authorities and the media acknowledge the extraordinary efforts the majority of housing estate

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

5: Animation

23

residents have undertaken to do just that, “take ownership”.

In addition to community gardens, cafes and laundromats, Teresa comments on the remarkable initiative shown by residents involved in developing a barren patch of land now dubbed the “Dream Park”. The Dream Park grew in response to the local community’s wish to provide a restorative space for themselves and most importantly their children. It is a program totally driven by local residents, who worked together with few resources to design, landscape and maintain a beautiful park in the middle of one of the most disadvantaged areas of Campbelltown’s estates.

Community ventures like the Dream Park are testament to residents’ desire to take control of their lives in a positive and constructive way. It is, however, critical that these efforts are reciprocated. To date, says Teresa, residents who wish to “get more involved in the park or get events happening in the space” have not always been taken seriously by authorities. For real progress to occur, this attitude on the part of those controlling the resources has to change. Positive and open communication must be a priority for both groups.

In seeking longer term solutions to entrenched problems in the region, many researchers and policy makers have called for a large scale reform of social housing. Current thinking promotes the breaking up of highdensity residential allotments. This has led to several large swathes of public housing being demolished. While the need to create adequate space and access in public housing design is important, many commentators have

24

criticised this response, and argue that it addresses only a minor part of the problem.

Commenting in The Australian newspaper, Dr Kurt Iverson from the University of Sydney said design considerations alone do not reflect the complexities faced by residents of public housing estates. “The problem lays more with the fact that only the poorest of the poor and the terminally unemployed qualified for public housing”.

Dr Iverson is calling for more diversity in public housing. This approach reflects an emerging trend in housing that adheres to the notion that stronger communities are forged through diversity and not by lumping exceptionally disadvantaged groups together in restrictive and stigmatised environments.

Professor Vivienne Milligan of the University of New South Wales joined Dr Iverson in seeking to promote a policy re-think. “While demolishing the estate and relocating residents is one option, another is to allocate a mix of incomes to an estate, so you don’t have one kind of community in income and social terms.”

Certainly the views of researchers are to be acknowledged. Indeed, many of the theories they put forward have proved successful in practice in other areas. However, recent developments, both positive and negative across Campbelltown’s housing estates teach us that one vital factor cannot be ignored. Quite simply, we must listen to and respect the voices of residents if we are to bring true meaning back to the word community.

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

ANIMATION FAST FACTS

“The crux of Animation is not about giving resources to people but developing the resources of the people so they can develop themselves.”

D. Abraham, Caritas (2001)

“Animation must involve people, to create a forum for the people where they can come together as equals, where they can discuss and dialogue, find the root causes of their problems and together search for solutions.”

D. Abraham, Caritas (2001)

Studies continually prove that access to quality education and a stable home life are critical factors in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.

Australian Council of Social Services (2008)

Western and South-Western Sydney consistently top nearly every recognised indicator of socioeconomic disadvantage. Despite this fact, critical support services and infrastructure throughout these regions remain chronically underfunded.

University of Western Sydney (2009)

5: Animation

25

W

hen Malcolm, a homeless man in his mid-fifties was told temporary housing had been found for him in south-western Sydney, he suddenly became very anxious. “I want to stay in Katoomba”, he told local St Vincent de Paul Society members.

“I’ve been here a long time. This is my place. It’s known territory.”

Malcolm’s story is just one of many included in the Society’s major social justice report, Known Territory: A Study of Homelessness and Marginalisation in Katoomba. Released in June 2009 after extensive research and consultation, the report reveals links between Katoomba’s comparatively high levels of socio-economic disadvantage, and the severity of homelessness in the region.

Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with several people experiencing homelessness in the upper Blue Mountains and discussions with regional service providers, the Known Territory report details the many challenges they have faced and shows how their perceptions of their situations have changed over time.

KNOWN KNOWN

For many interviewees, taking part in the study was an important part of their recovery process. “This is the first time I’ve told anyone my whole story”, says homeless man Tony, one of the study’s participants. “Most people aren’t interested”.

While some aspects of the experience of homelessness in the region were common throughout Australia, others were distinctly different.

TERRITORY TERRITORY

26

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

In the Known Territory report sixtyone year-old Brian explains that he first came to Katoomba in 1993 from Tamworth. “I worked as a tradesman, a lead lighter”, he says. “I had my own business with my wife. That fell apart.” As the report details, Brian’s homelessness initially stemmed from

6: Regional Homelessness

27

the breakdown of his marriage, yet his journey since has been difficult and complex.

talking to people”, he says. “Hopefully I can help them know they’re not alone.”

An active volunteer in the local community, Brian has recently been forced to sleep in the back of a car due to the region’s lack of suitable crisis accommodation. Despite his predicament Brian remains committed to staying in Katoomba where he feels he is a part of the community.

Tony is convinced that no matter how stable he appears, the trauma of homelessness has left part of him irrevocably damaged. “I’m still scarred inside.” For him, Katoomba is a place to heal and help others.

Anthea, a young mother of two, tells how she has survived domestic violence and homelessness. Having found the strength to leave her partner, she then endured what she perceives as indifference from some agencies she contacted for support.

Anthea recalls pleading down the phone with one particularly unresponsive bureaucrat, crying, “Aren’t you meant to help families no matter what?”

Since receiving assistance from the St Vincent de Paul Society and a range of local agencies, she is back on her feet and looking to recommence her nursing studies.

Other research participants like Tony tell how their experience of homelessness continues to change their lives long after they have begun the recovery process.

Tony spent much of his adult life on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney.

He attributes his original descent into homelessness to the lack of support he received as a victim of childhood sexual abuse.

Tony’s current housing in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath enables him to periodically travel down to Sydney and stay in touch with his friends who remain homeless, yet maintain the physical and emotional space he needs to stay well. “I love

28

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

6: Regional Homelessness

For Randle, a frail man in his early forties, Katoomba offers what he calls “middle ground”, a safe space between the intolerable noise and chaos of the city and the crippling isolation of remote rural areas. His schizophrenia compelled him to leave the Northern Rivers caravan park in which he had been staying for several months and return to Katoomba.

The failure of Randle’s housing and the journey back to the Blue Mountains saw him spend several weeks sleeping in his car. “Sleeping in the car is terrible”, Randle says. “You’re just tossing and turning all night and you don’t know who’s out there. You’ve got to be careful where you pull up. I try to go down side tracks.”

Since arriving in Katoomba the Society has provided Randle with improvised emergency accommodation in a shared room above a local pub.

Vinnies members have also helped him get in touch with local mental health resources.

Clearly in the grip of debilitating depression, Randle is convinced that Katoomba is a place where he can recover. “All I want to do is get back on track”, he says, his hands trembling.

“That’s all I can do, you know, keep trying.”

Issues surrounding mental health, addiction and violence are common in localised homeless populations like

29

Katoomba just as they are elsewhere.

However, the Known Territory report illustrates how other aspects of homelessness related to cultural, socio-economic and environmental factors are distinct to Katoomba.

The report details how factors such as Katoomba’s exceedingly high proportion of part-time workers, above average levels of unemployment, and low rate of tertiary education uptake place many people at a heightened risk of homelessness.

The combination of Katoomba’s poor socio-economic conditions with its exceptionally low individual and household income levels, and its poor health and morbidity indicators, show that many people in the region are experiencing pronounced disadvantage.

One of the most important suppositions confirmed by the report is that people experiencing disadvantage need to be able to tell their full story and be listened to if we are to understand them and identify service gaps and communication failures.

In most cases, the people interviewed for the report may have avoided homelessness if deceptively minor or inconsequential factors in their stories had been picked-up and addressed by service providers.

Although no two experiences of homelessness are the same, the Known Territory report confirms that the trauma of displacement that accompanies homelessness is to varying degrees ameliorated by the sense of belonging which a place like Katoomba provides. When every part of a person’s life seems adrift, the importance of ‘known territory’ cannot be underestimated.

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

REGIONAL HOMELESSNESS FAST FACTS

Throughout 2009, chronic shortfalls in affordable housing continued to push many low income groups into regional areas of the state in search of cheaper accommodation.

St Vincent de Paul Society / Australian Property Monitors (2009)

In many areas, the growing incidence of homelessness throughout NSW has not been accompanied by an increase in services. While the St Vincent de Paul Society operates 37 homeless services throughout the state, many parts of rural NSW remain without specialist homeless and housing services.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008) / SAAP data (2008)

The past year saw little reprieve for low income tenants in the private rental market, with many regional centres reporting record low property vacancy levels rates of less than two per cent.

Real Estate Institute of NSW (2009)

Record demand for housing, accompanied by a shortfall of approximately 200,000 dwellings nationally meant that Australia was one of the only developed nations to avoid a housing market collapse during the global economic crisis.

NATSEM / Fujitsu Consulting (2009)

6: Regional Homelessness

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P

ersonal opinions on the myths and facts surrounding migrants and refugees vary. One thing, however, is undeniable: refugees are among the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in the community. This is why, in accordance with its mission, the St Vincent de Paul Society is committed to standing alongside these people who have suffered exclusion and adversity.

Last year 4,750 people applied for asylum in Australia. Less than four per cent of them arrived here by boat.

These are the facts, yet the myth still prevails that our shores are being swamped by growing hoards of socalled “illegal arrivals”. According to official immigration records, the greatest proportion of illegal immigrants in Australia are U.K. travellers who have overstayed their visas.

Many sections of the media have irresponsibly perpetrated misconceptions surrounding asylum seekers.

A major commercial television station launched a “special investigation” into asylum seekers in October 2009, claiming that “since 1990, Centrelink benefits were paid to nearly one in four asylum seekers, costing tax payers $628 million in 2009 alone.” This is simply untrue.

A PLACE

CALLED HOME

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

7: Migrants and Refugees

The St Vincent de Paul Society’s Migrant and Refugee Coordinator, Suzie Stollznow explains, “Asylum seekers are ineligible to receive any Centrelink payments whatsoever.

People are only able to apply for Centrelink payments once they are recognised as genuine refugees; they then undergo the same application process as other Australians. Until such a time”, Suzie continues, “asylum seekers who are particularly vulnerable or have children under the age of 18 are provided with money from the Red Cross which is indexed at 89% of the Centrelink benefit. All other asylum

33

seekers are dependant on friends or organisations such as St Vincent de Paul Society.”

Settlement Strategy. This program provides initial, intensive settlement support to newly arrived refugees.

Despite the facts, wild exaggerations continue to abound in the media and among some political circles, provoking prejudice and mistrust towards migrants and refugees among some in the community. In contrast to these fallacies, many incredibly alarming, yet soundly proven facts are simply not reported at all.

In Coffs Harbour, the Society operates a government funded Refugee Support Service, providing settlement services to the region’s newly arrived humanitarian entrants.

Research has confirmed that up to one in three people with refugee backgrounds world-wide have been subject to physical torture. Exposure to physical or psychological violence is not confined to adults.

Independently verified reports have repeatedly confirmed that many children and young people from refugee backgrounds have witnessed horrific events and in some regimes have been the specific targets of torture.

The Society has a long history of helping migrants and refugees. Catholic social teaching places a special onus on the St Vincent de Paul Society to help those who seek asylum, having fled war, persecution, injustice or intolerance. This is a responsibility the Society takes very seriously.

The Society’s service of migrants and refugees is extensive and progressive.

In many areas of NSW, the level of expertise and resources the Society dedicates to this aspect of its good works has seen it recognised as a leading edge provider by migrant and refugee communities, comparable social service agencies, researchers and government.

Much of the success the St Vincent de Paul Society has had in assisting migrant and refugee settlement has arisen from the right mix of structured, traditional modes of service delivery and local know-how.

The innovative range of services provided by the Society in various regions throughout NSW includes: driving tuition; educational support; short-term accommodation; detention centre visitation and sporting programs.

The SPARK (St Vincent de Paul Society Assisting Refugee Kids) program is another example of the Society drawing on its community links to provide refugee children and their families with self-sustaining support through schools.

In recognition of its exceptional work in support of so many newly arrived migrants and refugees, this year the Society’s State Council Migrant and Refugee Team secured additional funding support from Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The government’s decision to offer this level of support shows very clearly that SPARK is identified as a best practise program in the sector.

the Society to expand and its capacity in Coffs Harbour and establish an Outreach program for the migrant and refugee community throughout Coffs Harbour, the Richmond-Tweed and the Clarence Valley. Again, this confirms that the Society is leading the way in support of marginalised communities.

The core Society vocation of home visitation has also enabled the provision of a level of intensive family and personal support and material assistance unrivalled by other agencies. In addition to supplying newly arrived families and individuals who need assistance with second hand furniture or food assistance, visitation also affords members the opportunity to extend the hand of compassion and social support. This is a critical part of the settlement process. In some cases, where migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are in need of further assistance they are referred to the Society’s Migrant and Refugee Team.

One of the biggest challenges migrants and refugees face is learning how to find and receive support. In most instances the services they require are available but insufficient promotion of their structure, location and function hampers accessibility. The Migrant and Refugee Team endeavour to stay abreast of services for migrants,

The Department also gave approval for

Understanding the critical role community awareness has in easing the settlement process, the Society’s Migrant and Refugee Team also assist members to work with migrant, refugee and asylum seeker clients.

The work which the Society does in support of migrant and refugees will no doubt intensify as changing world conditions bring different cultures into

closer contact. This is a development closely aligned to the Society’s mission (as detailed in The Rule) to “adapt to changing world conditions.”

The emotional trauma and social and economic inequalities that the majority of migrants and refugees experience in transition will continue to present challenges. The Society remains committed to following Christ by accepting, without prejudice all people who journey with us with love, compassion and understanding.

MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES FAST FACTS

Last year, the number of individuals requesting refuge, or asylum in European and Non-European Countries increased by 12 per cent. Canada had 36,900 applications for asylum; France 35,200; Italy 31,200; and the UK 30,500. Australia had 4,750.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (2009)

As a result of major events in Pakistan/Afghanistan and Sri Lanka – these countries account for 48 per cent and 36 per cent of Australia’s arrivals since March 2009.

In the Wagga Wagga Diocese the St Vincent de Paul Society has been designated as the lead provider in a consortium that delivers the Federal Government’s Integrated Humanitarian

34

refugees and asylum seekers and wherever possible, facilitate supported and equitable access.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission (2009)

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

7: Migrants and Refugees

35

W

hen I started here in 1963 there were sixty-six dairy farms in the region. Now there’s just six.” Dairy farmer Max tells the story of a way of life that is disappearing before his eyes.

“Some blokes have changed to beef, big chunks of land have gone to hobby farmers, but most have just got out of the game altogether”, he says, staring off into the distance out the back of his milking shed.

RURAL COMMUNITIES

36

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

8: Rural Task Force

Max is one of countless farmers who have shared their stories with members of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Rural Task Force over the last couple of years. Set up in July 2006 the task force has gone out into rural communities and worked personto-person on the ground where it can be of most benefit.

The Rural Task Force has traversed the state, meeting with rural farming and business communities in areas such as Peak Hill, Manilla, Coolamon, Lake Cargelligo, Merriwa, Coolah, Warialda, Warren, Milton, Berrigan and Wingham.

Task Force members met Max last year during the Rural Task Force’s visit to a dairy farming region of coastal NSW. As guests of local Society members and farmers, the Task Force shared

37

dinner with them at the local RSL club the evening before travelling out the next morning to visit their farms.

Max was happy to talk about his experiences in front of his mates.

Sharing some of the struggles they’ve faced as a result of the drought, deregulation and a gambit of other issues, was clearly a therapeutic experience. No matter how challenging these stories were, the warmth of common bonds ensured even the worst tales were punctuated with a hint of a smile and a “could be worse” type of bravado.

Away from mates and family however, some stories of struggle didn’t seem so light-hearted. Farewelling Max that night out the front of the club, he pulled a group of Task Force members aside.

“About that stuff I was telling you inside”, he said, “I can tell you more about it later. I just didn’t want to go into too much detail over dinner because the wife was there. She worries about me so I don’t like to paint things too grim, if you know what I mean”. Task Force members acknowledged Max and told him they were grateful that he felt he could share these things.

Arriving at Max’s dairy farm around 8am, Task Force members were greeted with rough and ready bush humour. “What took you so long? Half the day’s gone!” Max walked the visitors through his “operation”. He runs 220 cows on 500 acres. In the last three to four years, Max’s workload and costs have increased considerably but his production has nearly halved.

While it may have disappeared from newspaper headlines, the worst drought on record continues to devastate rural communities. According to data released in September 2009 by the Department of Primary Industries, more than 66 per cent of the state remains in drought.

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Massive tracts of farming land throughout the Darling, Western, Central West, Riverina, Hume and South East districts lay barren. A further 24 per cent of the state is fairing little better, with significant proportions of the North West, New England, Tablelands, Mid-Coast and Cumberland classified as being “marginal”.

Massive drops in dairy production offer one of many examples of the ripple effect of the drought. While Max’s farm is situated in a district classified as marginal, the price he pays for stock feed, grain and haulage have risen dramatically as a result of major price increases in drought ravaged areas.

Max buys feed pellets for $500 per tonne. Pre-drought it was $250.

Because he feeds each cow 4kg each day, he is forced to absorb massive cost increases. Max can’t afford to feed his stock at the rate he used to.

Consequently, they produce less and poorer quality milk. “Before the drought I was getting around 25 litres per cow, now that’s dropped off to about 14 litres”, says Max. Unfortunately, while Max’s costs have risen, the processers he sells his milk to have not changed their prices.

According to Max and many farmers in the region, the processors have complete control of the market, paying farmers on literage and milk components, both of which have deteriorated due to the drought. A range of additional handling, transport and refrigeration costs only make the situation harder. “I was trying to keep things going like they were before the drought”, says Max, “but I was just going backwards.”

As Task Force members leave, Max makes it is clear that he’s “not complaining”, he just wants people to know what’s going on. The Task Force get back on the bus to travel to their next destination, another local property where a farmer called Kel is facing a similar situation.

Heading slowly down the drive and past the house, Max’s wife Maureen rushes out. Stopping the bus, she says, “I’ve baked you a cake”. Knowing how tough Max and his wife are doing it, Task Force members are reminded of just how selfless this couple have been to allow visitors into their home and share their experience.

As the Task Force mini-bus winds its way up the hill towards Kel’s property, Task Force member John talks about Max’s situation. “He’s doing it pretty tough. He told me that he feels lucky because if things weigh on his mind he lives close to town and can just drop into the pub and have a chat.”

John continued, “the next thing he said brought it all home to me though. He told me that he felt the blokes who’d done themselves in, were mostly those who were isolated, usually those who didn’t have anyone to talk to”.

Sobered by their early morning visit to Max’s, Task Force members climb down off the bus at Kel’s farm. As he describes his predicament the entire group looks on intently and falls silent.

RURAL TASK FORCE FAST FACTS

Society members from the Wilcannia/Forbes Diocese and elsewhere in the state have commented on the crippling effect irrigation charges and unjust water allocations have on drought affected farmers.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Social Justice Committee (2009)

According to official government figures, 65.9 per cent of NSW remains drought declared. A further 24.3 per cent has been declared marginal.

Department of Primary Industries (2009)

Farming communities continue to struggle as a result of the drought, deregulation, international farming subsidies, rising equipment and fuel costs, market downturns and trade imbalances. Isolation and depression are at critical levels throughout the rural Australia.

Centre for Social Impact (2009)

Beginning at Peak Hill, in July 2006, the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Rural Task Force has been on the road ever since, meeting with local faming communities in drought affected areas right across the state.

Catholic Weekly (2008)

Unlike similar plans in urban areas of NSW, no formalised government strategy for social development and poverty alleviation exists for rural areas of the state, despite the extraordinary level of proven disadvantage in many regions.

Charles Sturt University (2008)

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

8: Rural Task Force

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M

ost people would be aware of St Vincent de Paul Society shops or Vinnies Centres as they are officially referred to. In the eyes of the general public, Centres have long been the most recognisable face of the Society in Australia. However, there is much more to Vinnies Centres the provision of affordable second-hand goods.

Vinnies Centres play a critical role in the Society’s work. They are a vital link between the Society and the people it serves.

Thirty-four year-old Joanne came to a Vinnies Centre in a regional town in South Western NSW when she was unable to pay her rent, cover bills or afford school uniforms for her two children.

“Everybody in town knows the local Vinnies shop, and we know that’s the place to go if you need help, but asking for help isn’t easy”, says Joanne. “It took me a long time to work up the courage to come into the store. I reckon I must have paced around outside for half an hour before I came in”, she adds. “I needn’t have worried. When I asked the lady at the counter if I could get help, she was very nice, she didn’t make me feel embarrassed by asking awkward questions”.

VINNIES

Joanne continues, “She took me to a private room and said she would arrange for some people to visit me at home and talk to me about my situation. She said they were local Vinnies members. They were great, really understanding.”

CENTRES

40

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

Joanne’s story is common. Many people find it difficult to ask for help.

Be it pride or a range of other reasons, it is often hard to take that first step.

Frances and Jim, the two members from the local Society conference who spoke to Joanne about her predicament

9: Community Support

are very experienced in working with people in crisis.

“The key”, says Jim, “is being a good listener. You’ve got to let them tell their story, make them feel understood.

Then you can go about addressing the problem.”

Frances believes that having a dedicated interview space in the Vinnies Centre is of vital importance to the work the Society does in her region. “Being able to tell their story in a quiet space to supportive people is very important to the people we’ve assisted”, she says.

The visibility of the Vinnies Centre within the local community is also critical. “People know where we are”, says Frances. “If they need help they know they can come here. Importantly, they know they’ll be welcomed and they won’t be judged.”

A total of 67,603 people were referred for assistance through Vinnies Centres last year. With the local and global economic situation remaining uncertain, this figure may increase in the coming months. In some metropolitan areas, specialised Society referral offices operate in addition to Vinnies Centres.

Much of the sense of community that abounds in Vinnies Centres stems from the volunteers who make up the greatest proportion of the staff.

Offering their time and good will, Centre volunteers are in many ways the heart of the operation.

Whether sorting goods, attending the register, engaging with customers or contributing in innumerable other ways, volunteers bring an extraordinary level of vitality, commitment and compassion to their work. The good works the successful operation of Centres enables the Society to conduct would not be possible without the help of thousands of volunteers.

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“It’s nice to feel that I’m part of something positive”, says long term Vinnies Centre volunteer Delilah. “We’re like a big family here”, comments fellow volunteer Judy. “We’re probably a little bit mad too”, quips Delilah, displaying the sense of humour common among volunteers. This is one of many human factors that sets Vinnies Centres apart from other outlets.

With more than 260 outlets across NSW alone, Vinnies Centres have greater coverage than most major commercial shopping chains. The purpose of Centres however is naturally very different from conventional commercial enterprises. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Society’s Centres is their provision of good quality second-hand goods.

The Society keeps detailed records of the distribution and sale of goods through its Centres and it can confidently attest that these outlets provide an affordable and viable shopping alternative to many disadvantaged families and individuals.

This is particularly the case during tough economic times when many people are simply unable to afford the prices charged by mainstream outlets.

Not only are Vinnies Centres an affordable shopping alternative for a growing number of Australians, they are also an ethical shopping choice. As one of the nation’s biggest providers of second-hand goods, Vinnies Centres have been promoting the environmental benefits of recycling for decades.

In addition to the sale of affordable items, a considerable volume of goods from Centres is provided via local Conferences as assistance to people in need.

Last year alone, goods to the value of $2.8 million were distributed to disadvantaged families and individuals throughout the state. This included clothing, household goods, furniture and other quality items.

With the Society constantly working to improve the operation of its Centres, it is clear they will continue to be a vital facet of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s good works.

The support and awareness Vinnies Centres enjoy from the general public will also ensure they will always be at the heart of the local community.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FAST FACTS

Nearly 10 per cent of Australians, including 365,000 children, live in poverty. The richest 20 per cent of Australian households own 63 per cent of all net wealth in the country, while the bottom 20 per cent own just 0.2 per cent.

Reserve Bank of Australia (2009) and the Australian Council of Social Services (2009)

Access to affordable community services is an important poverty prevention strategy by helping disadvantaged people to be more able to participate in social and economic life.

Australian Council of Social Services (2008)

As the proportion of lone person households continues to grow, and the number of single parent families increases, Vinnies Centres will continue to provide a critical point of connection between potentially isolated individuals and the wider community.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009)

There are 267 Vinnies Centres in NSW alone. No other social or community services provides this level of access to disadvantaged Australians. In the past year, Vinnies Centres generated $15.4 million (surplus) from retail sales for distribution to the people the Society serves.

St Vincent de Paul Society Annual Report (2008)

Last year, more than 67,000 disadvantaged people were helped through Vinnies Centres by the donation of goods, referral or the provision of financial aid.

St Vincent de Paul Society Annual Report (2008)

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

9: Community Support

43

T

he term “homeless person” is used readily in theory, practice and policy – even among people experiencing homelessness – yet its connotations and impact are rarely considered. Researcher, Guy Johnson says the manner in which housing and homeless service providers interpret an individual’s “housing and homelessness history” is critical in determining a person’s ability to “get out and stay out” of homelessness.

The “homeless person” label is a fundamental part of an individual’s sense of self, and it can have a substantial bearing on their capacity to overcome marginalisation and disadvantage. Homelessness is an identity, an identity shaped not solely by an individual’s self perception but also the singular and collective perceptions of others. It is an identity forged through both patterned and idiosyncratic interaction with innumerable social networks, service systems, cultures, policy structures, and environments.

HOMELESSNESS AND

IDENTITY

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

Our identity is never complete; rather, it is always changing, constantly being defined and re-defined by external factors beyond our control. Prominent theorist, William Connolly explains, “my identity is what I am and how I am recognised rather than what I choose, want, or consent to”. Fundamentally, identity is determined by difference, one individual’s difference from another.

If we are defined by our difference from others, then a person experiencing homelessness can in many respects be defined by their difference (and distance) from mainstream society.

This risks entrenching a homeless person’s sense of being an outsider, reinforcing the self-defining feeling that they do not belong. It is here that we begin to see the meaning of the term marginalisation.

10: Accepting Difference

Other implications come to light when homelessness and identity are considered. If we understand identity as a phenomenon which is constantly being redefined on the basis of individual’s interactions, then the range and nature of those interactions becomes a matter of great importance, potentially hindering or enabling a person’s ability to overcome homelessness.

Stigma is the most discernable impact of a homeless person’s interaction with mainstream society. Not dissimilar to mental illness, homelessness is a highly stigmatised experience. In 2007, the Victorian based welfare agency Hanover, conducted a survey of 2,769 Australians seeking to gauge public attitudes of homelessness. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents thought that “mental illness and substance/alcohol abuse” was the most common cause of homelessness, and just under half of those surveyed blamed homelessness on “poor decision making or lack of effort” on the part of the homeless.

These responses do not match the facts.

A study of 4,291 homeless people in Melbourne conducted in 2008, found previous estimations of the rate of mental illness among homeless persons – some as high as 80 per cent – have been grossly “over exaggerated”. Research found that only 15 per cent “had mental health issues prior to becoming homeless, and 16 per cent developed mental health issues after becoming homeless.” This demonstrates the magnitude of the gap between public perception and fact.

The extremely negative connotations the general public attaches to homelessness are highly corrosive to an individual’s self-esteem. Formerly homeless man Tony agrees. “People don’t understand the situation”, he

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says. “When you’re homeless, you’re very much alone. Nobody wants to talk to you. It makes you feel as though you’re not a part of things. It’s as though you’re invisible.”

Public misconceptions surrounding homelessness are incredibly damaging. They foster harmful stereotypes and heighten crippling stigma among the people experiencing homelessness, eroding their sense of self, skewing their identity, and making the journey to recovery far harder than it already is.

Punishing people for being homeless would seem a completely illogical way to address the problem, yet the mainstream population continues to endorse this approach towards marginalised individuals. As if the experience of being homeless was not traumatic enough, simply being homeless can subject an individual to all manner of punitive measures.

Anti vagrancy laws and legislation prohibiting access to public space effectively leave homeless persons without the right to exist. The Centre for Public Law points out that “vagrancy, loitering, trespass, public drinking, anti-begging, anti-sleeping and anticamping laws” prevent many people from carrying out “essential human activities”.

Discriminatory legal restrictions on access and movement perpetuate cycles of blame towards disadvantaged people, marginalising them both figuratively and literally. These segregations compound an individual’s belief that they are detached from mainstream society, reducing the likelihood of recovery. The implications in terms of self-perception, is to confirm an individual’s identity as simultaneously homeless and separate from mainstream society.

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

10: Accepting Difference

Governments are beginning to acknowledge past failures. As a result of intense lobbying and social justice advocacy, increased importance has been placed on developing policy that responds to the latest research and changing community attitudes. For example the NSW Government’s fiveyear plan to reduce homelessness includes a broad preamble accepting the complexities associated with the issue.

The statement reads, “The community understands that homelessness is a life circumstance that could happen to any of us, and understands the links between homelessness and other social issues such as domestic and family violence, mental health issues and involvement with the child protection system. Our responses to homelessness recognise the effect of homelessness on the individual, their family and friends, and the community as a whole.”

While no singular perspective or approach to homelessness is correct, it is clear that the way we perceive homelessness directs every facet of our engagement with people experiencing it. The pivotal factor to consider when analysing mainstream perceptions disadvantage is how a disadvantaged person’s difference from the mainstream shapes their identity.

We must take care that we do not unintentionally relegate an individual’s experience of disadvantage to one of social deviation, simply because a person’s limited resources prevent them from conforming to social norms.

This is a message that comes through the latest research, yet it is also at the heart of the Vincentian approach.

The St Vincent de Paul Society’s guiding text, ‘The Rule’, steadfastly urges the promotion of “human dignity and personal integrity in all their dimensions.”

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If identity requires difference in order to be, the key to ensuring that the differentiating features of homelessness are not perceived as negative lies in accepting the fundamentally transformative nature of identity.

Identity must always be understood as a work in progress and not a complete, static phenomenon. In many cases, this is a fact some are more ready to embrace than others. Gary, a man who has experienced homelessness for nearly thirty years was approached by a researcher on the streets of Sydney who asked how long he had been homeless. “I’m not just homeless”, he replied in a somewhat frustrated tone. “I do other things. I go to the library, I read, I listen to music and I take photos.” These aspects of Gary’s life were major self-defining features of his identity. The rendering of him as “homeless”, was a projection; an unwittingly marginalising projection formed by attitudes deeply entrenched in mainstream society.

Overcoming marginalisation as endured by an individual experiencing homelessness requires that we accept difference, not as a form of deviance, nor as something to be necessarily understood, cured or even overcome, but rather as an inexorable part of an individual’s identity.

ACCEPTING DIFFERENCE FAST FACTS

At the last Census, 104,700 Australians were counted as homeless. Five years prior, the figure was 99,900. Nearly half of the homeless population are under the age of 25.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006)

54% of homeless people seeking supported accommodation are turned away.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2008)

The NSW Government has committed to the following targets being met by 2013: 1) a reduction of seven per cent in the overall level of homelessness; 2) a reduction of 25 per cent in the number of people sleeping rough in NSW; and, 3) a reduction of one-third in the number of Aboriginal people that are homeless.

NSW Homelessness Action Plan 2009-2014 (2009)

“As a nation we have failed to address the issues surrounding homelessness. Our response has not been nationally coordinated or strategically focussed. While there are excellent programs, many lack sufficient scale or coordination to adequately address the multiple causes or effects of homelessness.”

“Which Way Home? A New Approach to Homelessness”, The Federal Government (2008)

“Homelessness is a problem we don’t have to have. Our goal shouldn’t be servicing homelessness; it should be about ending homelessness.”

Nan Roman, President and CEO, US National Alliance to End Homelessness (2009)

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Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

10: Accepting Difference

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L

ife’s journey is mapped by all manner of signs. As we leave school we hopefully receive a diploma; having learnt how to drive we gain our licence; and as we enter the workforce our sense of being a part of it all is validated on receiving our first pay packet. Other key stages in life are marked in a different way.

Rites of passage are commonly understood as ceremonies celebrating transitions that we all experience, such as birth, adolescence, maturity, and death. Rites have a deep spiritual meaning for many people. Of course, rites of passage differ in accordance with religious belief, culture, age, gender and ethnicity. By their very nature, rites of passage are open to some and closed to others. It is this inclusionary-exclusionary dimension that makes them a critical social justice issue.

We cannot talk about rites of passage in Australia without first acknowledging Indigenous Australians. For more than forty thousand years they have brought meaning to the term rites of passage through their visionary custodianship of this land. Their wisdom, spirituality and hope are to be celebrated.

While many people live in accordance with longstanding and unbroken rites of passage, others bring a different amalgam of fragmented, yet equally treasured set of rituals. If we glance back a mere 220 years, we can see how seemingly inconsequential and broadly disparate rites can, against the odds, be the catalyst for understanding and acceptance.

RITES OF

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PASSAGE Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

In March 1789, a year after the arrival of the first fleet, Governor Phillip led a survey party north of Sydney Harbor in search of land suitable for farming.

The small group of white settlers were curious, yet apprehensive about the local Indigenous population. In fact

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tensions abounded among both parties as to the intentions of the other.

Phillip’s party camped one night at Booker Bay, near Woy Woy. As darkness fell they were approached cautiously by a group of young Aboriginals. Startled, Phillip’s group readied themselves, nervously clutching their rifles. Any anxieties both groups had were quickly allayed.

The local men were impressed with Phillip because he had one of his front teeth missing, just like the region’s Aboriginal males who removed the exact same front tooth during tribal initiation. News travelled fast and wherever Phillip and his party camped they were greeted warmly by locals.

The visual signs of a shared rite of passage may not have totally eased apprehensions yet they were enough to generate a level of tolerance and acceptance. Despite these positive beginnings, mistrust and ignorance soon undermined the goodwill generated through these ritual signifiers. Rites of revenge and violence usurped those of mutual understanding and we are all very aware of the gross injustices perpetrated against Indigenous Australians in the years that followed.

Many would argue that the process of colonisation itself is a rite of passage; a rite where one culture asserts its supposed dominance over another through a process of subjugation, oppression and dispossession. In many ways this rite is a feature of any modern nation. National borders are rarely drawn up in polite conversation, over a cup of tea and scones. They are typically forged through war or invasion.

This has been the rite of passage for nations for centuries, a rite that sadly shows no signs of abating.

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They play such an integral role in our lives, but what exactly do we mean by the term rite of passage? A rite is

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

widely understood to be a customary observance or practice. This definition could encompass the simple act of having a drink at a club, a common act that could hardly be described as a rite of passage.

To be a rite, the act must have a deeper, shared meaning. This could be, for example, having a drink at a club with friends on a Friday evening, celebrating being together at the end of the working week.

To become a rite of passage however, the sense of shared meaning attached to the act must symbolise admission or departure from a particular status recognised by the group. To continue with our example, a rite of passage could be a group of 18 year-olds sharing their first drink together in a club. This rite would signify a facet of the transition from childhood to adulthood, one that is widely celebrated in Australia, usually with great enthusiasm.

One of the critical functions of a rite is to grant a person admission into a particular group. For example, by completing the ritual of admission to a Bowling Club, an individual can become a member of that club. By becoming a member they gain the shared knowledge, access, privileges and, importantly obligations their fellow members are granted. This makes them different from non-members.

Difference is a pivotal part of any rite.

Only one thing rivals the sense of personal satisfaction membership to a particular group gives an individual, and that is the shared feeling of satisfaction the individual and his or her fellow members have in knowing they are different (or apart) from those outside their group. It is the rite, or more specifically, the rite of passage, that enables these binding feelings.

The very same bonding rite, however, cannot occur without the exclusion of others.

11: Social Inclusion

Many of us revel in the sense of belonging which a rite of passage affords us. A few years ago a prominent world leader sought to define his group (his sense of belonging) with the blunt ultimatum, “You’re either with us or against us.” Many people viewed this declaration as a menacing and divisive act rather than a call for unity.

Some people seek to strictly control who can and cannot undertake a rite of passage. Another noted public figure once attempted to rally his group against those seeking admission into Australia with the battle cry, “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstance under which they come.” Again, this seemingly unambiguous statement meant vastly different things to various people; some were appalled, others saw it as a perfectly reasonable comment.

For all of those who strive to define and control rites of passage, some avoid confrontational language, wanting nothing whatsoever to do with rites or ritual. In a retort to a rite of passage declined, Groucho Marx famously declared, “I wouldn’t want to join any club that would have me as a member.”

A brief look at the range of rhetoric surrounding rites of passage confirms that they signify many different things; several of them seemingly oppositional in meaning. A rite can foster feelings of belonging, exclusion, admission, severance, ownership, custodianship, acceptance and rejection.

If we discuss the spiritual dimension of rites of passage, a similar range of meanings is apparent; however, the context is different. Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Judean and Buddhist traditions – to name but a few – retain many of the oppositional interpretations of rites of passage held in secular readings, yet they seek to mitigate the exclusionary tones by extolling various doctrines of

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acceptance and tolerance towards all, without judgement or prejudice.

biggest rites of passage of all: entering the prison population?

If we think of rites of passage for Catholics; we may think of Baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, holy orders and last rites.

Similarly, with Islam we may think of the Aqiqah (feast and naming ceremony), Bismillah (first Qur’an recital), Walimah (wedding feast), and Shahadah (last rites) ceremonies as key rites of passage. These rites have established meanings, widely documented, enacted and studied throughout the world, yet no two enactments of any of these rituals are exactly the same. It is the sentiment that a rite of passage embodies more than the intricacies of the process itself that is key.

A Four Corners report in August 2009 documented the high rate of incarceration among youths in NSW. Juvenile Justice Minister, Graham West commented that the map of juvenile crime in throughout the state correlates almost exactly with areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. We know all about these links, this longstanding ritual of disadvantage and punishment, yet nothing seems to change.

Over time many rites of passage are lost, forgotten, ignored or re-invented.

Others remain the same in name yet hold little fidelity to their original intent.

However, as a social device, a way to make sense of our lives, and a symbol to mark the stages of life, they remain critically important.

What rites of passage give us meaning today? What does it mean to be a man, for example, in western Sydney? Is it about overcoming trials and tribulations to get an education, find a job, build a relationship, and start a family?

Given the level of socio-economic disadvantage throughout the region, it would seem that these achievements are not just rites of passage; rather they are signs of triumph.

What other rites of passage are open to youths in the area? Is stealing a car a right of passage into a particular group? What about taking drugs? Selfharming? Dropping out of school?

Aren’t these rites of passage as well?

They fulfil the definition: They admit an individual into a particular group; they create a sense of solidarity; they hold a shared meaning; and mark a new stage in life. What about one of the

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One traumatised youth interviewed on the program nervously described one of the rites of passage endured by new inmates, some as young as thirteen.

“You walk down the hall and they all yell out ‘Fresh meat!’ It means they’ve got somebody new to bash.” Faced with stories like this and it’s clear society come to a point where some rites of passage need to be changed.

we try to make sense of the unfamiliar.

We engage in them when confronted with something new and challenging, often because we don’t know how to react. A rite is also a way to celebrate shared understanding; a communion that is critical in fostering the social, spiritual and psychological sense of belonging we all need to find meaning and purpose in life.

Rites of passage should recognise difference, yet never be exclusionary or oppressive. If we are to engage in any kind of ritual we need the trust and acceptance of those we seek passage with; in doing so we should ensure that we are willing to give the same level of trust and acceptance. This is a right we are all entitled to.

Change is not impossible. After initially positive contact with the Eora people of Port Jackson, Governor Phillip was wounded by a spear. Spearing was a common rite of passage and conflict resolution among the Eora who could have easily killed Phillip with a lethal throw. Phillip did not react vengefully; instead he tried to understand Indigenous customs and wherever possible ensured that violence against them would not go unpunished. In time, Phillip’s compassion was overrun by the insatiable verve of colonisation.

However, this propensity for change on the part of a man whose life had been built on strict compliance with staid and disciplined ritual must not be overlooked.

SOCIAL INCLUSION FAST FACTS

The map of juvenile crime throughout NSW correlates almost exactly with areas of intense socioeconomic disadvantage.

Australian Institute of Criminology (2008)

The Bradley Report into Higher Education in Australia identified a series of major impediments preventing disadvantaged youths and other vulnerable groups from entering tertiary education.

Federal and state governments have been urged to lift the uptake of education among these groups by improving access, support and resourcing.

Bradley Report into Higher Education in Australia (2009)

Studies have repeatedly shown how the cost of processing a youth through the criminal justice and prison system far exceeds the expense of establishing viable recreation, training and employment programs. The likelihood of recidivism is also far higher following incarceration.

Social Policy Research Centre (2007)

Rites of passage are one of many ways

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

11: Social Inclusion

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T

he young man weaved his way through the clamour. Another mob of agitated people had gathered in the city square to hear a rousing chorus of spirited political speeches.

This sight had been increasingly common in recent times. Less than three months ago, parliament had been dissolved and the elected government overthrown. It seemed as though everything was on the brink.

As the young man crossed the square and entered the gates of the university, his startled young friend greeted him.

“I’m glad to see you. I heard shouts and gunshots outside my window all night!

Do you know what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure”, replied the young man.

Deep inside, however, he knew the need for change had come. Indeed, the momentum for change was so powerful he felt apprehensive as to what it might bring, yet he was convinced some kind of positive change was needed.

Seeking to make sense of the growing chaos enveloping the city, the young man and his Catholic student friends formed a debating group. Focussing on the turning points of history, the group were convinced they could find solutions to the modern travails engulfing them.

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VISION

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

Philosophers, anarchists and devotees of a range of political systems took advantage of the group’s open forums, joining in the discussion. Soon rational conversations descended into a dissent ridden cacophony little different to that which was occurring outside on the streets.

As news of the debating group’s meetings spread, the once small meetings became tumultuous, crowded affairs. At one such meeting, the young man sat quietly among the throng of intellectual combatants watching as

12: Social Justice

they clinically apportioned blame for all of the social and political inequalities they saw around them. Waiting patently for his chance to take the floor and present his views, he calmly arose.

Striving to bring a Christian perspective to the divisive vitriol that filled the room, the young man declared, “The Church of Christ teaches us that the rich are but stewards of their wealth for the Supreme Owner God, and that in giving to the needy, those who have more than they require are making a just return to God.” The young man went on to talk about the extensive, yet little recognised work church orders conducted around the city in aid of the poor. Much of this work was done in secret, without the knowledge of the general public or the sanction of the authorities.

As is common among students of any era, the more rambunctious of those assembled at the debate were not satisfied by the young man’s account.

“You put all the burden of relief for the poor on your religious orders – then you wash your hands of the job! Tell us, what are you doing for the poor, you and your fellow Catholics in this room?”

“Just how charitable are you?” added a particularly provocative young student.

“Come! Show us your good works!”

With this challenge in mind, the young man in question, nineteen year-old Frederic Ozanam, walked away from the meeting, convinced of what he must do. He rallied his companions from the debating group, the Conference of History, and together they developed the principles, mission and vocation of a little work of charity that would go on to be known as the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Just as Frederic recognised the importance of history, the manner in

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between those two camps.” Right from the outset, he was clear as to where the Society should be and what role it should take.

For Frederic, the act of giving assistance would not only be a social gesture, it would also be an act of justice. The two could never be separated. With this in mind we can begin to see how, in accordance with Frederic’s vision, social justice is enacted wherever the Society serves the poor, regardless of how big or small that act of service may appear. which the Society was conceived is of critical significance to understanding its position in the world today. Frederic’s willingness to challenge and, more importantly, be challenged about the inequities and injustices he saw around him shows how a yearning for social justice and Christ’s liberating love became the driving force behind the formation, growth and sustainability of the Society.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the Society was forged in the wake of the “July Revolution” that swept through France in the early 1830s. This era of intense political and social upheaval ushered in a heightened level of awareness of the gross inequities and injustices that accompanied newly industrialised Europe.

Frederic and his companions found it impossible to reconcile the poverty they witnessed in the tenements and slums of Paris with the materialistic verve of the city’s bankers and industrialists. In fact, it is precisely between these vastly different sectors of the community that he positioned the Society.

“It is the struggle between those who have too much and those in poverty which is shaking the ground beneath our feet”, wrote Frederic. “Our duty as Christians is to throw ourselves

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While social justice is embedded in everything the St Vincent de Paul Society does, it is difficult to find two members of the Society who share an exact opinion of what constitutes social justice. This needn’t be a source of concern. In fact, it is this very spirit of challenge, inquiry and renewal that Frederic championed through his formation of a debating group; a group not just confined to Catholic opinions but concertedly open to ecumenical and secular voices as well.

Frederic never set out to provide all of the answers. Indeed, as we have seen, without the dissenting voices and the robust challenges of others, the Society would never have come into existence.

So too today, Vincentians are aware that social justice is a highly contested and subjective term.

Look at any issue that provokes passion and fervour and you will find advocates of opposing positions proclaiming to be on the side of social justice. The adage, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” can readily be applied to conflicting interpretations of social justice. It is only when we apply guiding principles based on various shared understanding to social justice that we begin to see key identifying themes emerge.

Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” It is difficult to find anybody who would outwardly reject this social justice statement, yet it is a principle which is being breached constantly throughout the world.

While the goals of social justice may not be readily attainable, they must be relentlessly pursued. This is a principle to which Frederic adhered. As a scholar, Frederic knew that one of the best ways to challenge injustice was to expose it. He was also wise enough to understand that research played a critical role in achieving social justice.

“Two things may be demanded from a scholar”, said Frederic. “Firstly, that his belief shall be independent and intelligent, and Christianity requires no less. Secondly, that the desire to justify a conclusion shall not induce him to distort facts in order to produce the desired proof.” It is this spirit, and the commitment to “help the poor and disadvantaged speak for themselves”, that continues to shape the Society’s research and advocacy work today.

With so many complex and entrenched structures of injustice in existence in the world today and within our own communities, how can Vincentians enact Frederic’s vision? The tenets of Catholic social teaching provide a proactive and spiritually orientating guide to social justice issues. Its references to human dignity, common good, government, economics, participation and solidarity can be found in comparable secular statements, yet the Catholic articulation of these principles promotes a uniquely compelling moral, spiritual and ethical compulsion to act.

When seeking to locate and proactively respond to social justice issues as they occur in the course of

Social Justice Year in Review: 2009

their work, Vincentians may choose to adopt two different yet closely entwined views; the ‘up-close’ perspective and the ‘broad’ perspective.

Regarding the ‘up-close’ perspective, The Rule states, “The distinctive approach of Vincentians to issues of social justice is to see them from the perspective of those we visit who suffer from injustice.” This means attempting to fully understand the personal impact of poverty on the people we serve. It is also critical Vincentians draw on experience yet remain open and non-judgemental, always asking themselves, “what is the person I’m listening to going through?” Adopting the ‘up-close’ perspective requires a heightened focus on listening, empathy, sharing experiences and reflecting on what we have encountered.

The Rule also encapsulates the fundamentals of the ‘broad’ perspective of social justice. “Where injustice, inequality, poverty or exclusion are due to unjust economic, political or social structures or to inadequate or unjust legislation, the Society should speak out clearly against the situation, always with charity, with the aim of contributing to and demanding improvements.”

By standing back and examining the wider causes of poverty, members can actively engage in this form of social justice. In adopting the ‘broad’ view, Vincentians attempt to identify the causal aspects of the situations they encounter. They ask whether particular patterns or trends of poverty and disadvantage are developing in their area and why certain changes may be occurring.

These days, much of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s broad scale work in social justice is conducted through structured research and advocacy programs, but it will always remain the domain of members, those who see it most lucidly. As Frederic said, “The knowledge of social well-being and reform is not to be learned from books, nor from the public platform, but in climbing the stairs to a poor man’s garret, sitting by his bedside, feeling the same cold that pierces him, and sharing the secret of his lonely heart and troubled mind.” This is the vision that Frederic had in his mind that morning he walked through the tumultuous streets of Paris reflecting on the poverty and upheaval he had seen.

It is also the calling to draw nearer to Christ that he couldn’t ignore.

SOCIAL JUSTICE FAST FACTS

“The distinctive approach of Vincentians to issues of social justice is to see them from the perspective of those we visit who suffer from injustice.”

The Rule of the St Vincent de Paul Society (2005)

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CHARITY IS THE OIL BEING POURED ON THE WOUNDED TRAVELLER. BUT IT IS THE

ROLE OF JUSTICE

TO PREVENT THE ATTACK. BLESSED FREDERIC OZANAM