CEO
SleepOut
Profiles
Alice
Springs Northern
Territory

CEO
SleepOut
About
Greg Tingle
I
am an Alice Springs based media and advertising executive.
For
the past 15 years I have worked in and around the
media, news, internet, entertainment and community
sector.
Social
issues are very close to my heart and I enjoy getting
involved in worthy community initiatives when the
opportunity comes up. I like to try to make the world
a better place, and fortunately some aspects of my
work and business activities help make this possible.
I
enjoy hiking, mountain biking, swimming, wrestling,
gym, movies, creative arts, travel and too many more
things to list.
About
St Vincent de Paul Society
Who
we help
The
latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics show that 105,237 people in Australia are
experiencing homelessness, with 60% of those under
the age of 35. Perhaps surprising to many people is
that 44% of these are women, 13% are under the age
of 12.
When
considering these figures it is also important to
remember that behind each number is the story of a
fellow Australian who has experienced the extreme
isolation and desperation of homelessness.
Each
night in Australia, thousands of people stay in crisis
accommodation facilities run by community organisations
like the St Vincent de Paul Society.
We
must look beyond the figures and see the people living
in this desperate and soul-destroying situation.
People
like Marie and her three children. Already struggling
to make ends meet, the familys situation worsened
when Maries poor health forced the family to
relocate nearer to the medical care she required.
After staying with relatives for a few months, the
situation broke down, and Marie and her children found
themselves homeless.
Turning
to a St Vincent de Paul Society service, Marie continued
to search for a place to rent. She applied for everything
available and eventually found a property to rent.
The sad reality however is that the high rent means
it will be very difficult for her provide even the
basic essentials for her children; most likely forcing
Marie and her family back into crisis.
Then
there is a family of seven who had been staying in
one of our crisis facilities after the house they
had been renting for the last seven years was sold.
They had been lucky that the landlord had kept the
rent at an affordable level however, once the property
was sold, they found they could not get back into
the market. The family were willing to rent a small
house but real estate agents were reluctant to rent
a two bedroom house to a family of seven. As the family
struggled to find somewhere to stay, things spiralled
out of control. The father lost his job; the children
left school and the mothers mental health condition
got worse. This family are yet to find a home and
the strain of the experience means they will need
support for some time.
These
figures and these stories remind us that homelessness
is unacceptable in a country as rich and prosperous
as ours and business, government and charities must
continue to work together to do all we can to reduce
it.
St
Vincent de Paul Society 2015
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