Melbourne homeless #2 - Suze

"Nobody wants to be completely useless. Nobody wants to be debilitated to the degree that they can't contribute or that they can't feel better about themselves, or that they can't be productive. That's what I really believe."
"When you've lost everything, when you've had everything stolen from you, when you've been bashed, raped, violated and persecuted you've got systemic abuse, you've got domestic abuse, I'll tell you what, I'm accredited. I am absolutely accredited to stay on the street the rest of my life.
"I would rather be here because people on the street, people who are heroin addicts, people who may not have the most intellectual capacity in the world have been more kind to me than my family have ever been and more kind to me, and more honest to me, than the system has ever been."
Organization mentioned:
300 Blankets (300blankets.com/).

[@gordonmurch2232]

She should be working within the system.She has a complete understanding of the problems.all credit to her.

[@queenofthebutterflies5212]

I completely agree. She should be swooped up and utilised as someone with a unique perspective on the problem. She's so articulate. She could seriously help if there was an opportunity. And, she's so caring.

[@Ohkeh640]

Awwww I love that she says people on the street have been kinder to her than her family and the system I agree

[@JustinXz-pn9fx]

She helped me a couple of times when I was on the street like a mum

[@Ohkeh640]

Awwww

[@Rubiks.Cube89]

Suze is one of the most intelligent and compassionate person I've ever met in my life.

[@davechristian7543]

Wow really.. Don't u get out much my friend?

[@Stuckinthen9neties]

​@@davechristian7543you're a pathetic troll

[@Stuckinthen9neties]

​@@davechristian7543you're an absolute clown

[@tinasmith7630]

Amazing insightful woman u r suzie. Thk u 4 sharin many truths with us, n u wisdom n heartfelt revelations on homelessness. Bless u! 💜🙏🦋

[@user-jk5pc8nl1b]

All i can think of to say is Praying for Suze to get a permanent 🏠.

[@RE-pn5yq]

62. She has the strength to get her act together

[@verofpv6152]

This was a great interview even though i thought there wasnt gonna be an interview,, shes definitely seen alote and has an old soul vibe

[@RS-rj5sh]

It's the cost of accommodation that has caused this. Australia has become an idiotic country where housing went from being shelter into an "investment vehicle" for everyone and their dog.

[@maddyg3208]

Anyone who wants shelter can still build themselves a humpy in the outback

[@lindamac2]

So smart and intelligent

[@b_jai8524]

Getting to be more and more serious this problem.

[@margaretcampbell2681]

Thank you for showing this

[@wallenscoco2189]

i like your content bruh

[@stuartstevens472]

❤special lady

[@blackdeckbox]

If she is not articulate or smart, then no one will interview or care about her tbh.

[@phil6025]

Suze is right. I was a crisis worker with homeless people in Melbourne for 15 years. I worked at a service next to the hat shop on Flinders Street called the Info Deli (among many other services). We were an after hours service that worked with the young people living on the streets in the CBD. For the time the service ran it was an exceptional service, but it was screwed over by large welfare organisations that saw us as competition, and the shyster bureaucrats who "administered" Federal/State funding. A large number of our kids were very adept at knocking off name brand clothes from the large department stores (Myers, David Jones, Diamaru) and were usually very well dressed when on the streets. They were very conscious of how they looked generally and made sure to not fit the image that Jim suggests to the extent that they were able.

[@jimschembri1279]

Thank you for this comment. One of the points with these pieces is to humanise the homeless and counter some of the stereotypes. Your experience seems to further the suspicion that the chief role of government is to champion incompetence.

[@myday2704]

She sounds like she would easily get worl as a disability support worker or youth residential worker. They are screaming out for staff and she sounds trauma informed and articulates well. A she needs is to enroll in a relevant certificate then start applying online. Good $ and instant work.

[@margaretcampbell2681]

So sad

[@samuelmmmk181]

Bro, she's not wrong. Damp, mouldy and asbestos ridden "Housing" is across the nation.

[@lorrainebarry7184]

see people shouldnt judge if they see somebody on the street they come from all walks of life

[@davechristian7543]

Smart lady.

[@Ohkeh640]

How does she carry all her things etc

[@childrensorg856]

What she says is actually true 👌

[@NudePostingConspiracyTheories]

Suze is 62 ? I would have said -44. My name happens strangely enough to be Suze and I’m 62. I don’t have skin and features like that. She’s very lovely

[@RebellionWarrior]

I mean why are you asking them such personal questions about their lives? I can understand why she did not want to answer she was being very polite and professional and declined your questions as well. I just feel that you could have done the interview a bit differently never directly asking them questions which are too personal and made them feel uncomfortable; I feel that it is better to have interviews with these people that are more generalised because people do not like to talk about their personal lives. (Especially in front of a stranger, in front of a camera).

[@sarahmorrow7596]

I disagree sorry. Clearly this lady wanted to share.

[@tinasmith7630]

Yes she did share, true, but not so much abot her personnel life, ad she stated it was her personal life n many diff reasons y people r homeless.

[@Ohkeh640]

So where does she shower etc

[@maddyg3208]

Sitting on a public footpath, complaining that her privacy is not respected. How about people's need to use that public space for its intended purpose (walking)? Besides which, the point of private property such as a house is that it is private, so her argument has issues

[@Stuckinthen9neties]

What an intelligent woman.

[@jimschembri1279]

Suze is the antithesis of the homeless stereotype. She is articulate, educated and intelligent.

[@user-ur3rj7br4t]

Ffs she’s on the gas…Poor guy interviewing her never got a word in! Lost count of the amount of times she said the word “addiction”!

[@jimschembri1279]

@@user-ur3rj7br4t Rest assured, she w as totally compos, highly articulate. The point of these interviews was to hear what the homeless had to say, so if they interrupted or spoke over me, my policy was to shut up.

[@Ohkeh640]

@@user-ur3rj7br4twhat’s gas

[@christaylor7049]

Heroin

[@benjaminb.6424]

Are you mentally impaired?

[@unitedstatesirie7431]

💉 ?

[@NudePostingConspiracyTheories]

What’s happened to sharing houses? I did that to my early thirties. Im 61 now. About to bring someone in to my home now because I have got one and I figured it is about time I got a long-term boarder so theres one less homeless person , one less person who has to live in public housing blocks where druggies and pimps live. (And I’m not imagining that- i was an employee of St Kilda Community Housing, and i saw it all in horrific technicolour). Couples used to share house. My nan had boarders -single blokes who lived with us until they died. Other family members had their brother or sister move in with them if they became single or widowed etc, -and again lived like that till they died. The next door neighbours did this. Mu uncle had a bloke living in the bungalow till he died. Wcerone did tjis. I’ve noticed everyone adopting an udea that they are entitled to public housing rather than have to live in the family’s dpare room. And complimentary to that- I’ve noticed families deciding that they don’t have to take other family members in when they become single, lonely, or sick, or financially need to pay less rent. There’s an automatic sense of entitlement to the government should house me or my family. Its like a mental belief-virus. Its not the truth- just a fad. But people have forgotten that. They think its like written in the ancient scriptures or something, that ‘the government owes all my family members a house”. I’m old enough to have lived before this idea took hold. Middle -aged folks keep rabbiting on about the terrible sense of entitlement that the twenty year olds have. That’s totally true. (It’s actually breathtaking to observe). But- what they aren’t facing is that this sense of entitlement didn’t emerge from outer space and land in Melbourne on a UFO, . Instead, its just an increase / flow-on, from the generation before who started it, PS- the ABC funded a research project. They investigated and found the figures on how many people live in each house in Sydney (you get that from the Census ). Then they got the Sydney homeless figures. The results, at the time of the research :-. There were roughly 60,000 homeless in greater-Sydney and surrounding areas. There were 600,000 spare rooms in greater-Sydney homes. As they say in the movies: “You do the math”

[@sharnistevens1428]

People can't rent rooms legally without being penalised by the tax system - e.g. capital gains tax discount could be lost, or elderly lose their pension. So most people aren't prepared to do the cash in hand arrangement because if you have a conflict, you'll get in big trouble with the ATO/Centrelink. Its not easy to find a sharehouse these days, I know people looking and they're competing with 30-40 other applicants. Also, it gets harder to find people willing to sharehouse as you get older. I agree there are plenty of spare and empty bedrooms, but there are also rates of migration that are too high compared to rates of new dwelling construction. Its happened in Canada too. I've turned off the large political parties because of their unwillingness to take action on the housing crisis.

[@NudePostingConspiracyTheories]

Thanks mate. What you raised is very interesting- and id like yo add something to that. Haven’t time right now. Just wanted to write to you for to say thanks for the extra info to consider.

[@lindamac2]

Suze x

[@sheripacori2097]

Suzie is right the system is broken. One day soon God will bless righteous mankind with everlasting life on a paradise earth. This was his original purpose for his creation humans. His original purpose will be fullfilled. Palms 37:29.

[@Ohkeh640]

How does she carry all her things etc