Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In Australia we have the lowest unemployment in memory, but the homeless rate is still on the rise (I believe) especially for children and teenagers On 21/01/2007, at 17:20, Nathan Wajsman wrote: > Obviously, the situation varies by country, but just to correct > something Douglas wrote: unemployment in Germany (and across Europe > in general) is falling, not rising. The four million figure for > Germany sounds high, but it is down from over 5 million at the > beginning of the year (see: http://www.destatis.de/indicators/d/ > arb110ad.htm). The same picture holds in the Netherlands (latest > unemployment figure is 224000, down from 297000 one year ago and > 316000 two years ago, http://statline.cbs.nl/StatWeb/table.asp? > HDR=T&LA=nl&DM=SLNL&PA=37948&D1=a&D2=453,465,477,489,501,513,525,537,5 > 49,561,573,585,597,609,621,633,645,l&STB=G1) and so on. So if you > are seeing more homeless people than before, it cannot be because > of the economic situation, since that is improving pretty much > everywhere in Europe. > > There are of course variations in the strength of the social safety > net across countries. Based on what I know about Denmark, for > example, there is no reason why any legal resident of that country > should ever be homeless. Even after your unemployment insurance > runs out, the basic welfare payment you receive is sufficient to > guarantee food, shelter and other basic necessities. Most of the > homeless I see in Copenhagen are drunks or people with other > addictions and/or mental illness. It is a complex issue: how > paternalistic can the state be? Can it force someone to use their > welfare money sensibly rather than spending it all on booze? > > In places like Spain or the UK, many of the homeless are illegal > immigrants. In the UK, they may even be legal--for example, some of > the close to 1 million Poles who came to the UK after Poland joined > the EU have not been able to find jobs, and end up on the streets. > There are charities who help them get temporary shelter and pay for > the trip back to Poland. > > In Amsterdam, most of the homeless are junkies or addicts of one > kind or another, and many are foreigners. Many are also young--the > city attracts drug addicts from across Europe due to its liberal > culture and the ease with which they can blend in. > > And so on. > > Nathan > > Peter Dzwig wrote: >> Sounds pretty mich the same as back home in blighty Douglas, >> >> Peter >> >> Douglas Sharp wrote: >>> From a Brit who has been living in what is/was probably the >>> smuggest European country (Germany) for over 30 years Larry, >>> homeless and particularly the homeless or unemployed with an >>> alcohol or drug problem are a common sight in most German cities. >>> And if you don't actually see them, there are enough reports of >>> them being beaten up by neo-nazis and young German-Russian >>> immigrants - two cases alone last week in Hannover. >>> Much is done here in the way of giving them a bed at night - if >>> they accept it, and quite a few don't on the grounds that what >>> little they have is often stolen by their bed-neighbours. >>> Similarly there are organisations offering free meals, a bath and >>> medical/dental facilities too (Salvation Army, Samaritans etc.) >>> In the same way much is being done on the drug addiction front - >>> controlled methadone dosage, clean needles, hygienic "fix-rooms" >>> and Hannover planned the free and controlled provision of heroin >>> - cheaper and with less detrimental side-effects than methadone, >>> Federal Government has now scrapped this plan in the course of >>> cost reductions. >>> >>> Similar to the magazine "Big Issue" (UK), there is a magazine >>> project here called "Asphalt" which attempts to get them back >>> into an "ordered" life. They sell the magazine and get a >>> proportion of the proceeds, the magazine publishers organize >>> various measures for reintegration of their sellers. >>> >>> Although homelessness is a big problem here, the situation will >>> get even worse over the next few years, rising unemployment (at >>> present over 4 million unemployed) cut-backs in unemployment and >>> social security payments mean that more and more people will be >>> ending up on the streets. The main reasons given by the homeless >>> themselves are - in order of significance - poverty after >>> becoming unemployed - divorce (alimony payments, supporting >>> children) - deaths in the family - release from imprisonment and >>> most of these also in conjunction with accompaniment of alcohol >>> or drug abuse. >>> >>> The police here do tend to keep the "Penners" out of the main >>> shopping areas and public transport by quietly requesting them >>> to move along: In earlier years there were a couple of cases of >>> police transporting them to the city limits (e.g. in Frankfurt) >>> until two men froze to death in mid-winter, that soon stopped it. >>> Begging as such is not forbidden here, "Have you got a Euro?" is >>> common in all railway stations and city centres, but aggressive >>> begging is considered to be on a par with assault, and arrests >>> are common. >>> >>> The general public and shopkeepers tend to more or less ignore >>> them as long as the aren't making trouble, in a country where >>> becoming unemployed no longer has its social stigma it is >>> certainly a case of "There, but for the grace of God - Go I", >>> people are too worried about their own situation to look down on >>> them from the heights they used to. It has become noticeable over >>> the last 15 or 20 years how many stores, restaurants, public >>> transport operators etc. now employ security personnel to stop >>> the homeless entering their premises to get warm. >>> >>> From a civilized country >>> Douglas >>> >>> >>> >>> larry.k@rcn.com wrote: >>>> >>>> So, what do the smug Europeans say on this subject? Do they >>>> have any answers to the plight of the homeless? >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> > > -- > Nathan Wajsman > Almere, The Netherlands > > Opportunistic Image Acquisition > > General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com and http:// > www.greatpix.eu > Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws > Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com > > Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman > http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 > Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com > > Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog > > > SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS! > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information