The rise in homelessness is easy to see across Australia, with more rough sleepers on streets and tent cities in parks. But there's a group experiencing homelessness who prefer to go unnoticed — the growing number of people living in vehicles.
abc.net.au/news/homelessness-life-lived-in-a-van/102512360When you're living in a mini-van, it pays to blend in. Mandy Weber learned that lesson the hard way.Homelessness services say more than 5,000 homeless Australians were living in their cars last yearShe says she doesn't want sympathy, but more needs to be done to provide affordable housing"You can't sort of get too comfortable laying down in the back… because people will approach your car, they will bang on the window.
It identified locations people could stay at when sleeping rough or living in their cars – places with access to "toilets, showers, lighting, safety". It also listed resources that would help make homeless living "comfortable and safe". By the time all the deductions come out of her account, Mandy has about $550 to last two weeks. Out of that comes $70 for her mobile plan, and $75 for her Geelong Cats membership – an indulgence she says brings her life great joy that she's unwilling to give up.Within hours of her Centrelink payment going into her account, Mandy is already on fumes.
Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare suggest thousands of Australians were living in their vehicles last financial year.
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