Lord mayor Vatskalis happy Commonwealth government acknowledge homeless issues

HOMELESSNESS in Darwin has stood out at a national conference for lord mayors, with the Territory boasting the worst rates of homelessness in the nation

Police remove an itinerant sleeping in front of a storefront on the Smith street mall. Picture: Justin Kennedy

HOMELESSNESS in Darwin has stood out at a national conference for lord mayors, with the Territory boasting the worst rates of homelessness in the nation.

In Canberra for the National Capital City’s Lord Mayor’s meeting, Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said he could only smile when he heard figures that Darwin’s homelessness rates were 12 times some of the other states.

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“I smiled when they said 400 in Melbourne, last count we had was more than 1200,” he said.

“In Melbourne complain they have 400 whereas in Darwin we have 1200 and the reasons are entirely different.”

Mr Vatskalis said often itinerants were brought into Darwin from remote communities for health reasons or events and got stuck, unable to return home.

“The overcrowding of houses in communities, the fact that communities aren’t allowed to sell alcohol in controlled bars and that pushes (itinerants) to the cities,” he said.

“But not everybody is in the city because they want to access alcohol, some have mental health issues and marriage or work break downs.

“Everybody is complaining about itinerants but they have no where to go.”

The lord mayor said he hoped he would come out of the conference with better connection between governments, which would lead to more sound solutions to homelessness rates.

“We want better co-operation between state, federal and local government on homelessness,” he said.

“Finally (the commonwealth government) are accepting it’s a big issue, bigger than local government it has addressed by all levels of local government … it needs a concerted effort from the government.

“The local government is considered in charge of homelessness (by the people) which is not really right, we just face the consequences of inaction.”

But Mr Vatskalis is still far from finding his own resolution, last week suggesting a proposed Better Pathways Centre in the old Frog Hollow arts building was too close to temptation for homeless people trying to get their lives back on track.

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“I support the provisional services but I personally believe that site is not most appropriate site,” he said.

“If you are going to support the homeless, you’re building a place to try and help them which is so close to Woolies up the road, it’s dangerous.”

Mr Vatskalis said there were still plenty of other, more suitable locations in Darwin where the facility could be built.