Venting my frustrations: Lack of Services

Hey as a service provider i struggle with the lack of services in my local area (Wollongong NSW) it actually shits me.

e.g. i had a 17 yo female client the other day who had been kicked out of home and her father and brother had physically abused her - she was an emotional mess to say the least. Anyway, after calling the 2 female refuges in the Illawarra and to be told they are completely full and she is too young anyway and then our only youth refuge who you guessed it was also full - but if she rings everyday things change - i understand this is beyond the workers control but i still find it very frustrating - my last resort was to phone Dept of Housing who said because she is only 17 not sure if they can assist her with emergency housing (which for a young 17 year old girl is not ideal anyway) they made her an appt - not sure how she went. Just thought i would vent my frustrations.:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I have worked in a D&A rehab so understand waiting lists - although whilst working there that was one of my many gripes - people who want a detox dont want it in 6 weeks they want it now - but anyway i am just venting my frustrations and am sure many of you have suffered because of lack of services in your area and/or because of waiting lists.

While i am venting (whinging) in our area if you are under 24 yrs old there is a service called CHAIN where you can go to bathe, wash your clothes, they run groups and have youthworkers etc - which dont get me wrong is a fantastic service for the homeless youth of the Illawarra (should be more of them i must say) but if you are over 24yrs old there is really nowhere to be able to have a shower n wash your clothes etc.


Well that is my whinge for the day!!!!!:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

i can understand your frustration at not being able to do more, or that's what it seems like.

i am a 21 year old from brisbane, and have visited Sydney once before as a homeless youth. i realised within 3 days of arrival that there were very limited services and very few people who wanted (or who were able?) to help.

i live in brisbane and have volunteered for a youth service in my area before, and many of our clients (who were previously my homeless comrades) begged me for help, and i had no authority or ability to. it is very frustrating, i will agree...

i am now doing a Community Jobseeker Project (CJP) through the local university and am just now realising how hard it is for those service providers to to what they do on a daily basis.

Hey Adele,

Yeah it can be bloody frustrating at times you feel like you are hitting your head on a brick wall.

From what i hear there are quite a lot of services in Brisbane - Sydney isnt too bad but the Illawarra where i live is pretty behind - they are building more housing estates etc so increase in population but services stay the same - dont need to be einstein to figure it out that more people would need more services!!!!!!!!!

Then the argument and constant bullshit of funding etc that is how my last job ended - didnt get re-funded which is a shame as it was a great service so once again the people who utilise the service suffer because of it but i suppose the "heirachy" dont really give a flying fuck about it - thats how i view it anyway.

I suppose we have to make the most of what we have available and make sure all utilise those services.

cheers

hi purple princess i hear you not alot in australia so i am trying to get people at least to support one another with boards like this next best thing. knowledge is power right skeet

i agree totally PP, i have been involved in programs that have had the funding pulled out from under them, i agree that there are quite a few services in brisbane, but my job for the university at the moment is to find out if those service providers actually do provide the right services for their clients. AAARGHHHHHHHHHH.... lol *tears hair out*

True Skeet - i am always referring my clients to services so they get utilised - i also explain to my clients that if these services dont get utilised they may not receive funding.

I used to run a D&A Relapse Prevention group and due to the funding cuts that program no longer runs which sucks as it was a good group (not because i ran it) but because it provided a lot of useful tools, information and services avalable and also as a support person for those struggling with their addictions.

Adele, what an interesting project - i think you should be brutally honest.

As i said we have minimal services and the ones we do have are mainly for under 24 years old - there are food halls for all ages but as far as support etc not much.

I am sure everybody in the welfare sector have the same frustration - those providers who care anyway!!!

very true PP.... not all of them are in it because they care what happens to those people. it's a damn shame really...

hey adele,

we meet again hahaha. Yeah i wonder why some service providers are actually working in the industry - i understand that you have to "toughen" up to a point so you dont get emotionally attached to clients (been there - i always learn the hard way :rolleyes: ) but my personal opinion is you can be compassionate and care without having an attitude.

I know myself having to network with other services - some people shit me as they are so fucking rude and insensitive.

I am definately not a power person - i always chuckle when my clients come in for the first time and say that they expected a power person if you could see me you would understand why - not that i am unprofessional at all i just have a different approach to other workers - i am more easy going n treat everybody the same - never push for information - may challenge what they say at times but i figure they will tell me what they want in their own time to benefit from the program. But i suppose we all work differently and thats what makes us individuals hey :cool:

I always make my clients feel comfortable and relaxed and chat to them first so i can relate to them on that equal level - but anyway i am just raving now as i tend to do at times!!!!

hope you enjoy the rest of your day - i finish in less than 2 hours!!! thank goodness not that i dont like my job - but i am soooooooo bored :D

see ya

Seems like over 24 yrs old are thought of by the Government as getting too old to help, thats why less money?
24 and less will be viewed as having a higher chance to get their lives turned around, hence the cut off age,
At my age theres nothing, over 30 your stuffed basically and the powers that be know it, they have done their profile assessments, the government pays $100,000 for a 120 page report as to why older homeless people should not recieve any help, it comes down to percentages , how much can a 24 yr old potentially make, what are the chances of this person, getting a job, and paying tax in the future?,, Greed , Money, Greed, its plain as day

negative nancy......... that's just spoilt my mood...

Hey RobbyG,

Well if thats the case re: Gov't n age that sux big time. Sure the services for the youth are fantastic and are most certainly utilised and need to stay but that doesnt help folks like yourself who are over 24 years of age - n i do get frustrated - so what do we do??????

tell the government to wake up and smell the crap on their knees.....

yes i would love the opportunity to have a meeting with Mr John Howard!!! Like Pink's song Mr President!!!!!!!!!

lol i got to meet peter beatie.... what a sap....

hello all - me again on here to vent / whinge :D

Well yesterday i did a shift at the D&A rehab and i remembered how much i loved that job and definately earn my money.

anyway what frustrates me (today haha) is that we get clients that are homeless and they come into detox and do the program (so total of 5 weeks) and then once they complete the program if they are not going to another rehab or were unsuccessful in getting any accommodation then we basically are sending them back out on the streets - i find this so hard and difficult and as workers we try our hardest to get them accommodation - but you cant get blood out of a stone. So we are sending them back in to the lions den to get eaten alive and back to the world of drugs etc. what a viscious cycle for them - but how hard to change it with no money - no qualifications - no references - very little support (most times) and more times than not they relapse so also have a drug habit again.

How do we change this???? What to do???????? :confused: :confused:

Hi PP, I hear you!
Similar situation here in Tassie.
One organisation down here is in the process of doing something about this, but it's not available for another 6-12 months. Their idea (already funded), is to build demountable bungalows, (like kids under cover). These bungalow kits are locally made, and disadvantaged people who are interested in building skills and working, will be directly involved in producing them, (under a credited traineeship). When the bungalows are built (they are being designed by local school of architecture as a project at the moment), they can provide medium term cheap accomodation. The only fly in the ointment seems to be where to put them. Some disadvantaged people who have a relative that can put one in the back yard (if overcrowding is an issue) has been suggested, however, the program doesn't want to create a stigmatised "camp" as such. The idea is to provide individual accomodation for independent living, and this would be more effective if the bungalows were not clustered.

So the idea is bungalows being built, largely by disadvantaged people under the supervision of tradesmen, and real training being offered and job skills and experience offerede to those who may want to get work in the building industry.

There's also an employment program, that provides transport to seasonal work. (Plenty of disadvantaged people who want to work, but don't have the resources, as well as plenty of farmers and vineyard that want labor, but can't get reliable workers). So the program matches up the two, by putting on mini buses that pick people up, stay at the jobsite all day, and return back.

There's no silver bullet solution to the housing shortage and accomodation crisis, but helping to provide an opportunity for people to work and get financially on their feet, and creating sustainable medium term accomodation seems to be one solution.

Well yesterday i did a shift at the D&A rehab and i remembered how much i loved that job and definately earn my money.


Well that wouldn't be hard in Victoria :D . I don't know what it's like in your state but in Victoria D&A workers get crappy pay.

As for the discharging to homelessness we have that too and I hate it.
There is now a standing joke,


Admission planning begins with discharge!


(It's a take off of the mantra drilled into us in nursing school "Discharge planning begins with admission")

Regards,
Konstantin

Geronimo1 - wow i think that is a great idea - so these people are occupied during the day and are learning qualifications in the process - what a boost for their self esteem n confidence to make them feel worthwhile and accepted. :D

Oh where to put them - always a hurdle hey!!!:confused: Hope it all goes to plan and hopefully NSW - Wollongong will see how effective and great it is and "copy" - i doubt it tho :mad: its easier to just "ignore" the issue and then it goes away doesnt it!!!!! :mad: fxxkin idiots dont have a clue - you dont see the "homeless" all the time so doesnt that mean they dont exist :mad: :confused:

Konstantine,

Yes it is really crap money :p - when i started my welfare course i had tossed up between that and nursing - my dad told me the money is crap - but i absolutely love the rehab work - where i am now if clients dont turn up it is a long boring day in saying that i get paid reasonably good money!!! The rehab it is go go go and lotsa variety oh well off the subject a bit hey.

Yeah of course being a nurse you would understand where i am coming from as i suppose once the patient is reasonably ok (if your public health system is like ours - desperate for beds) you are discharged even if you are not ready.

What a fucked up society we live in :mad: :mad: :mad:

Just an update my client who was homeless has now got herself a flat in the private rental market and is doing ok which is good.

It's nice when things have a happy ending, or should I perhaps say a happy beggining :)

Regards,
Konstantin.

yeah it is - in my line of work it is really nice to see a happy "beginning" she is only 17 so hopefully will be ok - she is looking for work at the moment and although she has a past with crystal meth has reduced - its weird as i always explain to my clients about the risks involved - as i have mentioned on here i am more about harm minimisation than abstinence as we dont live in a perfect world and there unfortunately are always going to be an issue with drugs - this young girl had no idea the dangers of using crystal meth and was horrified - mind you i didnt sugar coat it for her - i printed stuff of the net to show her i wasnt making it up- it freaked her out a bit but hopefully she might take on board the dangers and quit will keep you updated.