Ignoring homelessness hurts everyone

October 30, 2026 — 7:00pm

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When former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio walked Melbourne’s streets for the first time, he was overcome with envy. He marvelled at the Birrarung, the tram network and the cafe culture.

This foreign place felt so far from home – so beautiful and safe, compared with the challenges of New York, he told The Age’s Melbourne Assembly last week.

But, beneath the gleam, he knew the city harboured something insidious.

“Let’s be honest: if you don’t address homelessness, it is not just a moral thing,” de Blasio told the civic forum. “It will hurt your business climate. It will hurt people’s sense of security. There are so many painful realities.

“When you see a homeless person, it feels like a defeat. It feels like something went wrong for all of us.”

The Age reported this week that Australia’s housing crisis is pushing frontline homelessness services towards collapse, with workers handing out tents instead of accommodation, and asking women fleeing domestic violence whether they can sleep in their cars.

Almost two-thirds of homelessness providers are turning away desperate Australians they would once have helped, with some rejecting as many people as they take in, according to a Homelessness Australia briefing prepared for the........

© The Age