This week we celebrated Social Justice Week. The Statement from the Australian Bishops is again a challenging one.
‘A Place to Call Home’. What they are asking is that we make a home for everyone in our land.
The Statement commences with the story of the Good Samaritan. This is a great example because in the story someone is lying on the street seeking help but who will stop?
Around our city, on the streets sits someone seeking help, but again, how many hundreds of people will walk by and don’t stop to help?
The reasons that people find themselves without a roof over them are many. The ruthless housing market leaves people struggling to find secure and affordable housing, whether they live in the cities or in regional areas.
This struggle has a corrosive effect on family life, on employment, on study and on our own capacity to contribute to and benefit from our society.
The most vulnerable are left homeless, therefore sleeping on the streets, in cars, under bridges, and those who move from house to house of family and friends.
The last census put the figure of homeless Australians at 116,000 people and it has more than likely increased since then.
Pope Francis has spoken about the importance of housing for everyone in his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’.
“Not only the poor, but many other members of society as well, find it difficult to own a home. Have a home has much to do with a sense of personal dignity and the growth of the family.”
There is much to read and ponder in the twenty page Statement or to find it on the web at www.catholic.org.au or Social Justice website at www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au
The Statement concludes with a message for all of us. ‘Everyone deserves a place to call home’.
