From a Property Manager came a simple way for someone on a low income to avoid being evicted for being late or very over due with the rent and therefore ending up on a "black list", making it harder to get another rental. A client had the sense to ring her and say that she was late with the rent because she had a $900 electricity bill to pay. Turned out the renter - honest but unsophisticated - had no idea that she could organise regular fortnightly payments to drip-feed her various bills. Would an educating brochure - graphic rather than wordy - with simple daily living tips like this help? Or can you think of an even better way?
Homelessness is listed by Islington businesses in a Newcastle Herald article as a more pressing problem than sex workers plying their trade. Being homeless is the very bottom of the poverty ladder so anything which can prevent a person being homeless has got to be top priority. There are a multitude of factors putting people in that helpless state - high cost of housing, mental illness, poor health, poorly paid work - and getting access to dental care is probably one of the hardest services to afford. Giving small toiletries kits which include toothbrush and toothpaste for homeless people getting free meals would help - talked to a lady in Sydney who does this through free meals service. What about dental care itself - expensive but essential for good general health. Can we as Rotarians support a service which provides free and complete dental care for the homeless? Or create one if it doesn't exist?
The local Connect Day can assist those who know about it and can get there.