THE murder of Ian John Wilson (48) on the streets of Northbridge is a stark reminder of the harsh life faced by thousands of people who will sleep rough in WA tonight.
With more than 100,000 homeless people in this country, refuges and other services are struggling to meet demand.
Every night in 2014-15, almost 400 people were turned away from crisis accommodation in Australia.
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READ NOWThe greater the strain, the bigger the gaps through which people can fall through.
A man took a train from Fremantle to Perth, and on the evening of Saturday July 9 set up his sleeping bag in an alcove at Metrochurch.
Some time between 8pm and 9pm, he was attacked and died of his wounds.
Deaths of this nature are news, then they become statistics, then they become vague memories, and ultimately sink from view.
Forty-eight years ago a woman held a baby in her arms and held great hopes for him.
She probably dreamed of him going to school, getting a good job, having children of his own; she named him Ian John.
Ian John Wilson was somebody’s son; likely, he was somebody’s brother and may have been somebody’s father.
His life was important and someone who did not see him as a human being took it from him.
Homeless people are assaulted and murdered throughout the world at an alarming rate, including in “developed” countries.
They have no clout and little recourse.
They deserve better.