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'Have to get me off at gunpoint': The fight for people's right to live on boats

James Bryan lives on his yacht, the Lindy Lou. (ABC News: Mario Conti)

On the boat that has become his home, James Bryan has a clear message for the authorities that want to evict him: "They'll have to get me off with a gun".

Mr Bryan is among the many Australians struggling with housing affordability.

When he lost his job, rather than joining the throngs of homeless in NSW, he turned to living on the Lindy Lou at Brisbane Water on the NSW Central Coast.

"Lost my job, lost my apartment, ended up on the water," Mr Bryan said.

There's just one problem with that. It is illegal to live on a boat in NSW and, as a result, authorities want to seize the vessel.

VIDEO: The homeless finding a safe haven in abandoned boats

TRACEY SWANN:  At the moment I live on my boat. As long as you've got your boat registered and you've got the paperwork, you're all right sort of thing and it doesn't cost all that much. 

MYLES HOULBROOK-WALK, REPORTER:  This boat is Tracey Swann’s home. She’s a disability support pensioner and when she’s not living here, she’s sleeping wherever she can. 

TRACEY SWANN:  In between that we've been living in squats in Gosford like in, yeah, been living in abandoned buildings and stuff like that. 

MYLES HOULBROOK-WALK: But she’s got her eye on a new floating home – a larger boat that’s been left abandoned on Brisbane Water on the New South Wales Central Coast. 

Opinion | Where the World Cup, Homelessness, and the ED Meet

American infrastructure has been forced to step up with the arrival of tourists for the FIFA World Cup. From the creation of more robust security plans to the expansion of travel networks, the nation has placed significant effort into making the next few weeks logistically easier for visiting tourists and local fans alike. Amid these changes, however, several cities have also sought to make homelessness less visible, particularly in the eyes of our international visitors.

I believe that safe housing is a human right and that cities should, at baseline, invest more in public housing. Stable housing improves medication adherence, facilitates treatment for chronic illness, and provides the scaffolding for people to seek preventive care rather than falling prey to avoidable hospitalizations or potentially dangerous exposures. Yet I also take issue with the fact that the pressure to expand and incorporate public housing is being driven by a large international sporting event rather than a lasting commitment to structural health equity.

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