A large camp outside Melbourne's Flinders Street Station. Credit:Eddie Jim The council receives hundreds of official complaints about the problem and while I have read countless of these emails and letters, this was the first time I had the chance to actually talk to one of the complainers about them. Stewart Marshall is a firefighter who lives in the CBD. He said he was prompted to speak to the council after watching a squat on the corner of Spencer and Collins streets grow larger and smellier in recent weeks. Yesterday he said his wife walked past a man lying in his underpants on a blanket. "I'm 60-odd, and in my day you went to get a job. These guys are all of an age that they should be working, or at least doing something to look after themselves," Mr Marshall said.

"They need to clean the city up. This used to be a lovely city and it's upsetting to see the way its going." Most Melburnians would probably agree with Stewart in one way or another, in at least that sheer number of people sleeping on our footpaths, parks and under bridges is unacceptable (at least 247 at last count). It's an undeniably tricky job for Melbourne City Council, whose staff have to balance the human rights of those living homeless while keeping the streets safe for everyone. What worries me is that whenever this issue hits the headlines, which it does with regularity, it is the homeless people that often are framed as the villains. They are stories that begin with a kernel of truth (some homeless people are actually backpackers, they're fuelling a drug habit, they are professional beggars) and ends with the conclusion that all people who are homeless have no right to our sympathy.

Recently the council received a letter that went like this: "People who are sleeping on the street refuse to pay rent and prefer to spend the money on drugs. It is disgusting." And this email was sent to lord mayor Robert Doyle: "How many years do you need to get rid of the bums and beggars from our city streets?? Still waiting." But we already know the reason why there are so many people on Melbourne's streets at the moment, and it's not because they decided they wanted to inconvenience us all with their unsightly presence. It's housing, or a lack of it. The rising cost of renting has coincided with the sale of a number of boarding houses and caravan parks to developers. These places were once a "last resort" for the poorest in our society.

The state government knows this and has been attempting to stem the crisis, with more than $600 million for additional housing and homelessness support. Melbourne City Council has also been punching above their weight, recently pledging $2 million to help fund outreach and housing services. But as quickly as people are being helped, more are falling on hard times. Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Jenny Smith says the problem lies at the feet of the federal government, because they have no strategy for tackling housing affordability or for ending homelessness. "Without that we will continue to see more and more people on our streets because there isn't anywhere for them to go." Loading

Today, for many of the people holding cardboard signs asking for help, a house will be just the start. These are individuals dealing with complex problems – including severe drug addictions and mental health illness often rooted in childhood trauma and abuse. But there is also an increasing amount of people who could be leading normal lives, homeless agencies say, but simply do not have enough money to afford a place to live.