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In the nineteenth century England, the Christian faith had become largely individualised. Sydney was little different. Once right with God, little attention was given to the circumstances of others. People living in poverty were not given attention. There was a housing crisis. The rent on houses exceeded the capacity of the poor to pay, hence house-crowding. Some people owned multiple empty houses preferring to keep them empty rather than lower the exorbitant rent, while others slept in filth, in overcrowded conditions, under bridges and in drains. Often multiple families were jammed into a single house. It is hard to imagine that sometimes a family and animals lived in a laundry. There were no minimum wages and no social support. The church and much of society gave the matter little attention.