The Victorian Government has launched a new initiative aimed to increase secure housing for the state’s homeless.
Backed by $48 million in this year’s state budget, the Homes First program also offers people access to support services – mental health, drug and alcohol counselling, and financial management – that can help break the cycle of homelessness.
“More homes mean more opportunity, but it’s also essential that vulnerable Victorians can get the support in other areas that they need to break the cycle of homelessness,” Minister for Housing Harriet Shing said.
“The causes of homelessness are complex, but we know that wraparound support services make an enormous difference in achieving positive long-term outcomes in health, education and employment,” she added.
The new program is operating in areas where there is an urgent need for extra support and services for people who are homeless or are at risk of sleeping rough. At least 10% of the program’s funding will be targeted towards Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
Service providers such as Melbourne City Mission, Sacred Heart Mission, and ChildCare Victoria are among those partnering with the program.
Council to Homeless Persons – the peak body representing organisations and individuals in Victoria with a commitment to ending homelessness – welcome’s the Allan Government’s Homes First program.
“It’s based on world-leading ‘housing first’ principles which have a success rate of up to 90% when it comes to keeping former rough sleepers in their homes,” said CEO Deborah Di Natale.
Speaking to Government News, Di Natale said programs like Homes First are successful because they provide supports that keep people housed. “That includes everything from mental health, drug and alcohol, financial counselling, and even more simple supports with things like help with grocery shopping and paying bills.”
Whilst welcoming the government’s latest initiative to tackle homelessness, Di Natale told GN it lacks the scope of previous programs.
“Unfortunately, Homes First is a scaled down version of the hugely successful From Homelessness to a Home program, which helped house around 2,000 people across the state – Homes First is estimated to be about a quarter of that.”
According to the 2021 Census, 30,660 people in Victoria were experiencing homelessness – a 24% increase from 2016. Women are more likely to experience homelessness than men in Australia. This is, in part, due to lower incomes – which can make it harder for women to afford housing – and domestic violence, which can force women out of their homes.
More funding is needed to combat the rise in demand, said Di Natale. “It’s absolutely essential the government increases investment in programs like [Homes First] because they hold the key to providing safe and secure long-term housing for people who have been rough sleeping or experiencing homelessness over a long period.”
And while programs like Homes First can be life-saving, Di Natale told GN the answer to ending homelessness is housing. “We need the Victorian Government to commit to building at least 6,000 public and community housing homes each year for a decade,” she said. “The state’s once-in-a-lifetime housing crisis is at risk of becoming a catastrophe if Victoria fails to provide desperately needed social housing.”
Leave a Reply