Young leaders focus on homeless

EMERGING community leaders have recognised homelessness as one of the biggest issues Ballarat is facing.

Now, local leadership program Future Shapers is targeting the issue as a priority for community project work.

Seven of the program’s 16 participants have been in conversation with Uniting Ballarat, who offer homelessness relief services, and they discovered hundreds of people are waiting for housing support with the list growing.

Uniting supported more than 50 families last year with pressure mounting on the region’s service providers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Homelessness project team member Fiona Murphy said the Future Shapers group will use what’s been learned to raise awareness and provide a “platform for community members and businesses to see gaps in the system and identify where they might like to help or contribute.”

The project team interviewed 12 service providers throughout June and July to help develop research into the issue and is aiming to hold a homelessness forum in November aimed at raising awareness and sharing ideas with the community, business and service providers.

Uniting senior manager for homelessness Adam Liversage said the whole country needs to work together to end the crisis.

“Every night, here in Ballarat, there are people young and old who are sleeping on the streets, in cars, couch surfing or desperately seeking emergency housing after fleeing family violence,” he said.

“A home is more than just a place to live, it’s important to our sense of identity and our self-confidence.

“We know that without a home, it’s almost impossible for people to find a job let alone feed themselves or look after their families.”

Ellen Jackson leads the Future Shapers program, which is run by the Committee for Ballarat and up until recently was known as Leadership Ballarat and Western Region, or LBWR.

She said the program was all about building up community leadership in the region and the groups work in the issue of homelessness reflected that idea.

“This cohort recognised early on in their program year, during our review of the Central Highlands regional priorities, that homelessness was an issue that needed more support and buy-in from our community,” she said.

“For these emerging community leaders to stand up and take action in an area they are passionate about helping is the definition of leadership in action.

“We hope to see their leadership spark action in other community members keen to have an impact in this area.”

The announcement that Future Shapers have been focusing on the issue of homelessness in the region coincided with Homelessness Week, that ran from 1 to 7 August.