Parties pushed to do more for state’s homeless

VICTORIA’S peak body for homeless people has called on both major parties ahead of the state election to commit to major investment in housing for very low income earners.

Last year, 105,000 Victorians sought assistance from homelessness services, and one in three people were turned away due to a lack of resources, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.

A recent survey found nearly 400 rough sleepers across five municipalities in inner Melbourne, but Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) chief executive officer Jenny Smith said there “was not a single municipality” without people that were homeless.

“Rough sleeping is the most visible symptom of a broken housing system.

“It is the tip of the homelessness iceberg, but beyond the rough sleeping figures are thousands of people sleeping in their cars, living in motel rooms and cycling through rooming houses.”

CHP says the Rough Sleeping Action Plan announced by Labor earlier this year is the sort of leadership required, but there were 82,000 Victorians waiting for social housing.

“As we get closer to the state election in November, we’ll be looking to the major parties to reveal their long-term plans for tackling the growing homelessness problem in Victoria,” Ms Smith said.

CHP has previously called on the state government to use the $6.57 billion in stamp duty collected last financial year to build more social housing.

“We’ll continue to see people sleeping on the streets until there is significantly more social housing,” Ms Smith said.

CHP is also urging the federal government to lift its spending to counter rough sleeping, homelessness and housing affordability.