Homelessness demands coordinated response

HOUSING is a human right. Despite this, homelessness in our region is the highest it’s ever been and continuing to grow.

We see it increasingly in our streets and in our suburbs, we see it in the thousands of people relying on support services. And for those living paycheque to paycheque, we think about it every time another bill arrives.

It’s a complex and emotive challenge that forces us to balance issues of cost-of-living pressures, mental health, alcohol and other drugs, and community safety along with dignity and empathy for our most vulnerable.

Part of my role as council’s chair of social and affordable housing is identifying the actions we must take to support those experiencing homelessness right here in Greater Geelong.

So, it was my pleasure to attend the Greater Geelong Homelessness Roundtable in April, which offered me a valuable opportunity to reflect on this issue and the actions we must take to support those experiencing homelessness.

I was joined by fellow councillors, community leaders and homelessness agencies to address concerns relating to the rising homelessness in the region.

It was fantastic to see representation from key stakeholders, including the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, Barwon Health, genU, Give Where You Live Foundation, Neami National, Colac Area Health, Lazarus Community Centre, Meli, the Outpost, the Power in You project, the Salvation Army, Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, and Wintringham.

Most importantly, the forum was joined by those with lived experience of homelessness, and I thank those participants for sharing their stories.

It was also critical that representatives from the Victorian government were in the room, along with Victoria Police. It is the responsibility of all levels of government to hear these concerns and address this growing issue here in Geelong, and across Australia.

Before we are able to make any significant impact in this sector, it’s my belief we need to put aside our judgement and listen to those most impacted. This will allow us to design services that treat people with the dignity they deserve.

Between the current cost-of-living and housing crises, there are any number of reasons that a person can find themselves facing homelessness.

Only 7 per cent of homeless people in Victoria are sleeping rough. A vast majority of homeless people are in crisis accommodation, temporary or unsafe housing situations.

In Greater Geelong, women, young people and First Nations people are overrepresented for those seeking support of specialist homelessness services (SHS).

In the 2023-24 SHS annual report, 17 per cent of their adult clients were employed when they started to receive support, an increase on previous years.

This troubling statistic goes to show how the face of homelessness is changing in our country, with financial pressures pushing more people out of their homes and into unstable living situations.

That is why it’s absolutely vital that we as a local government support and plan for comprehensive social and affordable housing solutions and holistic systems for those in our community facing homelessness.

We must support those thousands of at-risk people today, and the many more who will likely need these services tomorrow.

We need to be compassionate, empathetic and considerate to all in our community to enact positive change.

The Greater Geelong Homelessness Roundtable was a crucial step in supporting our neighbours experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

By bringing everyone to the table, we are moving past isolated fixes toward a compassionate, coordinated system that meets the diverse needs of our most vulnerable residents.