The end of homelessness
Date
January 13, 2014
Street homelessness could be eliminated in Victoria within 10 years if the government spent less than $15 million a year on new homes and support, the state's peak homelessness body says.
The Council to Homeless Persons has put a plan to the government to get the 1092 people estimated to be sleeping rough in the last census off Victorian streets and into their own homes by 2024.
At a net cost of $143 million, the 10-year investment is just half the figure pledged by the Napthine government on Sunday for new tennis facilities at Melbourne Park.
''We know what the solutions are, we just need the political will to make them happen,'' council chief executive Jenny Smith said.
The call for government action follows the death of homeless man Wayne "Mousey" Perry, who was fatally stabbed under a city railway bridge on January 5.
Mousey's son Brad Anderson said it was disgraceful homeless people were still living in fear on the city's streets.
"They need to find a place for the homeless and get them off the streets or something like this could happen again.''
With Melbourne's temperatures predicted to hit 41 degrees this week, staff at a free CBD medical clinic worry those camped in city streets will fall victim to heat exposure. ''Clients say they are being chased away from air-conditioning,'' Youth Projects' Melanie Raymond said.
Under the council proposal, about $13 million would be spent each year building about 50 new properties near public transport and services. Another 50 properties used for short-term accommodation would be turned into permanent homes.
The funding would include money for support to stop people falling back into homelessness, including social workers, education and mental health practitioners.
The plan would cost $267 million but includes $124 million in savings, predominantly through reduced demand on health, justice and other government services. The council has estimated its plan could save $12,000 each year for every person who is helped off the streets.
''People who are sleeping rough are more likely to need emergency and other services as a direct result of their homelessness because they are more likely, for example, to catch pneumonia or become a victim to violence," council chief Ms Smith said.
Program participants would pay 25 per cent of their income in rent. Ms Smith said there was strong local and international evidence that permanent supportive housing programs worked.
The office of Housing Minister Wendy Lovell would not say whether the government would fund the
council's proposal. But a spokeswoman said it was working with the federal government on a plan to replace the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, which ends in the middle of this year.
"The Victorian Coalition government is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness,'' she said.
The council proposal has been welcomed by Victoria's Labor opposition and is supported by front-line services, including the Salvation Army, HomeGround Services and VincentCare.
VincentCare chief executive John Blewonski said $143 million was a relatively "moderate expenditure''. He said the community needed to demand a better deal for those who were at the edge of society. "We are an affluent society and realistically we shouldn't have rough sleepers.''
Opposition housing spokesman Richard Wynne said the minister needed to do more to address homelessness. The MP said he had noticed a group of people sleeping in parklands "less than 100 metres'' from Parliament House.
Mr Wynne said Labor would have "a comprehensive housing policy for the next election'' but could not commit to a specific dollar figure.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-end-of-homelessness-20140112-30orh.html#ixzz2qDVK8Z3r
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