The number of homeless people in Wyndham has grown by 300 per cent during the past 10 years, a new report by Wyndham council has revealed.
The report forms the council’s submission to the federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Housing Affordability and pushes for greater housing diversity.
Carol Muir, chief exective of Werribee Support and Housing (WSH), a group that offers housing support to marginalised people, backed the council’s submission.
She told
Star Weekly that Wyndham’s poorer residents were struggling with inadequate resources and the number of homeless people in the municipality was now approaching 450.
“We really are concerned about the vulnerability of some of our residents,” Ms Muir said. “There is absolutely no emergency accommodation of any kind in Wyndham.”
Ms Muir said WSH’s own research showed that family violence was one of the leading drivers of homelessness.
Nicole May and Ryan Godwin have spent the past four years struggling to find stable accommodation for themselves and their three children. After moving to Werribee last year they spent months moving from one rough sleeping arrangement to another. The family slept in tents, and even the family car, before being offered transitional accommodation.
“My two youngest sons have mental disabilities and no-one wants to give us a chance,” Ms May said. “We’ve been on the commission housing waiting list since November last year.
“I’m just very aware that there are more people out there in the same situation and it makes me sad that we’re taking up this place when they could use it too.”
