By Alesha Capone
An increasing number of people experiencing homelessness since the COVID-19 pandemic has caused demand for housing assistance to skyrocket, according to a community services organisation.
Uniting Vic.Tas Wyndham, which provides help to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, assisted 239 clients with housing support between July 1 last year and January 31 this year.
The service’s housing co-ordinator Deborah Gorsuch said this had included young people, singles and families.
“There are significant numbers of people who are sleeping rough in Wyndham and this became even more apparent during the pandemic,” Ms Gorsuch said.
“Unfortunately, the level of demand for housing and housing support still far outweighs the level of housing vacancies we have in Wyndham and, on top of this, there’s a major shortage of affordable properties, particularly one-bedroom properties.
“With no local crisis or emergency housing available, most of the clients seeking emergency housing, such as those escaping family violence, have to be placed in local motels, both in Wyndham and in other parts of Melbourne and this takes them away from their support networks, which are particularly important during times of crisis.”
Uniting Vic.Tas chief executive Bronwyn Pike last week welcomed the release of a parliamentary committee report, which is urging the state government to address the Victoria’s growing homelessness crisis.
The report has recommended increasing affordable and long-term housing; strengthening early intervention such as tenancy support programs; and providing greater assistance to people fleeing family violence.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a significant increase in homeless numbers which have stretched our services to the limit,” Ms Pike said.
“The funding the state government has provided for more social housing is a start, but we desperately need more intake and assessment workers at homelessness entry points so we can meet the demand.”
Ms Pike said that federal government’s JobSeeker payment of $565.70 a fortnight – which is set to increase by $25 per week from April 1 – was also not enough money to help most people be able to secure a house, pay rent and put food on the table.
The state government was contacted for comment.
