THE Melbourne City Mission, Sacred Heart Mission, Quantum Support Services, Junction Support Services and CatholicCare Victoria will deliver the trial of a Victorian government program that aims to help 500 households over the next three years out of homelessness and access long-term housing and support.
The program will initially operate in Brimbank-Melton, Hume-Merri-bek, Outer Eastern Melbourne, Goulburn, Ovens Murray, Inner Gippsland, Loddon and Wimmera South-West.
A Homes Victoria spokesperson told Australian Property Journal the eight specific areas were chosen to deliver the Homes First service as part of a $48 million investment to help 500 households across the state.
Clients’ individual circumstances, housing requirements and location preferences will be taken into account when determining housing locations.
The selected agencies will deliver the trial and work with local homelessness services and assertive outreach teams to identify clients with the highest needs.
The Victorian government said there eight areas across the state are where there is a need for more support services for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of sleeping rough.
“Finding people a safe and secure place to call home is one part of breaking the cycle of homelessness, the other is making sure they have the wraparound supports they need to thrive,” said Minister for Housing, Harriet Shing
Those could include mental health, drug and alcohol, financial counselling and family violence support.
“The state government has shown a commitment to Housing Frist initiatives like Homes First as it addresses the affordability and social and wellbeing needs of those who are most vulnerable in our community,” Lisa O’Brien, senior manager youth and family homelessness services at Melbourne City Mission (MCM) said to Australian Property Journal.
“The acknowledgement of housing and the wrap around services needed to provide tailored, flexible and responsive support to deliver personal, client-led responses are key to moving our hosing and homelessness services forward. Initiatives such as these operationalise longer term sustainability in the broader system.”
“Continued investment in housing and homelessness services is crucial to alleviate the systemic bottle neck that is being faced by Victorians seeking to access housing and homelessness responses.”
At the last Census, 30,660 Victorians were tallied as being without a home.
MCM’s remit is within Melton-Brimbank and Hume-Merri-bek.
“Homes First has been designed on evidence-based Housing First principles, which are focused on supporting people first to find a safe and secure home, then to access support and wraparound services to help them sustain the tenancy. Evidence shows that this approach is critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness,” the government said.
At least 10% of Homes First funding will be targeted towards Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.
The government has also invested in eight permanent supportive housing facilities with on-site support that will assist people who require more support to maintain housing. Sites are already operational in Melbourne, the CBD fringe suburb of Carlton, Dandenong in the south-east, and Seddon in the inner west, with four more in planning and construction stages.
Supportive housing facilities provide intensive response for rough sleepers. The new facilities will assist more than 300 people with permanent housing and round-the-clock support.
