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Funding To Help Victoria’s Rough Sleepers

14 March 2015

People who sleep rough on Melbourne’s city streets will get more of a helping hand with a $147,000 boost to a homeless service from the Andrews Labor Government.

Housing support agency HomeGround Services will use the money to bolster their Melbourne Street to Home program over six months.

It will allow HomeGround to employ two case managers and a part-time Royal District Nursing Service nurse, with the aim of getting rough sleepers into long-term housing.

The Melbourne Street to Home program has already proven successful in getting people off the street. An independent evaluation found that nearly 70 per cent of the program’s clients had been housed in affordable and long-term accommodation after 24 months.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in the past 15 years has increased nationally.

A Melbourne City Council survey conducted last year revealed a 40 per cent rise in the number of rough sleepers on Melbourne’s streets since the last count in 2012.

Liberal governments cut $470 million over four years from Victoria’s social housing budget, intensifying the homelessness crisis. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to extend the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, even though the Andrews Labor Government has pledged to fund its three-year share of the deal.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Housing, Martin Foley

“Homelessness is a struggle with complex causes, including rising cost of living, family violence, health issues and unemployment.”

“While housing and homelessness issues are only getting worse, Tony Abbott is cutting funding to housing and homelessness in Victoria.”

“Victoria will honour its share of the National Partnership Agreement for the next three years. We call on the Federal Government to do the same.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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