The Barwon South West Homelessness Network (BSWHN) has continued the campaign begun at Parliament House last week to highlight the need for more social housing to combat Victoria’s homelessness crisis.
The Victorian Homelessness Network (VHN) kicked off Homelessness Week by presenting 6000 origami houses on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne on August 2.
BSWHN kept the campaign going this week by inviting community members down to 111-113 Little Malop Street to fold houses of their own and lend their voice to the calls for more public and social housing.
Nearly 7000 households in the Barwon region are on the Victorian Housing Register (VHR), having demonstrated homelessness and/or family violence.
The theme for this Homelessness Week 2023 is ‘It’s time to end homelessness’, and community advocates are calling for government leaders to address the lack of available social housing.
Barwon Local Area Services Network chair Lucy Dodemaide said Victoria’s homelessness crisis was unacceptable, requiring “urgent solutions”.
“(Housing) stock is one of the huge issues, because if you can circuit-break some of the transience, then you can start addressing those other issues that exacerbate homelessness,” Ms Dodemaide said.
BSWHN coordinator Rebecca Callahan said homelessness was “not inevitable”.
“With enough social and affordable homes and the right support, everyone in the community can be permanently housed,” Rebecca Callahan said.
“The first step to ending homelessness is ensuring people have access to housing they can
afford. There is a dire shortage of social housing in Victoria.
“The City of Greater Geelong social housing plan was launched in 2019, and when it was done they estimated they needed 3000 houses. Now, that need has doubled.”
