Geelong is now ranking as second worst electorate for homelessness in regional Victoria, according to data released yesterday by the Council to Homeless Persons.
The CHP has produced a Homeless Heat Map based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data and broken down into electorates to form an election blueprint to end homelessness in the State.
The group is calling for the 69 per cent increase in stamp duty collected over the past five years ($2.8 billion), to be directed towards solving Victoria’s housing crisis.
The ABS data shows the regional electorates of Shepparton, Geelong and Wendouree have higher rates of homelessness than the metro median metro rate.
A total of 295 people were counted as homeless in the electorate of Geelong on a single night, a rate of 47 per 10,000 people, compared to 27 per 10,000 for regional Victoria.
According to the ABS, the 36 per cent of Geelong’s homeless population are women and 37 per cent of Geelong’s homeless population are under 25 years of age while 16% are aged over 55.
CHP’s acting CEO Kate Colvin said skyrocketing rents and a lack of social housing was driving homelessness in every electorate in Victoria.
The Indy reported in March that homelessness in Geelong was growing at more than double the rate of the city’s population, with its expensive private rental market the main factor driving the rise.
According to the ABS, there were 815 homeless people in Geelong in 2016, a rise of 22.7 per cent from 664 in 2011. The rise outstripped Geelong’s population growth of 10.5 per cent (215,837 to 238,603) during the same period.
In August, the Indy reported Geelong’s “housing crisis” after pleas for rental assistance and arrears to Salvoconnect increased by 46 per cent in eight months.
The CHP said yesterday that “a quarter of Geelong’s homeless population are living in severely crowded dwellings”.
