Homelessness
Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (14:24): My question is to the Minister for Housing. Minister, the issue of homelessness is a real issue for many individuals and families in the Latrobe Valley. Disadvantage, unemployment, the high cost of living, being squeezed out of the private rental market, a long waiting list for public and social housing and a lack of emergency and crisis accommodation are all contributing factors. Organisations such as Quantum and Community Housing Limited are doing the best they can for their clients. However, their resources are stretched.
The Housing Establishment Fund, HEF, is a vital support mechanism, but I understand that a single person or a couple without children are only able to stay in emergency motel accommodation for a maximum of two to three nights under current HEF arrangements. Given in many circumstances these persons have nowhere else to go, will the minister consider amending the HEF criteria to enable people to stay longer in this type of accommodation, as was the case during COVID?
Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing) (14:25): I thank the member for Morwell for his interest in homelessness—and mental health as well, as he did last night in his contribution on the adjournment. Throughout the COVID crisis we have provided the most comprehensive response to homelessness of any jurisdiction in the country, and we are now getting attention from overseas, from the United Kingdom and Scotland, who are saying, ‘What are you doing here? This is the most extraordinary intervention that anyone has ever heard of’. We increased our housing establishment funding to homelessness agencies quite rightly by over $70 million to make sure that people who needed it could stay in the hotels to keep themselves safe from potential infection. Then we invested $150 million in the From Homelessness to a Home program, which has seen 1700 households move into long-term supported housing. That is 2100 people who were sleeping rough or sleeping in insecure situations now in long-term secure housing. No other jurisdiction anywhere in this country has achieved that outcome. As well as that, we have got a $66 million package to help us move 250 families into long-term housing who are currently housed in hotels, and these are often families with a number of children.
In this budget I am delighted that again the Treasurer provided us with significant funding of $75 million to continue to shift our homelessness response to ensure that we have a more tailored support and wraparound package. The key that we have learned through COVID is that not only do you provide people with safe, affordable and secure housing but you need to maintain them in their housing by ensuring that you have got supports to them. People do not choose to be homeless. This is not some sort of lifestyle choice. People are homeless for a whole range of reasons, whether it is drug and alcohol, mental health issues, family breakdown and the like. I am really proud of the response of our government, particularly to deal with some of the most vulnerable people in our community, and I welcome, as always, the support that the member has provided and his advocacy in relation to not only homelessness more generally but also mental health.
Mr NORTHE (Morwell) (14:27): Minister, in 2016 through the transitional support program 46.5 per cent of Quantum clients in my community were exiting the program to private rentals or public housing. In 2021 this had dropped to just 14 per cent, leaving so many people vulnerable and at risk of homelessness, and now there are many people and children just waiting to get on the TSP waiting list. Further, the HEF, which I mentioned earlier, has been important in supporting housing providers, agencies and their clients during some difficult times. Ideally even more HEF funding is required to deal with the current crisis, but can you at least confirm that this funding will not be reduced from 30 June 2022?
Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing) (14:28): Thanks very much for the supplementary question. Can I indicate to the member that in the last financial year our government allocated $12 million in specialist homelessness funding right in your area, and the funding included $2 million for the private rental assistance program and over $1.5 million in HEF funding. Of course above and beyond that is the Big Housing Build itself, the $5.3 billion that we are building, with $1.25 billion being built all over regional Victoria, which I know our colleagues over there are very, very happy with. We have now completed 28 properties in Latrobe, with a further 34 underway, for a total investment of $29 million—a fantastic social outcome, great for jobs and of course the supply chain as well, with 200 jobs being created there. But in relation to HEF itself we will look at that again and we will see if we can do a bit better down in your part of the world. I thank you for the question and your long-term interest in homelessness.