Homelessness
Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (17:12): (1322) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing and Building, and the action I seek is that the minister provides the number of public houses that are currently sitting empty in the Shepparton electorate. I have been made aware that there are many houses that are awaiting repairs or just sitting empty. Shepparton district is experiencing a housing crisis and has one of the highest rates of homelessness in regional Victoria. There are currently an alarming 2665 people that are on the public housing waiting list. Of those, 1477 are priority status fleeing family violence or have a disability or special needs. There are an estimated 436 individuals on any given night that are without a permanent home or a roof over their head. Of those 436 individuals, around 162 are aged 19 or younger, further highlighting the crisis of youth homelessness. It is devastating to see more and more people sleeping rough. We simply cannot have properties sitting empty when we have such a desperate need for housing. The goal for all of us should be to get as many people as we can into homes and to address the housing crisis. I look forward to the minister’s response to this urgent matter.