Wednesday, 11 September 2024

Housing

Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (18:34): (1139) My adjournment is for the Minister for Housing, and the action I am seeking is for her to meet with Jade Hamilton from the Power in You Project to discuss state government supported options for basic physical shelter, including the possibility of 2A Settlement Road in Geelong for those sleeping rough in the Barwon region. Homelessness has been growing rapidly in the Barwon region, with figures in Geelong doubling between 2016 and 2021 and more than quadrupling in South Barwon, which has the highest rate of homelessness in Victoria’s regions.

Over 7000 households are on the priority housing waiting list. More and more people are sleeping rough yet finding it more difficult to do so. While there are some services and public places where people can find shelter and respite during the day, after hours there is nowhere in Geelong for people without housing to go, so people are forced to camp in alleys or parks or find an alcove somewhere, anywhere. Recently the City of Greater Geelong together with the police reportedly removed all belongings and tents of people sleeping rough throughout the city. In the past six weeks at least five people sleeping rough known to local services have died. Meanwhile, we have public housing on Ormond Road that was cleared out over 18 months ago, has been sitting empty and has no signs of construction of new promised social housing in sight, yet a multimillion-dollar convention centre is well underway. This picture raises serious concerns about the priorities of this government.

Recently I met with Jade, who is a tireless local advocate for people who are unhoused. While fully acknowledging the need for longer term housing solutions, she has been advocating for, at the very least, some form of shelter that can be used by people sleeping rough to protect them from the worst of the weather and to ensure they will not be moved on or have their belongings confiscated. This is not a revolutionary idea; it has been successfully done in other jurisdictions, including Queensland and in fact the City of Melbourne. We know that there are government-owned properties that are sitting empty in Geelong, like 2A Settlement Road. This is a property that is apparently owned by Homes Victoria, and we understand that the government may be looking to sell this off. We are in the midst of a housing crisis, and as the number of people affected swells, so too do the number of rough sleepers. We desperately need a huge amount of genuinely public housing, and we will continue to push for that at every opportunity in this place. But at the very least, the government could assist with giving people the dignity of some basic shelter and a place to rest overnight.