Thursday, 15 August 2019

In reply to  Ms BATH (Eastern Victoria) (29 May 2019)

Mr WYNNE (Richmond—Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs):

Thank you for raising the matter of assertive outreach in the Latrobe Valley and the Gippsland area. Rough sleeping occurs across the State and is of great concern to the Victorian Government.

The locations of assertive outreach services announced in the Victorian Government’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Plan were chosen based on homelessness services demand data.

As you note, the services in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region do not include assertive outreach services and I wish to advise you that the Victorian Government has initiated an evaluation of these services. We will await the findings to ensure any future investments are evidence-based and designed to achieve intended outcomes.

Beyond this, the government has invested in a range of other services across the State to ensure that services are available across Victoria to provide practical assistance to vulnerable people. We collaborate with specialist homelessness services to ensure that every Victorian is provided with a pathway to find and maintain a home.

Examples of services provided in the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland region include the following:

a) Vulnerable people in Inner Gippsland have several options for accessing homelessness services. Community Housing (VIC) Limited is the homelessness entry point for the Latrobe, Wellington and East Gippsland local government areas. They have offices in Morwell and Bairnsdale where people can present for assistance. In Latrobe they also provide Enhanced Housing Pathways responses which provide a seamless pathway from prison to housing and Brief Intervention which provides initial assessment and short-term support to assist people into emergency and long-term housing.

b) SalvoCare Eastern provides homelessness services in the South Gippsland, Bass Coast and Baw Baw local government areas and are the homelessness entry point in Leongatha and Warragul. They provide support to people experiencing family violence and/or homelessness, including youth services and homeless outreach support,

c) Quantum Support Services provides Family Violence initiatives, Youth Services, Private Rental Assistance Program (PRAP) and Transitional Outreach Support across Gippsland. They have offices in Morwell and Warragul. These PRAP services facilitate speedy access to private rental accommodation in the area.

d) The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency provides homelessness assistance and support to Aboriginal clients who are experiencing family violence homelessness. They also manage the Aboriginal Family Violence Women’s refuge. They have an office in Morwell and service the Latrobe, Baw Baw, South Gippsland, and Bass Coast local government areas.

e) Housing Establishment Funds are available from all homelessness funded organisations across.Gippsland. This funding helps people sustain tenancies which may be at risk or to assist people into short-term crisis accommodation.

f) The Orange Door is a service for adults, children and young people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence and for families who need extra support with the care of children. This service is located in Morwell and covers the local government areas of Latrobe, Baw Baw, Bass Coast and South Gippsland.

Additionally, the Victorian Government funds a 24-hour state-wide homelessness crisis contact number (1800 825 955) that connects people to homelessness entry points and state-wide after-hours services providing emergency accommodation.

Following your question, the Department of Health and Human Services’ local area office asked specialist homelessness services to investigate the situation. At that time no evidence of people sleeping rough near the grounds of the primary school was found. However, the services remain alert to this important issue and will respond as needs arise.