Question details
Question on Notice
With reference to recently released prisoners at the Coburg Motor Inn:
(1) Does the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) or related entities such as Housing Support Services have any contracts or formal agreements with the Coburg Motor Inn; if so, which entity or entities hold these contracts.
(2) Have community services such as Anglicare and the Salvation Army reported to DFFH or the Department of Justice and Community Safety that they are referring people to the Coburg Motor Inn; if so, which organisations have made these reports.
(3) When a community service provider receiving Government funding such as Anglicare or Salvation Army is referring someone for housing, what are the requirements that the housing must meet.
(4) When a community service provider receiving Government funding such as Anglicare or Salvation Army is referring someone for housing, are there reporting requirements relating to where people are being referred for housing; if so, what are these requirements.
(5) How many motels or hotels does the Government currently have contracts with for crisis accommodation.
The specialist homelessness service sector provides support and assistance to over 100,000 Victorians each year, including people who have exited prison.
1. DFFH does not have a formal agreement with the Coburg Motor Inn. My department has indicated that it is unaware of any formal agreements that funded services may have with the Coburg Motor Inn. Community service providers purchase accommodation as required on a case-by-case basis.
2. As a private accommodation provider, the Coburg Motor Inn may receive accommodation bookings from various sources including Specialist Homelessness Services, other services funded by departments, or from the general public. However, as homelessness funded services are not required to report the use of specific accommodation providers to DFFH, the department does not have records of which organisations may have made referrals to this location.
3. The primary responsibility for ensuring appropriate standards in hotel accommodation falls to local government. Local councils enforce the Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020, which all private accommodation providers must comply with. This regulatory framework establishes the baseline requirements for safety and suitability. If the department receives information suggesting that a private accommodation provider may be in breach of the Public Health and Wellbeing (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2020, the department will notify the relevant local council, which has the authority to investigate and enforce compliance with these standards.
The "Homelessness Services Guidelines and Conditions of Funding” require homelessness services to exercise caution when referring clients to private emergency accommodation, such as hotels. These guidelines specify that people must be assisted to access safe and secure accommodation with appropriate follow-up support. Homelessness funded agencies within the Merri-bek area are working in partnership to ensure effective use of local private accommodation providers. This includes ensuring people referred to emergency accommodation, such as hotels, receive ongoing support to source alternate long-term accommodation.
4. Homelessness funded services do have specific reporting obligations regarding the work they undertake. For example, these organisations report on client numbers, expenditure details, and the tenure types of accommodation that their clients are referred to (such as emergency accommodation, private rentals, transitional housing, or social housing options). Funded services are not required to report which specific hotels, motels, or other private accommodation providers they utilise for client placements. However, they may use this information within local networks for quality assurance and service improvement purposes.
5. DFFH does not directly fund or have formal agreements with any motels or hotels to provide crisis accommodation.
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Hon Harriet Shing MP
Minister for Housing and Building