‘We need to do more to help and support those experiencing homelessness’

Secure and affordable housing options for everyone in need is the right thing to do and is also the best investment we can make, writes Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp.

This is the penultimate article in a 12-part series from Housing All Australians exploring the role that housing can and should play within Australian society and why it is important to our economy that we house all Australians, rich or poor. 

Surviving a Melbourne winter without safe and warm accommodation is a brutal challenge that too many Melburnians are forced to endure each year. 

Reducing homelessness remains one of my top priorities. Melbourne is a caring city but we need to do more to help and support those experiencing homelessness – particularly those sleeping rough on our streets each night. 

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed what was possible when different levels of government, service providers and the local community agreed mutual goals and cooperated to deliver a stellar outcome. Everyone sleeping rough on our city streets was offered accommodation in inner-city hotels. 

This was not a perfect solution but it showed what was possible when we focused on what could be achieved rather than the reasons why something couldn’t be done. That same spirit of cooperation remains but it is true that more people have returned to sleep rough on our city streets. 

We have already shown how quickly and effectively we can reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness when critical circumstances, such as a pandemic, demand action. We cannot lose this momentum and I am committed to continuing my campaign of advocacy and delivery on this issue. 

The City of Melbourne wants to secure as much of the Victorian government’s $5.3 billion Big Housing Build investment into social and affordable housing as we can. 

We want more of the investment in public housing by the government delivered within our municipality and we want more investment in affordable rentals from the private-sector and community housing providers. 

The City of Melbourne has commissioned research on the current level of affordable housing within the municipality and longer term consequences if we don’t act now. In 2019, it was estimated that we had a shortfall of 5,500 affordable homes in the City of Melbourne. By 2036, this shortfall will grow to 23,200 affordable homes.

These are more than just numbers and statistics. Every time that number increases it means a Melburnian or a local family misses out on the accommodation they need to have a secure future in our city. 

There is a wide range of people who experience homelessness. People experiencing financial hardship, domestic violence, mental health and other acute health issues are forced to sleep on our streets, live in their cars or are constantly on the move between friends and acquaintances never really knowing how long they are welcome. 

Secure and affordable housing options for everyone in need is the right thing to do and is also the best investment we can make. Every dollar invested into housing saves multiple dollars that would be needed to deliver services over the long term. Homelessness is often cited as a complex issue with complex solutions but it’s really quite simple: people deserve a safe place to sleep every night and cannot address their problems, and ultimately flourish, without appropriate accommodation. 

The City of Melbourne is continuing to work on a project to deliver an increase in the number of beds available for those sleeping rough, with appropriate support services. We are hoping to be able to announce the details of this soon. 

Our city has been through a devastating 18 months. We started 2020 with thick choking smoke from the national bushfire crisis and then Melbourne was hit harder than any other city in Australia by the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges to overcome can sometimes seem insurmountable but I am always buoyed by the courage, resilience and spirit of Melburnians. 

During the most difficult period that we have faced as a city for generations, there have been so many stories of individuals that have gone out of their way to care for family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and even total strangers. 

We are a city that is distinctive because we believe in, and invest in, the connections we make with other Melburnians. 

I want to encourage everyone to consider how best each of us can help a fellow Melburnian experiencing homelessness this winter. 

Starting with a genuine conversation that can literally be life-changing for someone who is experiencing homelessness.

Not just “we can do this”, but “we must do this” Melbourne.

This article is part of a 12-part series from Housing All Australians, which intends to draw on a range of perspectives centred around housing and homelessness. We will hear a range of views from business, the not-for-profit sector and government, as to why they believe housing is an important social and economic building block for Australia’s future prosperity. 

Read the first article, Housing all Australians – a new paradigm, here.

See also: 

Housing for all makes ‘good business sense’

Housing vulnerable Australians means making clear choices

Investing in housing is an opportunity to set people up for success

The time is right for the public and private sector to come together to solve homelessness

Investing in social housing, in the era of working from home

How do we solve a problem like rough sleeping?

A big problem requires even bigger solutions

The need for clear rules on accessible housing

‘Active participants in the home building sector have a role to play in the solutions’