ABS Data showing State Electorates for Homelessness

Author: Council to homeless people

On the eve of Homeless Persons’ Week, and to coincide with the launch of our State election platform, CHP has released ABS data showing the worst State electorates for homelessness. The alarming statistics show a ‘train line of homelessness’ carving through Melbourne’s South-East towards Frankston and Dandenong. The electorate of Albert Park has the most number of people counted as homeless in all of Victoria, with 1,186 people counted as homeless.

Of the top 20 metro electorates with the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness, half fall in the South East, most of them following the Pakenham/Cranbourne train line – Dandenong, Keysborough, Clarinda, Oakleigh, Caulfield, Prahran, Richmond, and Melbourne.

The Council to Homeless Persons says that the data should shock all political parties into making homelessness a priority at this year’s election.

“There is a train line of homelessness carving though our city, and not a single electorate is immune. We have the solutions to end homelessness for good at our fingertips, we just need the political will to make it happen,” said Jenny Smith, CEO, Council to Homeless Persons.

CHP wants candidates to publicly back their state election platform which calls for $50 million per year for programs that have been proven internationally and locally to reduce homelessness by putting a focus on housing along with intensive support.

“Every day that we fail to act on homelessness, 23,000 people in Victoria continue to pay the price. $50 million is a modest investment to improve the lives of so many men, women and children.”

The solutions are simple and they’re at our fingertips. We need the bricks and mortar for affordable homes, teamed with the support services that people need. CHP’s election platform has three key planks that deliver on that simple idea:

1. A leaving care housing guarantee, to help bridge the high cost of housing for young people leaving state care who can’t call on the bank of mum and dad to help them out
2. A rapid rehousing program that gets people who experience homelessness for the first time, back into housing quickly, and helps them pay the rent for a short period of time, so that the problems associated with homelessness didn’t keep piling up.
3. A permanent supportive housing program for people who have been homeless long term and sleeping rough, which provides an affordable home and dedicated assistance they need to help keep it.

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