Council to Homeless Persons calls for Homelessness to Home funding

A program that has supported people out of homelessness since the early days of the pandemic is at risk, a peak body has warned. Here’s how Geelong could be impacted.

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale.

VIctoria’s peak homelessness body fears Geelong will see a spike in rough sleepers unless a program that helps people stay off the streets is thrown a lifeline.

The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) says funding for the From Homelessness to a Home (H2H) program is due to be slashed at the end of June, and the service is at risk of being gutted unless the state government steps up at its May budget.

There are 131 H2H packages for households in the Barwon region, according to the council, and the program has helped hundreds of people in the area.

The state-funded initiative was established in 2020 to help people who were temporarily placed in hotels amid the pandemic to transition into secure housing, and provide wraparound support.

There are fears Geelong could experience a rise in rough sleepers if funding for a homelessness support program is cut.

There are 416 regional Victorian households being supported by H2H, according to CHP.

The organisation is calling for the government to invest $224.2m over four years to continue and grow the program and build workforce capability.

The body says if funding doesn’t continue, regional areas set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2026 will lose out.

“Regional Victoria won’t have had this much external scrutiny since the gold rush,” CHP chief executive Deborah Di Natale said.

“Failing to fund H2H when Victoria is in the grips of one of its most serious housing

crises would be a devastating blow after all the incredible results the program has achieved.

“Over four years, this is a modest investment given the immense benefit H2H delivers for people who have historically had a lot of difficulty finding stable housing.”

“A decision which would leave them at high risk of being back on the streets of our regional cities would be devastating.

“It’s absolutely critical that people are in stable housing and knowing the world’s eyes are on regional Victoria during the Commonwealth Games might just give government the push it needs.”

Trudi Ray, chief executive of H2H Barwon provider Haven Home Safe, said through the program clients had gone from being homeless to having steady employment, a secure support network and self-managing their own rental tenancies.

“With more people facing housing stress and potential homelessness it is critical we continue to fund this program which has proven to make a meaningful difference to people experiencing homelessness, particularly as we open our region to a global audience through the Commonwealth Games,” she said.

A Victorian government spokeswoman said H2H was an “ongoing program” with $12m funding allocated each year from 2023-24.

She said the funding would enable clients to be provided with the necessary supports as their needs change over time.

“Of the 36 H2H households placed in head leases in the Barwon area, only two remain to be housed. Both of these householdshave accepted offers of social housing and will relocate shortly,” she said.

It’s understood that by June 2023, most people assisted with From Homelessness to a Home’s Home (H2H) housing and supportswill be able to sustain their housing without the wrap-around supports they needed at their commencement of the program.

Originally published as Council to Homeless Persons calls for Homelessness to Home funding