Knox welfare agencies call for more affordable housing to help homeless people

KNOX welfare agencies have called for more affordable housing as the number of homeless people in the area soars.

Homeless couple Paul Thomson and Debbie Rakip have been living in this Boronia bus shelter.

KNOX welfare agencies have called for more affordable housing as the number of homeless people in the area soars.

Wantirna South-based service provider Uniting Harrison has 43 staff working with homeless clients, and homelessness services senior manager Mark Dixon said singles and couples were the hardest group to find short-term solutions.

“Long-term we can help them, but for public housing it can taken anywhere from six months to three years,” Mr Dixon said.

“We need more properties so we can get people sleeping rough off the streets and into housing.

“The need is huge.”

Couple forced to live in bus shelter just want someone to give them a chance

He said their homelessness service had a 62 per cent increase in demand in the past five years.

Their latest figures show there were 285 rough sleepers seeking their help in 2016-17, including 127 people sleeping on the streets and in parks, 115 people sleeping in cars, 15 in tents and 28 in improvised buildings such as squats and construction sites.

Department of Health and Human Services figures show there are 1513 people on the public housing waiting list who have applied at the Ringwood office, which includes the Knox area.

Knox Infolink centre manager Denise Budge said the number of homeless cases in Knox had “spiked” in the past 12 months, and the number of clients had more than doubled, from an average of about nine to 20 a month.

And she said the issue was getting worse because of a shortage of affordable housing.

“Often the best solution that we can offer someone who is homeless... is access to a limited number of swags and inflatable mattresses,” Ms Budge said.

Ms Budge said the Boronia-based organisation provided food and essential items, but for housing referred people to other agencies, that were “already overstretched”.

“Many of our clients have already tried to access accommodation through these agencies and been unsuccessful,” she said.

Uniting Harrison’s Mark Dixon says singles and couples are the hardest group to find short-term housing.

Uniting Wesley, which provides crisis support to people in the outer east, said there was a notable increase in people needing help.

Acting manager of homelessness services Maidie Graham said many “at risk” people were coming to collect food because they had no money left after paying rent and bills.

She said homelessness was not just a problem contained to beggars in the inner city.

“It’s becoming more visible in the suburbs in the outer east,” she said.

“And then you’ve also got a lot of hidden homeless — people couch surfing, staying on lounge room floors, at the back of shops or schools and in parks.”

Ms Graham said they acted as a conduit to get people into accommodation through rooming houses, but said there weren’t always rooms available, or people chose not to stay there because of previous bad experiences.

That meant some clients were slipping through the cracks, she said.

“The real problem is a lack of affordable housing. There’s not enough to keep up with demand,” she said.

Ms Graham said many clients had previously had steady jobs but their personal situation had changed and they were now either homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless.

“I think it’s easier than lots of people think (becoming homeless),” she said.

“Many people that come in don’t have support networks. They say ‘I never thought this would happen to me’.”

She said early intervention was the best option for anyone who felt they were at risk and urged people to contact the Wesley Uniting referral line on 88704020.

Ms Budge added: “It’s worth reminding ourselves that we are all only a few steps away from homelessness or severe housing crisis with the increasing utility costs, lack of affordable housing, incomes not keeping pace with rental prices and the possibility of an unexpected trauma in our lives or loss of employment that may tip us over the edge.”

If you are experiencing homelessness, couch surfing, a crisis or unable to put food on the table, contact Knox Infolink on 9761 1325 or drop in between 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday at 136 Boronia Rd, Boronia for support or referral to other services.