‘Winter’s worth of tents’ donated in just days as hundreds made homeless by rising rents

The community response to a plea for tents to shelter rough sleepers on the Mornington Peninsula has been “swift and generous”

Shocked locals have donated “a winter’s worth of tents” in just days following an urgent call to help hundreds of rough sleepers on the Mornington Peninsula.

Up to 30 tents have been given to Southern Peninsula Community Support (SPCS) after the Leader last week revealed the service had just two to offer those made homeless by rising rents.

In one instance a Rosebud businessman bought and donated five tents.

SPCS chief executive Jeremy Maxwell said the response had been swift and generous.

“I think people were shocked when they heard how desperate things are for many in our community,” he said.

“We now have 30 tents which is a winter’s worth for us under normal circumstances. This winter is likely to be much worse in terms of the number of people without shelter.”

The service was able to offer 12 unpowered sites at council-run foreshore campgrounds at Rosebud as a “last resort” for the homeless.

However, the campgrounds officially closed on Sunday and camping there was now illegal.

Mr Maxwell said the homeless would still be offered tents but would not be directed where or how to use them.

PLEA FOR TENTS AS PENINSULA RENTAL CRISIS DEEPENS

Rough sleepers are being offered tents as a last resort for hundreds of homeless on the Mornington Peninsula.

A dozen unpowered sites at the council-run foreshore campgrounds at Rosebud have been reserved for those struggling to find alternative accommodation.

The sites are typically provided for two week stints to allow time for local support services to help people find more appropriate accommodation.

The initiative is being managed by Southern Peninsula Community Support and helps link the homeless to other services.

SPCS chief executive Jeremy Maxwell said giving people tents was not ideal.

“It’s not something we want to do, it’s a last resort,” Mr Maxwell said.

The group, which relies on volunteers, recently called on locals to donate tents for the homeless.

To date it has received just two.

Mr Maxwell said SPCS had about 450 rough sleepers on the books but estimated many more were sleeping in cars, in bushes along the foreshore and at Point Nepean National Park.

Many of those without shelter had been forced out of their homes by rising rents across Flinders.

The median rent in the electorate has risen by 26 per cent since the last federal election – the third highest increase in Victoria.

The cost of renting a house in Flinders has jumped by 31 per cent and represents the biggest increase in the state.

Mr Maxwell said many of those displaced by rising rents were long time peninsula residents.

“There are no housing options for them locally but moving rips them away from their community and their support network.”

He said the solution was simple.

“Build more houses. Just get it done,” he said.

“This problem isn’t going away and is only going to get worse and more expensive to solve.”

Mornington Peninsula Shire declared a housing crisis in 2021 and has since announced the release of public land at Rosebud, Capel Sound, Hastings and Mornington as part of its Affordable Housing Partnership Project.

It has called for housing partners to propose how they’d develop affordable homes on plots of Shire-owned land.

The council has also asked the State Government to commit funding through its Big Housing Build.

The initiative has identified priority areas for social and affordable housing and already guaranteed $765 million for projects in regional Victoria.

High need areas have also been identified across metro Melbourne and six projects are underway.

The Mornington Peninsula is classified as being part of metropolitan Melbourne and despite experiencing the sixth highest number of rough sleepers in the state was not identified as a priority area.