Council to Homeless Persons report reveals Geelong woes

Three Geelong areas are among regional Victoria’s worst for homelessness, according to a new report, as locals are forced to sleep in their cars due to unaffordable costs.

A new report has highlighted concerning homelessness numbers in the region.

Three Geelong areas are among regional Victoria’s worst for homelessness, according to a new report that suggests the problem has surged.

The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) report showed the South Barwon electorate had the highest homeless population in regional Victoria, at 838 people.

Lara and Geelong also featured in the top 10 electorates for total homelessness in regional Victoria, coming in at number eight and nine with homeless populations of 333 and 331, respectively.

The analysis, which compares the 2016 and 2021 census data, found South Barwon recorded the state’s worst increase in homelessness, rising about 465 per cent over five years from 148 people.

The Geelong electorate experienced a 13 per cent increase and Lara 35 per cent, the report said.

In South Barwon, the number of people living in boarding (rooming) houses was 10 times higher than reported in 2016, but it was noted the electorate’s surge in homeless population was in part driven by more accurate rooming house data.

New data has shed light on Geelong’s homelessness woes.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, improvements in data quality meant estimates from the 2021 Census for people living in boarding houses in Victoria and other temporary lodgings nationally were not directly comparable with previous censuses.

The CHP report said the data revealed the true state of homelessness in Victoria and the previously ‘hidden’ population of people without a home.

Geelong's Outpost is seeing high demand.

The Outpost vice president Amy Flint said the Geelong service, which provides hot, healthy meals, assistance and supplies such as blankets, in August last year served 800 meals, which had since surged to 1200 a month.

It was the highest level of demand seen for at least the last five years.

“The economy is driving that, and the cost-of-living and rental crisis,” Ms Flint said.

“We are finding a lot of people are really struggling to put food on their tables.

“We’re seeing a lot of young professionals coming through now … young people who can’t secure rentals or can’t afford it and are sleeping in their cars.”

Ms Flint said although The Outpost did have a lot of rough sleepers that attended, there was also a large population of people from rooming houses, or who were sleeping in cars or couch surfing.

“Our homeless population is spread so diversely throughout the region,” she said.

“It’s incredibly hard to capture (homelessness) data because of the transient nature of the population.”

There were a variety of factors that contributed to homelessness, she said.

These included family breakdowns, mental health issues and inflation.

Homeless people needed access to affordable housing and food and ongoing employment opportunities to help break the cycle, Ms Flint said.

Services also required funding to keep pace with demand, she said.

“Geelong is a very kind and generous community, but certainly ongoing compassion is needed,” she said.

The CHP report stated census data suggested that 30,660 people were homeless on any given night in Victoria.

“This represents 47.1 people per 10,000 Victorians,” it said.

“These figures include people living in their cars or on the street, people in boarding houses, temporary accommodation, or accommodation for the homeless and people in severely overcrowded dwellings.

“We have one of the most accurate counts of homelessness in Victoria due to improved data collection practices and the public health responses, which meant people without a home or in vulnerable housing settings were more easily identified.

“The marked increase in homelessness in rooming houses is partly a story of improved awareness of people’s whereabouts in lockdown and improved use of administrative data

to inform the count.

“But it is also a story of people locked out of renting a home in Victoria’s rental market.”

CHP chief executive Deborah Di Natale said the report underscored the urgent need for targeted, substantial investment in social housing and homelessness supports.

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

“We are witnessing a clear and alarming escalation in homelessness in Victoria, highlighting a picture of stark inequality across both metropolitan and regional areas,” she said.

The report stated “bold decisions” were needed at all levels of government.

CHP is calling on the Victorian government to address the crisis by committing to build at least 60,000 social housing properties over the next decade.

“This investment is not just necessary, it’s critical to stemming the tide of homelessness,” Ms Di Natale said.

CHP is also urging the state government to target investment into homelessness supports that provide housing alongside wraparound support.

A state government spokesman said each year the Barwon region was allocated funding to 10 specialist homelessness organisations to deliver a range of responses.

“In addition, we’re investing $134m in the 2023-24 budget to deliver a Housing First response including housing and support services for those sleeping rough and experiencing homelessness, to help get their lives on track,” he said.

“Our landmark $5.3bn Big Housing Build is also ensuring more vulnerable Victorians have a roof over their head, with $191m already invested towards Greater Geelong to deliver 520 new homes.”

Originally published as Council to Homeless Persons report reveals Geelong woes