Lord Mayor Sally Capp says rough sleepers are the top issue facing the City of Melbourne

Lord Mayor Sally Capp says rough sleepers are the city council’s number one priority, and women are the fastest growing group among our city’s homeless.

Housing All Australians director Rob Pradolin with members of the Ten women's group. Picture: Melissa Hobbs

Lord Mayor Sally Capp says rough sleepers are the city council’s number one priority as a charity lunch raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide housing for older homeless women. Cr Capp said homelessness was the most common issue raised in correspondence to her office.

“At the City of Melbourne that gives us a very clear mandate to take a caring approach to the way we engage with those people who are rough sleeping on our streets,” she said.

“It impacts the fabric of culture in the City of Melbourne, it impacts our traders, our visitors, our residents, our students, our workers.”

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A person begging in the CBD. Picture: David Caird

Lord Mayor Sally Capp with Housing All Australians director Rob Pradolin and TEN Women group member Kristiana Greenwood. Picture: Melissa Hobbs

The Lord Mayor was the keynote speaker at a lunch organised by the TEN Women group to raise funds for short-term affordable housing for women over 55.

About $250,000 was collected with the event’s major sponsors including CBRE, Irwinconsult, McCormack Property and Kane Constructions.

TEN Women comprises senior women from Melbourne’s property and construction industry whose aim is to connect and empower other women.

TEN Women co-founder, Fiona Dunster of FIDUN, said she was proud that the high-powered business lunch attracted an even mix of men and women to network for a very worthy cause.

“That we were able to raise $250,000 in the process is a great example of how meaningful change can be driven by women, for women,” she said.

“When women work together, we can move mountains,” said TEN Women co-founder, Belinda Coates of Slattery.

Cr Capp said the 2018 Street Count revealed that the fastest growing group in the homelessness count was women, due to domestic violence and financial problems.

Housing All Australians director Rob Pradolin with members of the TEN Women group. Picture: Melissa Hobbs

Robert Pradolin, founding member of property industry charity Housing All Australians, urged private business people to use their skills to help provide more low-cost accommodation.

“If we do not shelter all of our people the long-term consequences for the nation are huge,” he said.

Mr Pradolin said the rising number of homeless women over 55 was a blight on society.

“I think once the general public really understand that, they will say, like I have, that is unacceptable,” he said.

Pradolin said that Housing all Australians has been working closely with the private sector and a range of service providers to deliver short term transitional housing in existing buildings and under-utilized infrastructure

More than 500 people attended the $300-per-plate lunch held at Myer Mural Hall, which also included a charity auction.

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@JMasanauskas