Salvation Army’s Hamodava Cafe a night time safe space for rough sleepers

A HOMELESS shelter will open in Melbourne’s CBD as part of a $2 million package of homelessness initiatives from the City of Melbourne.

A HOMELESS shelter will open in Melbourne’s CBD as part of a $2 million package of homelessness initiatives from the City of Melbourne.

The Night Time Safe Space will run from the Salvation Army’s Hamodava Cafe in Bourke St, kicking off at the end of May.

Rough sleepers will be able to take refuge at the cafe from 11pm to 7am, seven days a week.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the Salvation Army will run the initiative following a successful pilot program last year.

RELATED CONTENT:

NEW MELBOURNE HOMELESS CAMP AFTER FLINDERS STREET FURORE

TOM ELLIOTT: HOW TO FIX MELBOURNE’S HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM

MELBOURNE SUBURBS PROTEST AT ‘CITY’ PROBLEM

HOMELESSNESS ACTIVISTS DEFEND CITY TRASHING PLAN

RITA PANAHI: HOMELESS ZEALOTS ARE JUST BULLIES

“More than 70 people a night are expected to receive support through this service, which is particularly important as we head into winter,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This is not just about providing a safe and warm space at night in the CBD. It’s about linking people with appropriate housing, as well as drug and alcohol services to help them find permanent pathways out of homelessness.”

The $300,000 service will operate for a minimum of 250 days and during extreme heat over summer.

A homeless person living on the streets of Melbourne. Picture: Nicole Garmston.

Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said the initiative is a great way for rough sleepers to seek shelter over the cooler months of the year.

“If you see someone living rough on the streets, please encourage them to come to the Salvation Army for support,” he said.

“Last year’s 20-week pilot was a great success and we look forward to helping more this year.”

The Night Time Safe Space will work in conjunction with a new Daily Support Team who have been connecting rough sleepers with outreach services and support, and collecting face-to-face data to know who is sleeping rough at any one time, services they are using and health and housing needs.

The Daily Response Team will be made up of four outreach workers and will be delivered by Launch Housing in partnership with Melbourne City Mission Frontyard Youth Service at a cost of $350,000.

“We don’t want to accept a situation where large groups of people see sleeping on a city street as the best long-term choice they have available,” the Lord Mayor said.

“If we can successfully bring together all the services to work as one, we can hopefully make real difference to the lives of people sleeping rough.”

In June last year, the City of Melbourne’s seventh StreetCount recorded 247 people sleeping rough on Melbourne’s streets, a 74 per cent increase of the previous survey in 2014.

[e-mail]

@cassiezervos