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Hotel stays for 2000 homeless extended until April under $150m package
More than 2000 homeless Victorians who have been put up in hotels during the pandemic will get to stay until at least April next year while they are helped to find long-term housing.
The state government has also pledged to lease 1100 properties from the private rental market to provide permanent homes for people when they leave the hotels.
The first of 1000 new social housing units – promised during the 2018 election campaign – are also becoming available.
People who look for homes on the private rental market when they check out of the hotels will get assistance with bond and initial expenses from the Private Rental Assistance Program, which will gain extra funding.
The $150 million package has come as a relief to homelessness groups, which were anxious about the long-term fate of people in hotels given the funding had been due to expire at the end of this month and an estimated 80,000 people are waiting for public housing in Victoria.
Premier Daniel Andrews said this was the state’s opportunity to help break the cycle of homelessness.
Daniel Andrews addresses the media on Monday.Credit: JOE ARMAO
"This pandemic has laid bare many inequalities," Mr Andrews said. "You can’t stay home if you don’t have one and you can’t wash your hands regularly if you don’t have access to the bare basics of hot water and soap."
People staying in hotels will be provided with tailored help – including mental health, drug and alcohol, and family violence support – which will continue when they move into long-term housing.
The funding will be allocated to homelessness agencies in metropolitan and regional areas.
Bevan Warner, the chief executive of homelessness organisation Launch Housing, said the "very positive" package demonstrated that homelessness was solvable.
Launch Housing CEO Bevan Warner has welcomed the package and now wants the the federal government to "turbocharge the recovery with more social housing".Credit: Scott McNaughton
"We can end homelessness, but not without more homes and more support. This announcement provides both," he said.
"We now need to get the federal government to take the expert economic advice and to turbocharge the recovery with more social housing, so the homes get built to avoid future instances of homelessness."
The Council to Homeless Persons said the funding would make an "enormous difference".
"Around 2000 people are currently in hotels, including over 220 children, over 500 women and more than 1100 single households," the council said.
"With the lockdown increasing levels of family violence and resulting in job losses, more people are coming to homeless services needing accommodation."
The council said there was a need for permanent housing for people who could not pay rent in the private market when subsidies ran out.
Social housing makes up only about 3.2 per cent of all housing in the state, well below the national average of 4.5 per cent.
In May the Victorian government announced a $500 million package to build 168 new social housing units and upgrade 23,000 run-down units.