As part of Homelessness Week, 4-10 August, the Eastern Homelessness Network (EHN) will host the Homeward Bound Walk around Ringwood Lake on 5 August.
MPs and community are invited to an interactive walk around the lake, to listen to the real-life experiences of speakers who have experienced homelessness, and help build a display of origami houses in support of the Houses at Parliament Campaign.
Homelessness in Victoria increased by 24 per cent to over 30,000 people in the five years to 2021 Census and homelessness services report that they are unable to respond to the increasing number of households who do not have a safe place to live.
People are without a home for longer and longer periods, leading to increasing distress and complexity in their lives. In 2023-24, over 13,000 people in Melbourne’s Inner and Outer East sought assistance from homelessness services.
Jo McDonald, EHN Coordinator, said she hopes to use this opportunity to raise awareness of the issues that are driving homelessness in the eastern region, particularly the need for more social housing.
“Homelessness is not inevitable. With enough public and community homes and the right support, everyone in the community can be permanently housed,” she said.
That’s why EHN is supporting the Victorian Homelessness Network in their Houses at Parliament Campaign that calls for State and Federal Governments to invest in constructing at least 60,000 social homes in Victoria and to implement a National Plan to end homelessness.
The campaign calls on the community to help fold 60,000 origami houses across Victoria (representing the number of additional social homes needed to meet Victoria’s current need) for Homelessness Week.
Participants of the Homeward Bound Walk are invited to join the campaign and bring along an origami house to add to the display being created on the day.
“The community support shows Victorians are demanding that the State and Federal Governments step up to end homelessness,” Ms McDonald said.
“We have 66,000 applicants on Victoria’s social housing waitlist right now. Women and children are sleeping in their cars at night, living in fear. And that is completely unacceptable,” Council to Homeless Persons chief executive officer Deborah Di Natale said.
One third of Australians seeking homelessness assistance are in Victoria, yet the state has the lowest proportion of social housing.
“No one should be facing homelessness in this state. We can end it, but to do so, we need a strong commitment to provide the social housing Victoria needs,” Ms Di Natale said.
“Two thousand new social homes greenlit this month is a fantastic step, but this must be just the start if the Government is taking Victoria’s homelessness crisis seriously,” Ms Di Natale said.
Find more information at the following websites:
Homeward Bound registration and information – events.humanitix.com/homeward-bound-whlt54a6
Houses at Parliament – vhn.org.au/housesatparliament
Homelessness Week – homelessnessaustralia.org.au/homelessness-week/
