WOMEN and children are the most common recipients of homelessness services in both the Wimmera and the state.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Uniting Wimmera had 175 women over the age of 25, 137 young women aged between 18 and 25, and 49 children utilise its homelessness services from May 1, 2018 to December 17, 2018.
Acting executive officer Josh Koenig said he expected the numbers would only increase.
“We see quite a number of women and children come through; it won’t always be because of family violence, but it is often a contributing factor,” he said.
“The trend is increasing and I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel at the moment besides from services like ours that are available to offer people assistance.”
His comments come after the Council to Homeless Persons released new data revealing an increase in demand for homelessness services across Victoria.
The data revealed that one in 84 Victorians sought homelessness help in 2017-18, with 64 per cent being female.
The total number of Victorians seeking help jumped to 116,872, which was an increase of six per cent from 109,901 the year before. However, the number of people seeking help nationally stayed static.
Parents with children made up majority of Victorian clients, while 90 people are turned away each day from Victorian homelessness services.
Family violence was the leading cause of homelessness, with 38 per cent of Victorian clients citing it as the reason for needing help.
Mr Koenig said the new statistics weren’t surprising.
“Homelessness as a whole is huge and continues to rise, and the women and children element is not a surprise at all,” he said.
“We would love to see more support and funding out here in the Wimmera. We are keeping up with demand and make the most of what we’ve got. Our workers are seeing many people each day.
“We don’t have have waitlists as such and are able to see people who walk off the street. We are doing the best we can and we don’t turn people away, but the pressure is apparent.”
He said Uniting Wimmera were advocating for a The Orange Door shelter in the Wimmera, along with more funding for homelessness support worker jobs.
“Even more attention for public housing out this way and more availability of affordable housing would be ideal,” he said.
Besides from family violence, he said other common reasons for seeking help included financial stresses, and housing affordability and availability.
Mr Koenig also said Uniting Wimmera saw an increase in demand in the lead up to Christmas.
“There are many financial pressures that go along with Christmas. What we also might see after Christmas is when people have exhausted all their finances and left themselves in a bit of a hole,” he said.
Uniting Wimmera offers a child, youth and family service for those experiencing homelessness.
“That program can be entered as simply as someone walking in the door and talking to someone,” he said.
“We also have, with headspace Horsham, a great opportunity for young people who might be feeling the pressure with whatever they feel they need help with.
“We’re non-discriminatory, so if someone isn’t sure what services will fit their needs, we are able to help them find something that’s right for them. If we don’t have a program for them, we can refer them onto another service.”
Uniting Wimmera can be contacted on 5362 4000. Its Horsham office is located at 185 Baillie Street.
