Vic govt pledges extra $42m for homeless

Some 1000 Victorians will benefit from new programs to reduce homelessness, as the
state opposition comes under pressure to release its policy on the issue.
The state government will spend $42 million on projects aimed at six key groups
including young homeless people, the short-term homeless and older homeless people.
The opposition criticised the government for releasing its 2020 homeless strategy
two months late, but has yet to release its own policy.
Premier John Brumby said the programs would benefit 1000 people, about five per cent
of the state's homeless.
"This isn't just about bricks and mortar, it's about providing support across the
board," Mr Brumby said on Thursday at the strategy launch.
"It's about addressing the causes of homelessness."
About 20,000 people are without a home across Victoria every night.
David Mudge, 45, lived out of his car for about three years.
"It can happen to pretty much anybody - a family death, a loss of job, family
breakdown, incarceration and, of course, release ... homeless on the streets," Mr
Mudge said.
"It's very much a loss of power and self-esteem when somebody is homeless."
Mr Mudge said more needed to be done to help people after they secured
accommodation, including financial and mental health support.
Opposition housing spokeswoman Wendy Lovell said the fact that the government's
strategy was 115 days late was significant for people sleeping in tents or under
bridges.
"It's a cynical move by this government to release this strategy just 65 days before
the state election," Ms Lovell said.
Ms Lovell travelled to Melbourne from Shepparton in the state's north to talk about
homelessness and then declined to detail the Coalition's policy.
"We'll be releasing our policies in the lead-up to the election," she told reporters.
"We're not the government, we'll be releasing policies for an election."
Ms Lovell said the opposition's policy would be designed to cut the waiting list for
public housing.
The average waiting time was 8.5 months, she said, but she did not nominate a target
wait time the Coalition would work towards.
Ms Lovell said the Coalition would increase the number of public housing places
available and improve property maintenance.
"We need to address homelessness more at the early intervention stage," she said.
The Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Cath Smith said she looked
forward to the government announcing further funding for public housing.
An extra 29,000 public houses needed to be built over the next four years and the
building program should be funded by both the state and federal governments, Ms
Smith said.
With the November 27 election fast approaching, Ms Smith said she was calling on the
opposition to release its homelessness strategy.
"We need to urgently see the Coalition's homelessness policy," she told AAP.
Housing Minister Richard Wynne said the government's six new projects would be
evaluated after three and a half years.
The $42 million was in addition to an annual investment of more than $170 million in
projects aimed at reducing homelessness, Mr Wynne said.
"We are looking to use this $42 million with the community sector, with philanthropy
and also with the business community," he said.