An inquiry into the growing issue of homelessness across Victoria began in Bairnsdale on Monday.
It was the first in a series of regional forums.
The Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Issues Committee has identified family violence as the number one reason women become homeless.
Gippsland has some of the highest incidents of family violence in the state.
Rurality is also a risk factor for women and children experiencing family violence.
According to Gippsland Women’s Health, there are insufficient housing options available to those who are most vulnerable.
Aboriginal women, or women with a mental illness or disability are at the highest risk.
Worse still, crisis accommodation is not sufficient for the needs of communities.
In the last 12 months, 6220 people across Gippsland presented for specialist homelessness services.
Women aged between 25-35 are the most likely age group to experience homelessness in Australia.
The committee Chair, Fiona Patten, the regional hearings would help the committee better understand the challenges facing people in regional Victoria who endure homelessness or provide services to people who are homeless.
“It’s important for the committee to hear firsthand about the circumstances in regional communities. We want to learn about their specific needs and how we can best respond to them,” Ms Patten said.
“It might mean we have to smash the system a bit.”
Ms Patten said she hoped the committee would find solutions to the homelessness crisis.
“I believe the solution is there, within the community, but it will probably take some courage.”
“What we do know is that homelessness is a result of issues such as family violence, unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction and mental health,” Ms Patten said.
“So how do we stop people from becoming homeless.”
During its regional hearings, the committee will speak with representatives of organisations that have direct experience of homelessness and the way it touches all aspects of a person’s life.
In East Gippsland, homelessness is largely hidden.
Robert Ashton, who is an outreach officer at the Fulham Correctional Centre in Sale, told the inquiry that while homeless people in Melbourne might be more visible because they sleep on the streets, in East Gippsland “most homeless people reside with friends or relatives”.
Mr Ashton said those who don’t stay with friends or relatives tend “to camp in the bush or along the banks of local rivers, or sleep in their cars”.
“Short term accommodation options in Bairnsdale are very limited. There are no caravan parks that offer long-term accommodation.”
Mr Ashton said the most significant problem faced in East Gippsland was securing stable housing for single people under 55 years of age.
He said pressure within the local Aboriginal community to ‘take people in’ was a contributing factor in issues of family violence.
Mr Ashton told the inquiry that while the simple answer to ending homelessness might be to build more affordable housing, having “appropriate support programs” in place for those facing challenges was an “essential component” to ending the cycle of homelessness.
PICTURED: Nungurra Youth Accommodation Services manager, Ryan Hedley, helps resident, Casey Sharman, 18, prepare dinner. Casey, who has been homeless since the age of 14, says she has learned vital skills like cooking while at Nungurra, as well as becoming more independent.
