Australia will shine a light on homelessness during National Homelessness Week this week, with the Salvation Army and GOTAFE joining forces in Shepparton to deliver two events to create awareness locally.
The first event, a Homelessness in Greater Shepparton Forum, will be held at the GOTAFE Harder Auditorium on Wednesday, August 7.
Professionals and service providers will meet to discuss current data and statistics of homelessness in the area, while industry leaders will explain actions they’re taking and plans they’re making to improve the situation in the area.
Community services students from GOTAFE have been invited to provide insight for those potentially looking to enter the industry.
The second event — Walking Home — consists of a sausage sizzle and a walk around Victoria Park Lake on Friday, August 9, to acknowledge the state of homelessness in Greater Shepparton, where the public and services staff and professionals are invited to discuss ideas to help the growing issue.
“Homelessness is still a very large issue locally, even if people can’t see it like in metro Melbourne,” Salvation Army North-East Youth Services regional manager Leah Farnham said.
“Young people are no different with this issue and face several challenges when it comes to finding somewhere safe and secure to call home.”
Shepparton Salvation Army Corps Major Scott Smallacombe said the Salvation Army remained committed to working with others to ensure that everyone had the opportunity to thrive.
“The Shepparton floods of 2022 showed us all that when a community comes together with purpose, amazing things can be achieved,” he said.
“Working together — government, private and public housing sector, community organisations and community members — we can make a difference now and for generations to come.”
NEYS has been helping people aged between 16 and 25 with housing since 2008 and has helped thousands of young locals to secure permanent accommodation.
NEYS also owns accommodation that can assist with crisis options for youth.
According to Beyond Housing, more than 1200 people were experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless across Greater Shepparton in 2023-24.
Of the 1215 people seeking support, 104 were children, 132 were aged 55 or older, 192 were on a Disability Support Pension and 237 were young people aged between 17 and 25.
The data indicates a significant trend of housing insecurity among the most vulnerable.
There were 489 people seeking Beyond Housing’s assistance for the first time and nearly 22 per cent were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
The leading causes of homelessness were family violence and housing crisis, including evictions, according to the data.
Some 60 people were sleeping in cars in the region, with 144 staying in parks, caravan parks or couch surfing, while 47 were homed in tents and 12 in improvised dwellings such as sheds or caravans.
“These statistics underscore a crisis that has been escalating for years, despite continuous warnings from service providers like us,” Beyond Housing chief executive Celia Adams said.
“This persistent neglect and lack of action is unacceptable. We must urgently address the systemic issues driving homelessness and commit to providing meaningful, long-term solutions.”
The theme for this year’s Homelessness Week is ‘Homelessness Action Now’, which is an urgent call to action on the rapidly growing issue.
The Homelessness in Greater Shepparton Forum will be held at GOTAFE Harder Auditorium, Fryers St, Shepparton, on Wednesday, August 7, from noon to 1.30pm.
The Walking Home event will be held at Victoria Park Lake, near SAM, on Friday, August 9, from 11am to 1.30pm.
National Homelessness Week runs from August 5 to 11.
For more information, visit: homelessnessaustralia.org.au