The recent allocation of $134 million in the Victorian budget to provide housing access and support for the homeless has been met with concern by state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe.
Ms O’Keeffe said the funding number fell significantly short of the urgent requirement to address the escalating number of individuals in need within the region.
“I have written to the housing minister, Colin Brooks, requesting he come to our region and meet with the varied housing services and to see the critical need for support,” she said.
The Nationals MP highlighted the immense strain homelessness services were under as the number of individuals in need continued to rise, and said she was seeing first-hand the impact homelessness was having on people in our region.
“Just last week we had a Shepparton woman in her 70s come into my office who had found herself homeless,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“She was in a state of distress, as an arrangement of temporary accommodation had ended abruptly.
“The woman was seeking assistance for herself and her two sons, who were camping on the river.”
Ms O’Keeffe said these were not isolated incidents but represented the current housing crisis many people were facing.
“It’s also very frustrating to see empty public houses across the region sitting vacant at a time when we have significant waiting lists for people needing public housing,” she said.
“Surely a priority must be given to these houses to make them available as soon as possible once they become vacant.
“People deserve a safe and secure place to call home, yet the state budget fails to deliver any new capital investment.”