20-07-10 CHP Sector Bulletin: Federal election campaign The Federal election will be held on Saturday 21 August 2010 and Homelessness Australia, in partnership with CHP and the sector, has commenced an election campaign.
We need your help to ensure homelessness remains on the national agenda for all candidates during the campaign season and beyond.
View below:
* CHP Sector bulletin: FEderal election campaign
Download below:
* Homelessness Australia Election Statement 2010
* List of marginal seats
* Sample press release
16-07-10 Read our CHP July 2010 e-news online Our July 2010 e-news features a welcome to our new Policy and Communications Manager, Sarah Kahn, as well as upcoming events, rooming houses, and Eastern Metro regional spotlight.
10-06-10 Read our CHP June 2010 e-news online Our June e-news features stories about our forthcoming Homelessness & Social Inclusion Forum, and on contributing to our next edition of Parity magazine on Leaving Care and Homelessness.
New CHP Policy Advisory Group: Call for applications The direct involvement of the membership and consumers is an important and valued aspect of all of CHP’s work. In recognition of this, we are establishing a Policy Advisory Group (PAG) to provide expert advice on the policy issues and solutions which CHP should be advocating.
The PAG provides a forum for members who wish to be involved in the ongoing policy development and policy setting processes of CHP. The PAG will provide a high level, structured avenue for members to actively shape the policy setting of the organisation.
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 30 June 2010
Read our CHP May 2010 e-news Our May e-news features an update on the ASU pay equity case and news on the Victorian state budget.
04-05-10 Media release: Christmas can’t come too early for Victorians in need Christmas can’t come too early for Victorians in need
- Council to Homeless Persons, Community Housing Federation of Victoria call for stamp duty windfall to be used to ease housing pressure for needy
Victoria’s peak housing and homelessness organisations have welcomed the State Government’s continued investment in social housing and homelessness, handed down in its budget today.
The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) and the Community Housing Federation of Victoria (CHFV) acknowledged the Government’s promise to deliver 3,800 additional permanent and transitional homes in the budget, noting that this is largely due to the significant spend on social housing under the Nation Building program, as foreshadowed last year.
“Under the stimulus package, the Victorian government will deliver 4,750 social housing units by 2012, with three quarters of these due by Christmas” said CHFV CEO, Jacqui Watt. “These homes can’t come quickly enough for the more than 23,000 Victorians experiencing homelessness”.
CHP CEO, Michelle Burrell added that despite the Government’s very welcome budget commitments, crisis and transitional housing services continue to operate at full capacity.
“While there are no specific funding announcements in this years budget, the good news is that the substantial spending forecast last year is well underway. This new social housing and homelessness support is coming on line now, and will certainly help to free up the system.
“However, given the latest data showing 35,000 adults and 23,000 children in Victorian homelessness services, the question must be: how will we sustain the investment needed to end homelessness once and for all?”
Both organisations called on the Government to consider quarantining some of its expected $5 billion revenue from property taxes for housing for disadvantaged Victorians.
“The State Government is expecting a windfall of $3.6 billion in stamp duty and $1.3 billion in land tax over the next 12 months,” said Ms Burrell. “With so many benefiting from the property boom perhaps it’s time for some of that money to be channelled back into permanent housing for Victoria’s most needy citizens.”
Ends/ends…
30-04-10 Media release: Victorian children and young women: the new faces of homelessness Victorian children and young women: the new faces of homelessness
- Homelessness services at full capacity but yet more children come
More than 23,000 Victorian children are in specialist homelessness services with one or both parents and more than 1 in 5 people receiving assistance are young women under 25, according to new figures released today.
The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has deplored the latest annual Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program (SAAP) figures, which showed the highest number of children on record accompanied their parents to homelessness services.
15-03-10 Read our CHP March 2010 e-news We've introduced a regular e-news bulletin for those interested in homelessness news, events and updates in Victoria. Read our latest e-news by clicking the link below.
21-04-10 Read our CHP April 2010 e-news We've introduced a regular e-news bulletin for those interested in homelessness news, events and updates in Victoria. Read our latest e-news by clicking the link below.
31-03-10 Media release: Support and stability break homelessness cycle for youth Australia’s only long-term study into youth homelessness has revealed that inter-dependence – not independence – is the key to breaking the homelessness cycle for the more than 30,000 Australians between 12 and 24 who couch-surf, sleep rough or stay in emergency accommodation every night.
The Moving Out, Moving On study shows that higher than expected numbers of young people successfully moved out of homelessness when supported by family, friends or specialist homelessness services.
09-03-10 Media release: Opportunity to end discrimination against homeless Victorians passed up Opportunity to end discrimination against homeless Victorians passed up
Victoria’s peak homelessness body today expressed disappointment that the new Equal Opportunity Act would not include a provision to prohibit discrimination on the basis of homelessness.
Council to Homeless Persons CEO, Ms Michelle Burrell, said the danger in omitting homelessness from the Act was perpetuating the message that “it’s OK to treat someone who is homeless unfairly," Ms Burrell said.
“We’re obviously disappointed that the Government has passed up this historic opportunity to protect people experiencing homelessness from discrimination.
“We cannot understand why such a simple, yet significant step in reducing the harm caused by homelessness has been passed by.
“While it is unlawful to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, gender, age, sexuality, disability or other personal characteristics it remains legitimate under Victorian law to refuse someone service or employment because they are homeless.
“This is blatantly unfair and allows employers, shop keepers, doctors, transport providers and other services to turn people away if they do not have a permanent address and to treat people who ‘look homeless’, with impunity.”
16-02-10 Media release: Ending homelessness – when the going gets tough, we need to get going Victoria’s peak homelessness body today urged political leaders to commit to a bipartisan approach towards ending homelessness.
The new CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons, Ms Michelle Burrell, called on parliamentarians to renew their focus on finding solutions to the issue that Prime Minister Rudd has described as a ‘national obscenity'.
27-01-10 ABC Radio National - Triple J story on youth homelessness ABC Radio National
Triple J Hack program
27/01/2010
High School and Homeless
So you might be heading back to school today and in-between your groans, maybe pay a thought for people like Andy.
She's intelligent, outgoing and like thousands of other young people going back to high school today, she's homeless.
Imagine trying to juggle year 12 as well as working out where you're going to rest your head for the night.
We met her a few months back, here's what she had to say.
Irene Scott
16-12-09 Homelessness is never a willing choice Letter to the Editor: The Council to Homeless Persons takes issue with Lord Mayor Robert Doyle’s recent comment that “There will always be those who choose not to have a roof over their heads” (Melbourne Times - City council pledges to get people home, and homes 9.12.09).
17-12-09 Victorians encouraged to share Christmas giving with homeless Media release - The Council to Homeless Persons today invited fellow Victorians to open their hearts and contribute to people experiencing homelessness this Christmas.
Includes list of venues and organisations offering free Christmas lunches.
30-10-09 Community campaign welcomes Government action on rooming houses The “Call This A Home?” campaign has welcomed the Victorian Government’s much anticipated response to the Rooming House Standards Task Force recommendations.
The Tenants Union of Victoria (TUV), the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), Victorian
Council of Social Services (VCOSS) and the Community Housing Federation of Victoria
(CHFV) participated in the task force and fully support the final recommendations as a
necessary and comprehensive suite of reforms. We believe the recommendations will help ensure rooming houses operating in Victoria provide affordable and appropriate accommodation to low income Victorians.
16-10-09 No evictions, no moves for families to reduce childhood homelessness, says report The Does Camping Count? report highlights children’s experience of homelessness and significant
recommendations to reduce the impact of homelessness on children.
The report highlights the social, health and educational impacts of
homelessness on children. The Salvation Army Crossroads Network
commissioned this research in partnership with Council to Homeless Persons,
Family Access Network, Melbourne Citymission and the University of
Melbourne.
06-07-09 Media release: Welfare groups challenge Government to tackle 'slumlords' A coalition of peak welfare groups and agencies are challenging the Victorian Government to take on a growing number of ‘slumlords’ who are operating unsafe, overcrowded and often squalid private rooming houses and exploiting thousands of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.
The Tenants Union of Victoria (TUV), the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) and the Community Housing Federation of Victoria (CHFV) have joined forces under the “Call This A Home?” campaign to expose the seamy underside of Victoria’s lucrative private rooming house market, which has exploded in the past 12 months due to the shortage of affordable housing.
Call This A Home? is calling on the State Government to introduce minimum standards and licensing for private rooming houses and greater penalties for non-compliance, to stamp out rogue operators and protect an estimated 2,000 Victorians from harassment, violence, unlawful eviction, overcrowding, unsafe housing and exposure to illegal activities.
Media resource - Guidelines for reporting on homelessness The CHP has produced these media guidelines for reporting on homelessness to help break down some of the stereotypes and stigma associated with homelessness and assist journalists to report accurately and fairly on the issue.
Media resource: Homelessness in Victoria - Key contacts The Council to Homeless Persons has compiled this list as a resource for journalists seeking interviews
and information on homelessness in Victoria. The list includes the Victorian Homelessness Network Coordinators, organisations represented on our Board, organisations we work closely with, and other key organisations providing services to people experiencing homelessness in Victoria.
05-05-09 Vic Govt takes first step to deliver homelessness strategy The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) today welcomed the Victorian Government’s leadership in investing $104.8 million over four years as part of a first step to halving homelessness in this state by 2020.
30-04-09 CHP hails Victorian homelessness strategy announcement Homelessness peak body hails Victorian strategy
The Australian Government’s ambitious target of halving homelessness by 2020 took a step towards being realised, with the announcement today of a Victorian homelessness strategy by the State Government.
The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) hailed the announcement by Minister for Housing, Richard Wynne, and praised the Minister and the Victorian Government for showing strong leadership on the issue of homelessness.
03-04-09 Governments must act now on record levels of child homelessness The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has called on Governments to deliver promised action on homelessness as a matter of urgency, following the release today of new figures showing family homelessness continues to increase and has reached a critical point.
03-02-09 Historic re-birth of housing investment Media release - The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) today welcomed the Australian Government’s $6 billion Commonwealth Social Housing Initiative to fund 20,000 public and community housing dwellings by 2010.
18-12-08 Victoria's homeless face bleak Christmas Media release - Forget cutting back on the turkey and pudding this year – more than 23,000 homeless Victorian men, women and children will face this Christmas day without even basic food or shelter.
04-12-08 Peak body welcomes Government pledge on homelessness Media release - The Council to Homeless Persons today welcomed the Australian Council of Government’s pledge to halve homelessness, end ‘rough sleeping’ and improve housing outcomes for youth at risk of homelessness.
31-07-08 Sector welcomes fairer go for homeless The Council to Homeless Persons has welcomed proposed legislative changes that will make it illegal to discriminate against people experiencing homelessness.
24-05-08 Australia well placed for homelessness plan A new report from the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has warned that
although Australia is better placed to tackle homelessness than the US, Canada
and some European countries, urgent action is required to avoid the escalating
problems now facing other Western countries.
22-05-08 Sector calls for greater vision from Green Paper A coalition of key Australian homelessness peak bodies today welcomed the release of the Federal Government Green Paper on homelessness but called for greater vision and a robust consultation process.
23-04-07 National Youth Commission in Melbourne Media release - As the federal election draws near, the recently launched National Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth Homelessness gathers pace, arriving in Melbourne today having already conducted hearings in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Alice Springs, Geelong, Warrnambool, Townsville and Wagga Wagga.
01-04-07 Aspirational or Authoritative? Human rights and young homeless people Article
This article appeared in YACVic's newsletter YIKES, Vol 5, Edition 2, April 2007
Aspirational or Authoritative?
Human Rights and Young Homeless People
With this special National Youth Conference edition of YIKES, it is timely to reflect on some of the major themes that were recently discussed at a youth homelessness forum hosted by the Council to Homeless Persons (the Council) on March 9 at the Melbourne Town Hall. Many of these themes will be revisited in May at the National Youth Conference convened by YACVic.
08-03-07 Human Rights Forum and National Youth Homelessness Inquiry Media release - With more than 36,000 Australians between 12-24 experiencing homelessness on any given night, the Council to Homeless Persons welcomes a new national inquiry, launched by Professor Burdekin.
