Tara Murray
Homelessness has become a bigger problem in Brimbank following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a local councillor.
Cr Virginia Tachos last week raised concerns about the increase of people without homes at last week’s council meeting, calling for more government support.
The council is calling for Brimbank to get its fair share of funding through the government’s Big Housing Build over the next four years.
According to Cr Tachos, Brimbank had the highest incidence of homelessness in Melbourne’s west before the pandemic – and it had gotten worse.
“Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, research commissioned by the council found that up to 80 people sleep rough on any given night in Brimbank.
“In the past few months, we have also experienced an apparent increase in the prevalence of visibility of rough sleeping in Brimbank.
“It is likely that homeslessness will increase as government support is reduced, particularly the JobKeeper program, higher rates of JobSeeker and subsidised hotel accommodation.”
Cr Tachos said research undertaken by the Western Homlessneess Network in 2019 found that the homelessness access point for the Brimbank-Melton region was unable to provide appointments to about 200 people each month due to limited resources.
She said the council was calling for all of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Homeslessness in Victoria to be implemented.
Cr Victoria Borg said additional resources were needed not only to help those who are already homeless, but to stop other people finding themselves in that situation.
The council will engage with the Municipal Association of Victoria, Victorian Local Governance Association, Victorian Council of Social Service, Council to Homeless Persons, and local MPs to seek support for advocacy for more services to address homelessness.
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