Tara Murray
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the already existing homelessness and mental health service problems in Brimbank and Melton, according to a local homelessness network.
Western Homelessness Network co-ordinator Sarah Langmore said the pandemic had caused a wide ranging of impacts on local residents.
“The consequences have been very fluctuating,” she said.
“For some people who were experiencing homeless, it was a better time for them, especially at the start of COVID with the Centrelink payments.
“But then there was a 10 fold increase in staying at hotels, but they couldn’t house everyone.
“It highlighted what groups were already struggling. There’s a lot of people living in unstable housing and the government is acutely aware of this.
“COVID highlighted the extensive housing issue.”
Ms Langmore said many people were suffering homelessness for the first time. She said in Brimbank, the network was seeing a lot more single people finding themselves homeless.
She said while many people had found accommodation during the pandemic, many now had nowhere to go.
“They couldn’t house everyone,” she said.
“Many are leaving hotels and not having anywhere to stay. Some are back in overcrowded rooming houses and others are going back on the streets.”
Ms Langmore said that mental health issues would only be expreabated by the pandemic, with many people developing mental health problems when they become homeless.
“Even those in hotels there were isolated,” she said. “It was huge and the uncertainty of what is happening next.
“They didn’t know how long they would have accommodation for. People experiencing homelessness find it so hard to find work or education, the most basic things are in question.
“It really does eat at them.”
Ms Langmore said both state and federal governments had been looking to address social housing shortages.
“The Big Housing Build is a fantastic program,” she said. “We welcome the announcement but there is still a long way to go.
“In the west there are still 12,000 people on the waiting list.
“I think there both state and federal governments have become aware of mental health. Both governments are setting up mental health hubs, but resources are so over stretched.
“COVID really highlighted the inadequacies.”
