Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Housing

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:12): (974) My adjournment is addressed to the Minister for Housing. The action I seek is for the minister to intervene to ensure that the property at 42N Ballarto Road, Frankston North, is not sold by the government but rather turned into much-needed short-term social housing. I have met with SHAC, the Seaford Housing Action Coalition, a local community organisation concerned with the need for adequate housing support for the homeless in the Seaford and Frankston area. SHAC has asked for support for their application to consider plans for social housing at 42N Ballarto Road, Frankston North, believing that this land, which is government land, is a great location that can address the current need for crisis social housing in Frankston and Seaford.

The total number of people living in crisis in Frankston has been estimated to be in the thousands now. People are desperate for safe and affordable housing. There are local issues of poverty and unsafe housing which are having a significant impact on the local communities and street culture in Frankston, resulting in frequent calls for the police, ambulance and even by-law officers at the commercial rooming houses. Labor’s $5.3 billion Big Build program and the Suburban Rail Loop and road funding have diverted much-needed funds away from housing. We have had another delay in projects with the current state budget, which expects to see debt hit $187.8 billion by June 2028.

Labor is not doing enough right now for Victorians at risk of homelessness, and this is even coming from the Productivity Commission. Frankston is doing it tough. Support agencies are doing a great job, but more is needed. The council along with Launch Housing and other NGOs are running a rough sleeper program called Frankston Zero. It is supporting crisis and housing services. I recently met with the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, which runs the BSL Thrive Hub in Frankston. The hub is supporting and connecting with people to help them find employment and training, referrals for health and wellbeing and mental health services et cetera and even get their drivers licence permits. But they told me that they have regular meetings with young people and have to get them to go through their phones because there is no accommodation available for the night anywhere. They have to ask them to try to find someone so they can couch surf in order to sleep the night in a home instead of on the streets.

I want to thank the Frankston Brekky Club, which is also doing a great job. I visited them recently. They have a proud 25-year history in our local community of looking after the disadvantaged, the homeless and the marginalised and providing warm cooked breakfasts five mornings a week. Currently they are having to operate out of the Uniting Church in Frankston. They have over 70 volunteers and only two paid staff.

I come back to the land at 42N Ballarto Road, Frankston, which is the outdated research facility. It is reportedly the largest surplus state government owned site with potential for reuse to help alleviate homelessness in Frankston. They are buildings which could be repurposed for use as crisis accommodation or for other social purposes, such as skills training for unemployed people.

Minister, in light of all the evidence to support this argument, I ask that the Government Land Standing Advisory Committee could (a) undertake an assessment of the site for critically needed social housing and crisis accommodation in Frankston, (b) not sell off the site or stop all plans to sell the site until assessments have been completed, and (c) consider at least part of the site to be made available for suitable organisations to provide facilities to alleviate homelessness.