Wednesday, 30 October 2024

South-Eastern Metropolitan Region

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (14:06): (1206) My question is to the Minister for Housing. Minister, on any given night WAYSS Dandenong has about 35 families, including 80 children, in crisis accommodation in hotels. With the national housing and homelessness plan prepared by the City of Casey in October 2023 showing that Casey has the third-highest number of children aged zero to 9 who accessed specialist homelessness services in 21 and 22 Victorian local government areas, can you please explain what is being done to address this crisis? The manager at WAYSS, which is a crisis accommodation place, shows how real problem is, saying:

Before now, we could put case management around these families and find longer-term rental accommodation. That’s now becoming … more difficult …

The capacity for us to assist is diminishing.

I ask: Minister, what is being done to address this appalling situation, which is unacceptable in a country like ours? I would like to know what the current statistics are of homeless children in my area that are accessing accommodation, please.