Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Housing

Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (18:55): (1266) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing regarding the delay in accessing social housing due to extensive waiting lists. The action I seek is for the minister to consider my constituent’s concern and ensure she will get into social housing and will not be homeless. I recently received correspondence from Rebekah Montana, a constituent who detailed her fear about her current housing situation. Rebekah has recently spent five months homeless, living on the street. She has two children, who are nine and three. The nine-year-old has special needs for autism. Rebekah is listed as being at the highest priority for social housing due to her situation. After being homeless for five months, through the support of the Melbourne City Mission she recently moved into a transitional home in Footscray. However, the transitional home lease is only for 12 months, and Rebekah and her kids only have 10 months left on the lease. She is extremely worried about the long waiting lists for social housing and that she could be facing homelessness once the lease expires. Rebekah has not received any communication from the department regarding a permanent social housing solution for her and her children, despite making constant calls and attempting to get in touch with housing support workers.

Unfortunately, Rebekah is not alone. Recent data released by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing shows that in the 2023–24 reporting period the housing waiting list time went up 20 months per applicant, nearly 88 per cent above the government’s target and a 33 per cent increase from two years ago. Additionally, social housing complexes across Melbourne are reported to have 40 per cent vacancy rates, with suburbs such as Prahran, Brighton and Flemington experiencing particularly high levels of vacancy. Minister, we have high vacancy rates across the state with this added pressure on social housing demand. What is stopping the department from providing my constituent and other people like Rebekah who are on the priority list for housing a roof over their head, as they deserve? We cannot have vulnerable people playing the waiting game for up to 10 years while their families are being torn apart. These people need closure now, so I ask the minister: when will this Allan Labor government listen to the concerns of Victorians like my constituent and get them into the social housing that they desperately deserve? Social housing is not just a right, it is a right that the government must deliver for all Victorians.