Council To Homeless Persons

Last Chance! Share your expertise at the CASS-GP Practitioner Panel & inspire the next generation of SHS practitioners. Reminder: The Community and Social Services Graduate Program (CASS-GP) is looking for experienced practitioners to join the Practitioner Panel at our upcoming orientation for the new intake of graduates. This is your opportunity to: - Share what person-centred practice means to you - Offer real-world advice to new practitioners - Reflect on lessons learned from your career - Inspire the next generation to consider a career in the SHS In-person: 11 March 2025 (Melbourne) Online: 25 March 2025 Spots are filling fast! Register your interest by 7 February 2025: https://lnkd.in/gNa_pmtz #SocialServices #SocialWorkers #MakeAnImpact

Latrobe-Gippsland has the highest number of young people experiencing homelessness in Australia—more than 1,000. Meanwhile, Ballarat, Melbourne West, and Geelong are among the hardest-hit suburbs in Victoria.   These aren’t just numbers—they represent young people struggling to find safety, stability, and the chance to build their future. Without a secure place to live, finishing school, studying, or holding down a job can become nearly impossible.   “You have young people living in their cars and living on the street, living in crisis accommodation, trying so hard to get out of it, but there's just genuinely nothing available for that young person to go to." – Tyrah Chan-Hampton. Tyrah, a lived experience advocate featured in the article, knows firsthand the stigma and struggle of finding a way out.   Victoria needs more youth-specific housing options and stronger prevention measures, including housing assistance, mental health support, and early intervention by working with schools to help vulnerable students before they reach crisis point.   Let’s make the change so no young person has to worry about where they’ll sleep tonight and can focus on their dreams and their future. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gYXrn4H5 #EndHomelessness #YouthHomelessness

Do you or someone you work with have lived experience of homelessness? The Community and Social Services Graduate Program (CASS-GP) is seeking passionate advocates to speak at their Lived Experience Panel at the upcoming Program orientation. This paid engagement is your chance to: • Share your unique insights and inspire the next generation. • Help shape a stronger, more compassionate social services sector. Dates: In-person: 11 March 2025 (Melbourne) Online: 20 March 2025 Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard and create meaningful change. Register your interest by 7 February 2025: https://lnkd.in/gNa_pmtz #LivedExperience #SocialServices #EndHomelessness #CommunitySupport

Do you love writing? Are you passionate about exploring the issues to make a difference in ending homelessness? We're always looking for new writers, and joining our new Contributor Mailing List is the fastest way to receive calls for contributions and other essential information about upcoming editions. To join, email: parity@chp.org.au with the subject line: Contributor Mailing List. Calls for contributions to our next two issues—April's youth homelessness edition and June's edition dedicated to responses to family violence and homelessness, will be released in the next two weeks. #EndHomelessness #WritersForChange #AdvocacyThroughWriting

Low or inconsistent incomes make some groups more vulnerable to homelessness. Finland's innovative housing solutions, like Jallukka, a housing complex designed specifically for artists, show how innovative housing models can provide stability regardless of income, create vibrant, connected communities, and prevent homelessness. As Dr Cameron Parsell says in this article, housing like Jallukka is possible in Australia. But it requires our society to make the choice to embrace equitable housing for all. In return, every Victorian will benefit, supported by the basic human right of safe and secure housing and enjoying an enriched community with stronger social cohesion. It’s time to make that choice. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/g_dpfYXF #endhomelessness #socialhousing #communityhousing

The Productivity Commission’s latest annual Report on Government Services, released yesterday, has confirmed that Victoria again sits at the bottom of Australia's social housing ladder. Just 2.9% of Victorian households are in social housing – well behind the national average of 3.9% and the lowest proportion of social housing in the country. This is despite more than a third (36%) of all Australians seeking homelessness support in 2023/24 being from Victoria. “Year after year Victoria ranks last on the social housing league table. It’s time all politicians join us in saying ‘enough is enough’,” Council to Homeless Persons CEO Deborah Di Natale said. The Productivity Commission report also revealed that in 2023/24, one-quarter of all households waited more than 44 months to be allocated a social housing dwelling. This does not include people still on the waitlist. 34% of clients presenting in need of accommodation were turned away without it. One bright note in the report is that in 80% of cases when people presented to Victorian services at risk of homelessness, they were able to avoid it. This is consistent with last December's AIHW report which showed 91% success at avoiding homelessness. "These statistics show the effectiveness of prevention initiatives such as rental protection programs like PRAP. So it's imperative the Government continues to support them and increases their funding to meet increasing demand", said Deborah Di Natale. "Every Victorian supported by these programs to keep their home is one more person saved the trauma and life-threatening risk of waiting years on the social housing list. And it saves the system considerable cost as well. It just makes sense we back these programs as much as we can." Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/ghPJFgc9

The Community and Social Services Graduate Program (CASS-GP) is inviting experienced practitioners to join the Practitioner Panel at the upcoming Program orientation, inspiring and informing the latest intake of graduates. In-person: 11 March 2025, Melbourne Online: 25 March 2025 This is your chance to share: • What person-centred practice mean to you • Advice for new practitioners • Lessons learned from your career Register your interest by 7 February 2025: https://lnkd.in/gNa_pmtz #CASSGP #SocialServices #ProfessionalDevelopment

CHP is excited to announce our new Board Chair and Deputy Chair who were appointed at our last Board meeting. Celia Adams, CEO of Beyond Housing and CHP's Acting Chair, was elected ongoing as our new Board Chair. Paul Turton, Executive General Manager, Client Services at VincentCare Victoria, was elected as Deputy Chair. Both Celia and Paul are longstanding members of CHP’s Board, bringing invaluable expertise to their new roles. We are also delighted to welcome De-Joel Upkett, CEO of Ngwala Willumbong, as the newest member of CHP’s Board. We are looking forward to working with Celia, Paul and De-Joel, along with the rest of the Board, on the next exciting chapter of CHP.

Today, we again reflect that the significant over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the numbers of people without a home is a direct and enduring consequence of colonisation. In a State where one in every five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians experienced homelessness last year, Council to Homeless Persons is committed to reconciliation and to achieving self-determination. Only through self-determination can we move towards ending Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness. So today, we instead choose to celebrate the fantastic progress made in implementing the Blueprint for an Aboriginal homelessness system in Victoria, guided by the "Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort" framework, meaning "Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home": • Established Victoria’s first two Aboriginal homelessness entry points at Ngwala Willumbong and Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative. • More than doubled Victorian homelessness funding to improve access to culturally safe and responsive services • Led the rollout of an Aboriginal-specific Housing First program and partnerships with mainstream providers. • Expanded the Aboriginal homelessness system statewide.

More than 16,000 young people in Victoria sought help from homelessness services last year – over 11,000 of them coming alone. This April, Council to Homeless Persons is convening a one-of-a-kind event, bringing together experts and decision-makers, led by lived experience, to co-develop a new strategy to end youth homelessness in Victoria.   Join us for a day-and-a-half of expert insights, fresh ideas, and collaborative action, as we create a united sector ask for the program priorities to end youth homelessness.   We know the problem. We have the ideas to end it. Now it's time to put ideas into action. Save the date and stay tuned for more information coming soon. #endyouthhomelessness