Brimbank Mayor Cr Ranka Rasic welcomed the Final Report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria, which builds on Council's ongoing efforts to support people experiencing homelessness in Brimbank.
The Final Report included the following recommendations which are consistent with Brimbank's submission to the Inquiry, including:
- exploring ways to improve the accurate recording of the number of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria
- support for more coordination, collaboration and integration between homelessness services
- supporting homelessness service agencies to broaden the availability of emergency crisis accommodation
- funding for programs that assist young people who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness to receive job readiness training and connect them with employment opportunities
- expanding Housing First programs to include further cohorts of people experiencing homelessness, in addition to rough sleepers.
- investigating a mandatory inclusionary zoning mechanism that would require a portion of any new major housing development be allocated to social or affordable housing.
These efforts are led by Brimbank's Homelessness Implementation Plan, which guides Council's role in advocating for long-term solutions that prevent homelessness, and contribute to a more integrated, flexible and coordinated response.
Council's 19 Point Action Plan for COVID-19 Recovery and Response also calls for a Community Resilience and Fairness Response to provide increased and targeted support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
