The Victorian Greens will reintroduce their Ending Homelessness Bill when Parliament returns next week, in a bid to pressure the Victorian Labor Government to address the worsening housing crisis.
As a recent Homelessness Australia report has laid bare, demand for homelessness services continues to rise across the country.
In fact, in March this year 32,733 people were at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Victoria alone making it the state with the highest number of people seeking assistance for homelessness each month.
The Greens' bill would amend the Housing Act to set a target to end homelessness by the end of the decade, and ensure the Victorian Government created a plan to achieve it.
The plan would need to adopt a Housing First approach, where homelessness is addressed by immediately providing a person with adequate long-term housing.
It would also update the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities to include housing as a human right.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam, said on National Homelessness Week, it was important the Government committed to take the strong, urgent action needed to provide all Victorians with a safe and secure place to call home.
She said this meant a big build of public housing, and renter safeguards to protect the countless renters currently one rent rise away from homelessness.
Following pressure from the Greens, the Government recently indicated it was looking into rent controls as a way to alleviate the housing stress facing renters in Victoria.
The Greens want to see an immediate two-year rent freeze followed by a cap on rent increases, short-stay regulations, and a stronger vacancy tax.
As stated by Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
"Victoria is in a housing crisis.
"And yet too often, our governments describe homelessness as difficult or impossible to solve. All words used to avoid taking responsibility for homelessness in Victoria.
"It's time we stopped pretending homelessness is an impossible problem, and a permanent part of Victoria.
"Ending homelessness in our state is possible. Not only that, but it's possible by the end of the decade. All we need is a plan to achieve it."
