2022-02-23
Victoria would have a legislated target to eliminate homelessness by 2030 under a Bill to be introduced by the Greens today.
The Human Rights and Housing Legislation Amendment (Ending Homelessness) Bill 2022 would amend the Housing Act to set a zero per cent homelessness target by the end of the decade, and ensure the Victorian Government created a plan to achieve it.
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 Victoria was in a housing crisis and that our current laws weren’t compelling governments to do anything about it.
She said successive state governments had neglected public housing for decades and that as a result our current waitlist now had over 100,000 people on it, with more and more Victorians at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The Greens’ Bill would see the Victorian Government create a plan to meet the ending homelessness target by 2030 and table this plan in Parliament.
The plan would need to adopt a Housing First approach and include investment in public housing as well as funding for housing and homelessness support services.
The Bill will be debated and voted on in March.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
“Homelessness is the number one social justice issue facing Victoria right now.
“And while the Victorian Labor Government has made some progress to provide more social housing, they’ve chronically underspent on what we need most: more public homes.
“In fact, after spending the least of all states across Australia on public and community housing over the years, successive Victorian state governments have directly contributed to a public housing waiting list that now exceeds 100,000 people.
“And until the Government addresses this, more and more Victorians will be forced into housing stress and homelessness.
“Housing is a human right, and it’s high-time it was treated as such. Our Bill would set a target to eliminate homelessness by 2030 and make housing a right in the Charter of Human Rights.
“This Labor Government must make a commitment to the people of Victoria that it will end homelessness.
“Everyone deserves a safe and secure home.”