WELFARE services, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council and residents took to the streets of Rosebud on Friday for a walk and rally to call for an end to homelessness on the peninsula.
The walk came as the peninsula’s only crisis accommodation looks set to close.
The event was a collaboration between Fusion Mornington Peninsula, Mornington Community Support Centre, Western Port Community Support, Southern Peninsula Community Support and the shire.
The walk started at 4pm at Rosebud pier and went along Pt Nepean Road and past Memorial Hall, to finally gather for a rally at the sound shell, where there was a welcome to country and speakers. The event finished around 6pm.
Southern Peninsula Community Support CEO Jeremy Maxwell said the walk was an important way to raise awareness of homelessness.
He said at least 1000 people in the community were experiencing homelessness, but if areas close to Frankston were included the number would “probably double”.
“In the recent census the shire moved from sixth worse area to the fourth worse area for rough sleeping in Victoria,” he said. “This is not a race we want to win.”
Maxwell said there was only one crisis accommodation centre on the peninsula, The Ranch Motel, Mornington, which was jointly operated by Mornington Community Support Centre and Southern Peninsula Community Support and used by several agencies.
Its operations were financed through donations, but it would close because the owners were redeveloping.
It is estimated that at least 16 per cent of the peninsula’s homeless are rough sleeping every night, many on the foreshore.
More than 4000 residents are on public housing waiting lists, but there are just over 1400 social housing properties.
Maxwell said government initiatives include 34 new public housing properties, with about half being at the construction phase.
“The net increase is unknown because more properties are removed from the list every day, even without the removals it would take 118 years to house the people on the waiting list,” Maxwell said.
He said a 16 per cent increase in rents over the past year on top of a 31 per cent increase the previous year had increased rental stress.
“We can’t fix this alone. So where is the fair and equitable investment from the Victorian government for the Mornington Peninsula,” he said.
Maxwell said welfare services a minimum of $100 million of the government’s Big Build program committed to the peninsula.
“Urgent investment” was needed to meet increasing demands for crisis accommodation, social and affordable housing and homelessness support services.
“We are all united in our belief that something has to be done about homelessness, you have seen it firsthand and understand just how devastating it is on an individual level.
“We need some help to get the message out, so I hope something is possible.”
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 15 August 2023
