News

7^th May 2013     HOMEGROUND SERVICES VIC BUDGET 2013 RESPONSE: HOMELESSNESS ISSUES
by MEDIA RELEASE: HomeGround Services

HomeGround CEO Heather Holst said she hoped funding of $9 mill over three years would be restored to the highly successful Social Housing and Advocacy Support Program (SHASP) which had suffered a 35% funding cut in the past 12 months.

7^th May 2013     $1 BILLION FOR 10,000 NEW AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOMES
by THE HON MARK BUTLER MP - Minister for Housing and Homelessness

The Gillard Government today opened a new round of incentives worth $1 billion over 10 years to build 10,000 new affordable rental homes under the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS).  more

6^th May 2013     PUBLIC HOUSING DEMAND IN WARRNAMBOOL EASES SLIGHTLY
by Clare Quirk - The Warrnambool Standard

THE waiting list for public housing in Warrnambool has dropped since December last year. more

6^th May 2013     BLACK HOLE BUDGET WILL PENALISE THE POOR
by BRIAN TOOHEY - Eureka Street

Budgets reveal a government's priorities. On 3 April, Treasurer Wayne Swan and Superannuation Minister Bill Shorten said Labor would no longer give priority to providing over $438,000 a year in government assistance to retirees with an annual tax free income of $1 million from super while an age pensioner gets $21,000. Instead, Labor will not tax the first $100,000 of this retiree's income, and apply a highly concessional rate of 15 per cent to the other $900,000.

4^th May 2013     MUMS 'TURNING TO CRIME'
by ANNE MATHER - The Mecury

THE number of Tasmanian women turning to petty theft has almost doubled since cuts to single-parent welfare. more

3^rd May 2013     2013 VICTORIAN HOMELESSNESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS
by Media release: Council to Homeless Persons

The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has announced the 2013 Homelessness Achievement Awards winners at the CHP Conference 2013: A vision for ending homelessness, Conference and Awards Dinner, Thursday 2 May. more

3^rd May 2013     WELFARE GROUPS HIGHLIGHT JOB CHURN
by PATRICIA KARVELAS - The Australian

TWENTY per cent of all unemployed people return to the dole after they have been taken off the books following successful 26-week employment stints in what welfare groups are calling dangerous "churn". more

2^nd May 2013     $19.1 MILLION IN HOUSING SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
by The Hon Wendy Lovell MLC - Minister for Housing

Victorian families struggling to find affordable, safe accommodation will benefit from more than $19.1 million in Victorian Coalition Government funding over the next four years. more

2^nd May 2013     NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS SERVICES ACHIEVEMENTS AWARDS
by Pro Bono News

Seven community organisations from across Australia have been recognised for their outstanding work to prevent and tackle homelessness, as recipients of National Homelessness Services Achievement Awards. more

1^st May 2013     ANOTHER DAY POORER, DEEPER IN DEBT
by Ross Gittins - The Sydney Morning Herald

According to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Statistics in 2010, almost one in five Australian adults experienced ''financial stress'' that year, where this means not being able to pay their bills, rent or mortgage on time or make minimum repayments on their credit cards, or they had to sell or pawn something because they needed cash.

1^st May 2013     VICTORIA TO STREAMLINE HUMAN SERVICES
by John Ferguson - The Australian

The Napthine government has backed a new integrated services model ranging from homelessness to disability services in a bid to slash the number of people clients have to consult across the sector. more

1^st May 2013     CALL TO LIFT NEWSTART BY $50
by Australian Associated Press

A GROUP of 40 prominent Australians have made a call for the unemployment benefit to be lifted by $50 a week. more

1^st May 2013     BRAVE HEARTED CHARITY RECOGNISED FOR INNOVATION
by Media release: Sacred Heart Mission

Today Sacred Heart Mission has been applauded with a National Homelessness Services Achievement Award for a pioneering pilot aimed at ending long-term homelessness. more

1^st May 2013     AUSTRALIA'S ONLY AGED CARE FOR HOMELESS AT RISK
by The World Today

Australia has only one nursing home that looks after homeless people. Now it is facing a funding crisis. Its management says the aged care sector's treatment of the homeless is scandalous and that if things don't change more elderly Australians will be dying alone in the streets. The Wintringham Aged Care group says its nursing home for homeless people is no longer viable and needs more government assistance to stay open. more

1^st May 2013     CONNECTING THE DOTS – FINDING YOUR WAY THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH YOUTH FORUM - 1ST MAY 2013
by IMVC

IMVC Youth Connections, Capital City Local Learning and Employment Network and the National Disability Coordination Officer Program invite you to a Youth Forum:

Connecting the Dots – Finding your way through mental health

Come along to find out how you can look after your mental health and wellbeing, where to go and who can support you and your family

Hear about the experiences of young people affected by mental illness

Learn about a wide range of support services and explore alternative training pathways for young people

  more

30^th April 2013     VICTORIA, COMMONWEALTH TO DELIVER FUNDS FOR NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS AGREEMENT
by Joint MEDIA RELEASE - Hon Mark Butler and Hon Wendy Lovell

The Australian and Victorian Government today announced nearly $50 million in joint funding will be provided through the 2013–14 transitional homelessness agreement.  more

30^th April 2013     HOMELESS FAMILIES ON THE RISE
by Australian Associated Press

An increasing number of families find it safer to sleep rough on the streets than live at home because of domestic violence and family breakdown.

30^th April 2013     SHORTAGE OF PLACES FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE HOMELESS
by Rachel Browne - The Sydney Morning Herald

Families comprise an increasing proportion of the nation's homeless but there is a dire shortage of suitable accommodation for them, says a new report. more

30^th April 2013     AFFORDABLE HOUSING NO LONGER ON POLITICAL AGENDA, ADVOCATES SAY
by Madeleine Morris - ABC News

The head of the Victorian Tenants Union says neither major party is taking Australia's chronic shortage of affordable housing seriously in the run-up to the federal election. more

30^th April 2013     MEDIA RELEASE: YOUNG PEOPLE FALLING THROUGH THE SERVICE GAP
by YACVic and VCOSS

A growing number of Victorian young people are at risk of falling through gaps in services as support agencies and schools struggle to deal with the rise in vulnerable young people with more complex needs, says a major new report. more