Homelessness

Over 170 programs are funded in the North and West Metropolitan Region of Melbourne to provide assistance to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Five of these services are funded through the Transitional Housing Management (THM), to provide; Initial assessment & planning; Transitional Housing; Housing Establishment Funds (HEF); and Special Housing Needs Assessment. The remaining programs are funded through the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) to provide case managed support to assist people to move from crisis to stable, long term housing. SAAP includes: women’s refuges, youth refuges, other crisis accommodation services and case managed support provided on an outreach basis to people in other forms of accommodation or ‘living rough’. Demand for homelessness support and transitional housing currently well exceeds the capacity of these services to respond.