Seaford Community Committee Forum

Posted: **Sat Oct 22, 2016 4:56 pm**

What is driving the homeless rate in Melbourne?
Lack of housing
What can melbourne and australia learn from other countries?

Homelessness services had traditionally worked like a reward system: lose the addiction, get a home. An organisation called Housing First challenged this conventional thinking. Instead of setting criteria for homeless people to obtain a home, Housing First simply gives homeless people a roof over their heads, no questions asked.

It was a simple but radical idea for policy makers looking to solve a homelessness problem in America that had steadily risen since the 1970s.

Traditionally, homeless people are bounced around health systems, from counselling services to A&E to drug and alcohol addiction programs. It’s a ricochet that was costing the US healthcare system an average of US$150,000 per homeless person per year, whereas the Housing First approach of giving someone a home cost US$25,000.

Source - Melbourne University - read more: https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/homelessness-in-the-world-s-most-liveable-city

SHAC Forum

Seaford Community Committee Forum

Housing First - Melb Uni

Housing First - Melb Uni