A new report by the Council to Homeless Persons has laid bare a critical staffing crisis in Victoria’s rough sleeping response, with just one outreach worker for every 297 people sleeping rough across the state. Government-funded assertive outreach programs are currently resourced to support around 1,000 people, despite more than 10,600 Victorians presenting to services while already sleeping rough last year.
The resource shortfall is felt in regional areas, with the Wimmera region operating a single outreach worker across five local government areas and nearly 34,000 square kilometres.
In Warrnambool, social services organisation Brophy has delivered the Rough Sleepers Program since 2018, connecting clients with case management, healthcare and pathways to stable accommodation but just two full-time employees manage an annual caseload estimated at 120 people.
The Council to Homeless Persons is calling on the state government to expand social housing, deliver long-term funding for all assertive outreach programs, and prioritise access to social housing for Housing First, warning that at least 177 full-time workers are needed statewide to meet current demand.
