Homelessness is growing in Greater Bendigo. More and more people are asking for help.
The City's role
Helping people who are experiencing homelessness is a responsibility shared between many organisations. The City does not own, manage or construct social or affordable housing and is not able to place people into housing.
The City's role is to:
- Link with local support services who provide support services to those experiencing homelessness
- Advocate for investment in social and affordable housing
- Upskill our staff on homelessness and referral pathways
- Balance the rights and needs of all people to be in public places, including people going through homelessness
Are people allowed to sleep in public places?
Being homeless and in a public place is not illegal.
Often people without a home want to be in a public place because that is where they feel safest. People experiencing homelessness have the same rights as everyone else.
They have the right to:
- Be treated with dignity and respect
- Be in public spaces
- Join in public activities and processes
- Access services
- Have pets
- Have belongings
- Ask for or say no to help
What can I do?
There are a number of things you can do if you are concerned about someone experiencing homelessness.
Be safe, respectful, and kind.
If the person looks distressed or they are a danger to themselves or others, call 000 (Triple Zero).
You can contact Haven Home Safe so that the person can be offered support services.
Haven Home Safe
1300 428 364
If the person is in unstable housing (e.g. couch surfing), help them call the Victorian Statewide Homelessness Line on 1800 825 955. It is free to call and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also submit details online to the City. A staff member will review the information and refer to an appropriate service.
Submit details online
About homelessness
There are many definitions of homelessness. The City uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics definition of homelessness:
"When a person does not have suitable accommodation alternatives, they are considered homeless if their current living arrangement:
- is in a dwelling that is inadequate; or
- has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is short and not extendable; or
- does not allow them to have control of, and access to space for social relations”
This definition views homelessness as fitting into three categories:
Primary homelessness
This is when a person is ‘rough sleeping’ in a public place. Examples of this could include staying in parks or toilet blocks.
Secondary homelessness
This is when a person can only stay in a place for a little while and needs to keep moving. Examples of this could include staying in an emergency refuge or ‘couch surfing’.
Tertiary homelessness
This is when a person is staying in a place that is:
- Unsafe, like a home that has been damaged in a natural disaster
- Not really suited to their needs, like living in a shed
Homelessness is not always obvious. ‘Rough sleepers’ are the most visual homeless group yet make up just a small number of people experiencing homelessness.
In 2022-2023, specialist homelessness services across Australia helped about 274,000 people.
Of these people:
- 35% were from a lone-parent household
- 60% were female
- 16% were children under the age of 10
- 12% were children and youth aged 10-17
- 18% were adults aged 25-34
- 9% of the total females were aged 55+
- 12% of the total males were aged 55+
(Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
In 2021, between 8.5% and 11.7% of Australia’s total population aged 15+ were at risk of homelessness (Source: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute). Applying this to Greater Bendigo, this would be about 10,700 to 14,750 people.
In Greater Bendigo in March 2021, there was an identified need for at least another 2,730 homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness (Source: City of Greater Bendigo Affordable Housing Action Plan). This number is likely to have grown since 2021.
People experience homelessness for lots of different reasons and it’s often more than one. As things pile up, they put more and more pressure on a person. As a result of this pressure, the line between having a home or not can change quickly. It does not take much to push people at risk of homelessness into actual homelessness.
Some of this pressure comes from social causes like:
- A lack of affordable housing
- Poverty
- Increasing living costs
- Unemployment
Adding to these social pressures, certain life events can push people into homelessness, like:
- Relationship breakdown
- Domestic or family violence
- Ill health
Who provides housing and accommodation for people experiencing homelessness?
- The Victorian Government
- Local support services like Haven Home Safe
- Some local charities