This year the theme for Homelessness Week (#HW2020) is Everybody Needs a Home and Homelessness Australia is partnering with Everybody’s Home on campaign activities.
Housing Plus provides the homelessness and housing support service to vulnerable people in Orange. In 2019-20, Housing Plus saw 1,390 people seeking homelessness support from their service, 778 of whom were women. 580 people were aged 25-64 years, 372 people who were seeking help have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.
As at 30 June 2020 there are 196 people on the Social Housing waiting list in Orange, with expected waiting time of 5-10 years for a one-bedroom property and 2-5 years for 2,3,4+ bedroom properties.
For those who are at risk of homelessness, the Homelessness and Housing Support Team can assist in a variety of ways.
“As well as providing crisis and transitional housing to people that are already homeless, we aim to prevent homelessness by helping people to sustain their tenancy. This is achieved through re-negotiating tenancy agreements, helping to put repayment plans in place, assisting with property care and linking people with services that can assist them with a range of social, welfare and legal needs.”
Penny Dordoy, Head of Community Service, Housing Plus
The recent announcement that Housing Plus will be delivering the Together Home program across Bathurst and Cabonne areas of Central West NSW was welcomed by CEO David Fisher. Together Home is a new NSW government initiative aimed at tackling rough sleeping. Those sleeping rough in our communities will be rapidly housed and given on going wrap around support, to help them take the first steps towards breaking the cycle of disadvantage and staying off the streets for good.
“As a Homelessness Service Provider and Community Housing Provider Housing Plus looks forward to working with other providers and volunteer organisations in our communities to bring this important service forward. We have received funding to provide 10 properties and support services.”
David Fisher, CEO Housing Plus
“We are proud to be providing secure housing and coordinated support assistance for people who have been sleeping rough in our community”.
Housing Plus will be supporting Everybody’s Home email the treasurer action to be launched on August 3, to build pressure on the Treasurer to include social housing investment in the Budget, we will be promoting this via our Facebook page for members of the community that would like to support this action.
David Fisher, Housing Plus, CEO, said he hopes to use the opportunity during Homelessness Week to talk with the leaders of our community about the issues that are driving homelessness in Orange, in particular how the housing affordability crisis has created a dire shortage of affordable options for people on very low incomes.
