Windermere CEO Cheryl De Zilwa with forum organiser Rick Comfort from Centrelink. 72459
By Danielle Galvin
WELFARE providers in the City of Greater Dandenong are feeling the pinch, with rental prices on the rise and a growing number of homeless and displaced people.
The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) network came together last Thursday, 20 October, for a housing support and homelessness forum.
Rick Comfort from Centrelink said that owning a house was out of reach for many living in the City of Greater Dandenong.
“Rental prices in Dandenong are expected to rise which will make housing a problem further south of the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire,” he said.
The 80 attendees at the CALD Housing Support and Financial Assistance Forum heard from representatives from Centrelink, Windermere and Catholic Care at Chisholm TAFE in Dandenong.
Windermere’s Carina Tomietto warned that raising rental prices in an effort to “clean up” Dandenong would be a problem for those struggling in the south-east.
“They will have no choice but to move further away, which might be a problem in terms of isolation.”
Speakers at the forum discussed the implications of mental illness and family break downs.
Senior Constable Kathy Cardwell from Victoria Police said that domestic violence and homelessness go hand in hand.
“We know now that 40 per cent of homicides are related to family violence so we take family violence very seriously,” she said.
Windermere CEO Cheryl De Zilwa said her organisation and Centrelink created the CALD network five years ago.
“We noticed that there were so many people coming through with a range of problems that could have been prevented.
“It’s these problems that could have been prevented before they came through what we call the crisis door,” she said.
She said the Infrastructure Australia Report released earlier this year showed that the availability of rental properties was not keeping up with demand.
“What they found was that Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia with the highest level of homelessness. Demand is exceeding supply.”
Sue Johnson from Windermere said that people are considered homeless when they are sleeping on their friend’s couches or staying with family.
“Typically they think that if they have a roof over their head, that means you’re not homeless, which isn’t true,” she said.
The forum wrapped up with attendees networking at a series of stalls.
