Kim Culpin says her recent City of Greater Dandenong Leadership Award is a chance to elevate homelessness from under the carpet.
Up until recently, the former police detective was general manager of WAYSS in Dandenong, which assisted 15,500 homeless individuals and families in the past 12 months.
“It’s not one of those glorified things,” she said.
“People want to push it under the carpet and think it goes away.
“But most don’t realise it involves children a lot of the time.”
Fixing homelessness is often the first step to dealing with a person’s substance abuse or mental health issues.
“Unfortunately when they get a place it’s in a temporary rooming house where they can fall prey to the seedier side of life – drugs, alcohol and violence.
“They fall from the frying pan into the fire.”
The situation was forcing women and children fleeing domestic violence to sleep in cars.
WAYSS is chipping away at the problem with a program to get more people into safe houses or private rentals despite limited housing stock.
But for a long time, there has been little government investment in public or social housing. The sector has suffered budget cuts in recent years, Ms Culpin said.
It is coupled with dwindling affordable rentals in the region, and more prevalent drug abuse and mental health issues.
With a major setback, many of us are vulnerable to falling into homelessness, Ms Culpin says.
“A single person without children and on Newstart simply can’t get housing they can afford – not even a one-bedroom unit.
“Neither can a single parent unless they have a lot of children. It’s very difficult to manage with a family of two or three children.”
The best solution is for more funding for public and community housing, Ms Culpin said.
“They’re putting money into this and that, but housing is being left behind.
“Otherwise it’s an ugly problem that unfortunately won’t go away.”
