The Gippsland Homeless Service System

The Gippsland Region covers an area of 41,538 square kilometres, stretching from Westernport Bay and the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne to the New South Wales border in the east. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2001 Census reports a population of 227,748 for the region. Gippsland comprises six local government areas: Bass Coast, South Gippsland, Baw Baw, Latrobe City, Wellington and East Gippsland.

The Gippsland population accounts for 4.9% of the state's population (ABS Census 2001). Population distribution is relatively sparse, with almost 30% of the region's population living in Latrobe City in the towns of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon and Churchill. Services are thinly spread and concentrated in small towns along the main highway.

The majority of households in the region consist of single families (60.4%), followed by lone person households (26.4%), single parent households (10.8%) and group households (2.4%), similar to the household structure of Victoria.

Four of the six LGA's making up the Gippsland Region had unemployment rates above the State and Regional Victoria averages (6.1% and 6.3% respectively), the exceptions being Baw Baw (5.5%) and South Gippsland (4.8%). Gippsland as a whole had an unemployment rate of 7.6%. Latrobe City had the highest unemployment rate of all LGAs (10.1%), with Morwell and District having a rate of 12.7% - the highest in the region. (Source -Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Sept 2002)

Household incomes in the Gippsland Region are relatively low compared to regional Victoria and Victoria. The proportion of households with an income of less than $500 per week is 37.8% in the region, 34.6% in regional Victoria and 27.4% across the State. Both Bass Coast and East Gippsland Shires have exceptionally high proportions of low-income households (<$500/wk) at 45.1% and 42.9% respectively. With the exception of Baw Baw Shire, all of the LGA's in Gippsland have relatively higher levels of low-income households than regional Victoria or Victoria.

Responding to Homelessness and Housing Crisis in Gippsland

The Department of Human Services currently funds ten agencies through the Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program (SAAP) and two agencies through the Transitional Housing Management Program. Gippsland also receives a funding allocation through Family and Community Support Branch for family violence prevention and support programs.

The assistance provided through SAAP funded agencies includes outreach support, crisis refuge accommodation, assessment and referral, early intervention, brokerage, counselling and advocacy.

The Transitional Management Program offers housing information and referral, crisis and transitional housing and the provision of financial assistance to households in crisis.

The following agencies currently provide assistance to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness:

Bass Coast / South Gippsland Catchment

The Salvation Army "GippsCare" is primarily an accommodation access and personal support agency, which employs fifteen staff to work with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. GippsCare offers a range of programs to assist youth, individuals and families to enhance their quality of life and re-establish an adequate standard of living. The agency offers crisis and transitional support, domestic violence outreach, transitional and crisis property management, adolescent community placement and a Cyber Café program for the public. Office locations include Leongatha, Wonthaggi and Warragul.

Wellington Catchment

Kilmany Family Care provides a range of community services across East Gippsland and Wellington Shires, however the SAAP program is delivered from Sale only. KFC offers a dedicated intake position, which has links to the SAAP crisis/transitional support program.

Other programs offered by Kilmany include tenancy information, consumer affairs information, family counselling, parent/adolescent mediation, family day care, alternative respite for children and young parents support groups.

This service provides a range of primary health care, community health and support services. Yarram receives funding for a half time SAAP position which offers transitional support to youth, older single people and families.

Latrobe Valley Catchment

Quantum Support Service is the largest SAAP agency in Gippsland. This agency offers a dedicated crisis intake worker in addition to a range of SAAP services, which include a youth crisis accommodation refuge, family violence outreach and crisis accommodation and transitional support for families and single people. Quantum Support Services also delivers a suite of other related housing or community support programs including; youth homeless early intervention, adolescent community placement, public housing advocacy, personal support for long term unemployed people and the Community Connections/Housing Support for the Aged program.

West Gippsland Catchment

Quantum Support Service offers a dedicated crisis intake worker, transitional support services to youth, older single people and families, community and a family violence outreach program. Clients may also access the youth early intervention and adolescent community placement programs from this office site.

Quantum Support Service offers collocated office space to the Salvation Army Social Housing Service (crisis and transitional housing), Latrobe Community Health (drug and alcohol counselling) and other visiting services.

East Gippsland Catchment

Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperative manage the Meerindoo program. Meerindoo offer a crisis accommodation response for koori youth, although the program will accept referrals for any clients aged between 15 and 19 years. Transitional support is provided to young people aged between 15 and 25 years.

This service provides hostel accommodation for women/women and children escaping domestic violence. The service does not have a high security focus, however some security provisions exist. Whilst the service offers expertise to the koori community, broader referrals are accepted. Bairnsdale Koori Womens Shelter also offers a family violence outreach service and has a dedicated Children's worker.

Lakes Entrance Community Health Service offers a range of health and support programs from Riverine House In Bairnsdale. The SAAP worker offers transitional support services for single people and families.

Other services offered by Lakes Entrance Community Health Service include H.A.C.C. services, day care, palliative care, drug and alcohol services, job placement employment training, welfare and counselling services.

Lakes Entrance Community Health Service offers a wide range of health and support programs in addition to crisis intervention/drug and alcohol counselling and transitional support for single people and families.

Orbost Regional Health offers access to a range of medical, community health and support services. The SAAP worker offers transitional support to youth, older single people and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This position also offers a more general housing, information and referral service.

Other services offered by ORH include counselling, HACC, youth services, acute services, aged residential care, palliative care, women health nurse, community health nurse, Neighbourhood House and maternal and child health services.

Mallacoota Community Support Service receives funding for a half time SAAP position. This service offers transitional support services to youth, older single people and families.

Other services offered include family counselling, Neighbourhood House, district nursing, clinical nursing, HACC services, adult day activities and visiting allied health services.

Transitional Housing Management (THM)

The following agencies provide housing information and referral, emergency and transitional accommodation:

Salvation Army Social Housing Service

Warragul	36 William Square, 3820
Contact -	Tel. 56 22 1522

Leongatha	51 McCartin Street, 3953
Contact -	Tel. 56 62 2729