As it’s Homelessness prevention week, we’re highlighting one of the fantastic organisations in Melbourne who have been doing incredible work in the homelessness sector. We had the chance to talk with Olivia Myeza from Hope Street about what homelessness currently looks like in Melbourne and what the future holds. The staff at Hope Street, like many homelessness services, are currently front of the line during the pandemic, ensuring the most vulnerable members of society have access to shelter and protection at this critical moment in time. Young people are disproportionately represented in the homeless population; 39% of Victorians counted as homeless on Census night were under 25 years old. The pandemic has exacerbated the existing affordable housing crisis and unemployment, and this has hit young people the hardest. It’s clear that organisations like Hope Street are more vital than ever in our communities.

1.      Tell us a bit about your organisation and what you do. What is your focus and why? 

Hope Street Youth and Family Services is one of the longest serving youth homelessness services in Victoria, at almost 40 years old. We support young people (16 – 25 years old) and young families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Our services include youth refuges, supported transitional housing units, mobile outreach services, counselling and private rental transitional programs.  We focus our services in growth corridors in Melbourne’s north and west and take a place-based approach to responding to youth homelessness in partnership with local communities.

2.      What are the long-term desired outcomes that you hope to see? 

Our vision is a society in which all young people and young families have a safe place to call home. We wish to see young people either not entering homelessness to begin with; or transitioning through an experience with homelessness as quickly as possible, able to access the support they need, when they need it and from within their local community. We hope to see young people leaving their experiences of homelessness behind them and moving on to lead happy and fulfilled lives and to reach their dreams and achieve their potential.

3.      Research shows that homeless people are more at risk for experiencing violence bullying and harassment. In what forms do you see this occurring, and what are the direct impacts in individuals?

Young people who are experiencing homelessness are often very good at covering up their struggles and seeming to ‘fit in’ with their peers, so youth homelessness is often hidden from society. In fact, only 3% of young people who experience homelessness are sleeping rough on the street and therefore visible to society. 97% are hidden from society, sleeping in cars, couch surfing at friends’ houses or staying in over-crowded rooming houses.  Having no fixed address can be a point of embarrassment for young people, particularly as it means they can’t have friends over, can’t provide an address to the school. It can make regular activities, such as attending school or work and catching up with friends, really challenging. Young people who are sleeping rough on the street are at increased risk of violence and harassment, there’s no doubt about that. The streets are not safe for anyone, let alone young people and young families. 

4.      How has the pandemic changed the experience of homelessness in Melbourne? 

The pandemic has impacted young people who are experiencing homelessness in many ways. Firstly, many young people who are experiencing homelessness couch surf at friends’ houses. When the lockdowns started, people were less likely to be comfortable having additional people staying in their homes, and so couch surfing became a less viable option. Young people are those most impacted by the financial recession and job cuts too – so many people are finding it harder to pay rent, making them more at risk of becoming homeless. However, on the plus side, the Government made funding available to move rough sleepers from the street into motels/hotels – which has made a huge difference for those sleeping on the street. The Government has also almost doubled the job seeker allowance through the addition of the Coronavirus Supplement, which has made people’s everyday lives easier – as the previous rates had young people existing well below the national poverty line.

5.      Going forward, what do you believe will be the key steps towards combating harassment towards those experiencing homelessness in Melbourne? 

Ultimately, eradicating homelessness is the answer. It’s something that’s achievable for a city like Melbourne and a country like Australia. We have the resources, it’s just about targeting them in the right way. We need the increased rates of job seeker and job keeper and all other Centrelink entitlements to be permanently increased. We need the Government to make a massive investment into more social and public housing to combat Australia’s affordable housing shortage. We need to see the rates of domestic and family decrease, as this is one of the leading contributing factors to youth homelessness. We need to see continued advocacy and increased awareness about homelessness in our society, so that people understand that it can happen to anyone and that people who are experiencing homelessness are just like anyone else in society except that they’ve fallen on bad times and haven’t had the support of family to fall back on.

6.      If there was only one key message you could tell people right now, what would that be?

Homelessness can happen to anyone. It’s a result of Australia’s shortage of affordable homes and increasing rates of domestic and family violence. Homelessness doesn’t have to define you and your future. You can move through homelessness and go on to be happy and fulfilled. Never be afraid to ask for help.

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Street harassment and homelessness go hand in hand. Public spaces are already an unsafe space for many, and homeless individuals are particularly vulnerable to harassment due to the absence of safe and secure shelter. Like street harassment, homelessness is not a one-dimensional issue. It is complex and multifaceted in how it presents, and each individual experience is different. It is important that we recognise that people experiencing homlessness are individuals with a right to a life free from harassment and bullying, just like everyone else. The stigma surrounding the public perception of homelessness means that harassment towards homeless people is underreported and rarely resolved. As we anticipate an increase in the incidence of homelessness in Melbourne as a result of the pandemic, organisations like Hope Street are more essential than ever. 

If it is available to you, please donate to Hope Street at https://www.hopest.org/get-involved/donations or to find out more head over to https://www.hopest.org/