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Every Victorian Should Have a Home

National Homelessness Week (August 3-8, 2020) gives us the opportunity to think about what having a home means to those of us who have them, and to consider what it might be like for those who don’t have them. This week also provides an opportunity for those who are concerned about the numbers of people experiencing homelessness in Victoria to take action.

COVID 19 has caused so much uncertainty for so many people. If there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, it is the importance of a home. Yet Victoria is experiencing a housing crisis. The numbers of people presenting to homelessness services has doubled in some areas during the pandemic. Loss of work has meant that thousands of households are experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Victoria was already experiencing a housing crisis prior to the pandemic. If you would like to know more about homelessness and the housing crisis in Victoria, please click on this link to go to our website: Every Victorian Should Have a Home. On the website you will find a short PowerPoint providing more information, and some case studies and comments from people with a lived experience of homelessness.

What do we need to address the current housing crisis?

We know that Victorians are very concerned about the numbers of people who don’t have a safe home and many feel that homelessness is a complex issue to resolve. The solution is simple: we need housing:

1. A monumental boost to social and public housing Victoria needs 166,000 new social housing properties by 2036. (Research shows that the cheapest way to produce more social housing is for the Government to build it. The current need to stimulate the economy provides a wonderful opportunity to boost the construction industry, one of Australia’s biggest employers. See information about the proposed Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program: https://www.communityhousing.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SHARP-Program.pdf)
2. Legislation that requires a portion of any new housing development to be allocated to those awaiting this housing (otherwise known as inclusionary zoning).
3. Construction of innovative temporary accommodation that is safe and self-contained for those people who have nowhere safe to live whilst they await construction of social housing. (See our report, A Crisis in Crisis about the appalling lack of crisis accommodation in Melbourne. At present there are 2,000 households, who were experiencing homelessness, accommodated in largely poor quality hotels).

What can you do?

• Sign the ‘’Every Victorian Should Have a Home’’ petition
• Visit the Every Victorian Should Have a Home website and watch PowerPoint presentation and learn more about homelessness and the housing crisis on our , watch Filthy Rich and Homeless or You Can’t Ask That or if you have kids, Sesame Street
• Ring, email or write to your local Members of Parliament to tell them that Every Victorian Should Have a Home. See the website for MP contact information. See our ‘asks’ below. A quick phone call or a short email to let your local Members of Parliament know that you are concerned about homelessness in your area is powerful. You can ask that they priortise fixing Victoria’s housing crisis.
• Join the national Everybody’s Home campaign https://everybodyshome.com.au/
• Talk to your friends, family and colleagues about the housing crisis in Victoria.

This news item has been shared by the North West LASN.

WISHIN is a child safe and child friendly organisation, that ensures children feel safe and are valued.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse.

WISHIN is committed to safeguarding children and young people from all forms of violence, abuse, maltreatment and neglect and ensuring our staff and volunteers act to promote and protect child safety and wellbeing.

WISHIN promotes cultural safety for Aboriginal Children and those from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and is committed to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

WISHIN have submitted an open letter of support to Australian Marriage Equality in the lead up to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.

The Australian Marriage Equality Campaign is a national campaign to win marriage equality for all Australians. Marriage is about love and commitment and, in a country based on equal citizenship; it should be available to everyone.

WISHIN recognises the rights of our LGBTIQ employees, clients and community to live and work free of prejudice and discrimination, and that this includes their right to marry the partner of their choice.

The letter can be read in full below.

 

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25th August 2017

AN OPEN LETTER FROM NON PROFIT ORGANISATIONS IN SUPPORT OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN AUSTRALIA

We, Women’s Information Support & Housing in the North (WISHIN) write to express our support for marriage equality.

We recognise the right of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) employees, volunteers, clients and customers to live and work free of prejudice and discrimination. This includes the right to marry the partner of their choice.

Australians are increasingly supportive of marriage equality, with a recent Crosby Textor survey showing seventy-two percent, believe same sex couples should be allowed to marry. We agree. Of the remaining twenty-eight percent only fourteen percent strongly opposed the proposition.

Globally, over twenty countries have passed laws to allow same sex marriage, including countries that are culturally similar to ours like New Zealand, the United States of America, Canada, and Great Britain. These countries did so with lower support for marriage equality than Australia is seeing right now.

On May 22nd 2015, the Republic of Ireland held a referendum to sanction same sex marriage. A Yes vote was supported by the Government, all major political parties and the voters themselves.

On June 26th 2015, the U.S. Supreme court returned a judgement in favour of legalising same sex marriage across all 50 states.

These two events see Australia isolated among countries with English as a first language.

Not only is marriage equality the only the right thing to do, it also helps improve workplaces and service delivery by allowing everyone to be treated with equal respect and feel included. We therefore support marriage equality.

In Solidarity,

Jade Blakkarly

Chief Executive Officer

Women’s Information, Support and Housing in the North (WISHIN)

Nelson Alexander Foundation Day
Saturday 27 May 2017

Our property sold prior to auction, and  we received a donation of the professional fees from this sale – $13,000.

Foundation Day funding will enable us to help some of the most vulnerable women and children in Melbourne’s north. Our mission is to transform the lives of women and children who have experienced homelessness, family violence and related traumas into ones of safety, stability and optimism.

See more: http://bit.ly/FDayResults17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nelsonalexanderrealestate

Twitter: @nelsonalexre
https://twitter.com/hashtag/NAFDay17?src=hash

Instagram: @nelsonalexanderrealestate
https://www.instagram.com/nelsonalexanderrealestate/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NelsonAlexanderTV

WISHIN was pleased to strengthen our partnership with Fernwood Fitness by taking part in their Mother’s Day Market on May 13.

The Cairnlea, Sydenham and Tullamarine Fernwood clubs generously fundraised for WISHIN in the lead up to Mother’s Day, collecting donations and holding a raffle for their members. All funds raised through stallholder fees for the Mother’s Day Market were also donated to WISHIN.

WISHIN staff and Board members were there on the day to talk to Fernwood staff and members about WISHIN and the important work we do in the local community to support women and children experiencing homelessness, many of these as a result of family violence.

We were delighted that City of Hume Councillors Ann Potter, Karen Sherry and Carly Moore visited the market to support WISHIN and local business stallholders. The Councillors were interested in learning more about WISHIN’s work to support women in Hume who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless.

All funds raised from this event will go towards the Women’s Wellbeing Program, which provides women who have experienced trauma due to homelessness or family violence with ongoing support and social connection through regular social and personal development activities. Through this, women learn new skills, rebuild their confidence and self-worth and continue their recovery from trauma.

A BIG thank you to Fernwood Fitness, in particular the Cairnlea, Tullamarine and Sydenham clubs, and all those who attended and supported this event.
If you’d like to make a contribution to WISHIN, you can do so by clicking ‘Donate Now’.

Hume City Councillors, WISHIN Board Members and staff at Fernwood Tullamarine’s annual Mother’s Day Market

WISHIN was proud and honoured to be recipients of the Tobin Brothers Foundation Award in 2017.  It was wonderful to attend the awards ceremony in February and for WISHIN to be in company of so many other amazing and worthy community organisations receiving the award.

The Making a House a Home Program funded through the Tobin Brothers Foundation Award will support women leaving crisis situations to purchase essential household items and create a home in their new safe accommodation.

WISHIN would like to thank the Tobin Brothers Foundation for their generous support of WISHIN and Making a House a Home.

Here’s a video showing how this funding will really make a difference.