69% of Victorian homeless services forced to close due to staff shortages
Nearly seven in ten of Victoria's homeless entry points are forced to close due to staff shortages.
Nearly seven in ten of Victoria's homeless service entry points have been forced to turn away people due to overcapacity. A study by the Victorian Homelessness Network found insufficient staffing is the most common reason for closure.
Entry points are where people first seek help when facing homelessness, where staff assess needs and connect them to temporary housing and financial support. Wayss Dandenong, one such entry point, regularly closes as early as 10am after serving 50 to 80 people.
Staff face aggression and violence, straining remaining workers. The complexity of issues people present has increased, including mental health, language barriers and financial crises, meaning staff take longer to help each person.
The study recommends hiring more staff, forming multidisciplinary teams, creating more crisis housing and improving critical incident management.
- 69 per cent
- Services forced to close
- 50 to 80
- People seen daily at Wayss
- Victoria, Australia
- Location
Why it mattersHomeless people are turned away when they need help most. Staff burnout is creating a cycle that makes services worse, not better.
AustraliaVulnerable Victorians seeking help with homelessness are regularly denied entry to support services; this may worsen before the Victorian election in November.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
