Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (17:25): (1727) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Housing and Building. The action I seek is that the minister urgently undertake an audit of vacant public housing properties in the Shepparton electorate. Many months have passed since I last raised this, and there are still many public houses that have been sitting empty for a long period of time. Many are in need of repairs. At a time when the Shepparton electorate is experiencing a severe housing and homelessness crisis it is deeply concerning that public housing properties are sitting vacant for extended periods while vulnerable families and individuals remain without secure accommodation.
Greater Shepparton has one of the highest rates of homelessness in regional Victoria, ranked third highest amongst regional Victorian electorates. Every vacant property represents a missed opportunity to house a person or a family in desperate need. Alarmingly, there are currently 2665 people on the public housing waiting list in Greater Shepparton, with 1477 classified as priority applicants, including those fleeing family violence and people living with disabilities or special needs. At the same time an estimated 436 people are homeless on any given night in the Shepparton electorate, including around 162 young people aged 19 years and under. Despite this growing demand, residents continue to raise concerns with me about public housing properties sitting empty while awaiting repairs, maintenance or upgrades. While it is important that homes are safe and fit for occupation, it is equally important that these works are completed without unnecessary delay.
Across our community there are people sleeping rough, sleeping in cars, couch surfing, in need of emergency accommodation or facing the prospect of homelessness. Service providers continue to report increasing demand, and they simply cannot meet the needs of those seeking assistance, yet at the same time there are empty homes that could be providing shelter but are sitting vacant. We simply cannot have houses sitting empty when there are people homeless.