Community sector agencies and community groups across Victoria are seeking to fold 60,000 origami houses to highlight the scale of Victoria’s homelessness crisis.
The 60,000 houses represents the number of households who are on the Victorian Housing Register needing public or community housing now.
The 6000 origami houses (representing 10 per cent of the 60,000) were presented at State Parliament on July 31, prior to Homelessness Week (August 5-11) in a Houses at Parliament campaign to demand more action to build more public and community housing.
There are a number of ways you can be involved in the campaign. The Victorian Homelessness Network has campaign kits, a kit developed for schools, social media tiles, instructions on how to fold the paper houses and ideas for getting others involved. You can add to the tally of houses folded.
There has been an increase in the number of people approaching local agencies for support due to homelessness. Across the Gippsland region in the 2023-2024 financial year over 3920 people accessed a Homelessness Entry Point seeking assistance and support.
In March, 2024 there were 7179 households on the Victorian Housing Register (VHR) that have chosen a broadband within the Gippsland region, 1083 in East Gippsland Shire. These households are on the priority VHR and have demonstrated they are experiencing homelessness and/or family violence.
The Gippsland Homelessness Network coordinator, Chris McNamara, said community support for the campaign shows Victorians are demanding the government take action and step up to end homelessness for good. Victoria’s homelessness crisis is unacceptable, and local homelessness agencies are calling for urgent solutions.
“The first step to ending homelessness is ensuring people have access to housing they can afford. There needs to be a commitment to build a pipeline of public and community housing.” Mr McNamara said.
The theme for this year’s National Homelessness Week is Homelessness ‘ACTION NOW!’
