Ending homelessness is a priority for the City of Melbourne. Convening the Melbourne Service Coordination Project (MSCP) through Homes Melbourne (City of Melbourne’s multi-disciplinary team created to reduce homelessness and increase safe, secure, and affordable housing in our city) and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, the MSCP project brings together 17 agencies to deliver coordinated tailored support and housing for people sleeping rough in the City of Melbourne. This includes integrating assertive outreach teams; coordinating specialist services connecting people sleeping rough with housing and support services; gathering and using By Name List data to link people to the right support and housing; and responding to structural and strategic issues to prevent homelessness and support people at risk of homelessness.

Key activities include:

• Daily Support Team - linking people sleeping rough to support services, health and housing to find permanent pathways out of homelessness.
• Australia’s first dedicated Library Social Worker providing support and referrals to people experiencing homelessness.
• Supporting the By Name List, gathering data about homelessness and linking people to supports and housing.

Please find detailed information on the City of Melbourne website.

State of homelessness in City of Melbourne

In recent years, there have been significant changes to the MSCP and the broader homelessness service system in the Melbourne CBD and surrounding areas. This includes the introduction of a By Name List in mid 2020 and in late 2022 endorsing an adapted Functional Zero methodology to better respond to people sleeping rough in Melbourne and drive improved service and housing outcomes. 

Since the creation of the By Name List, 883 people have been identified as sleeping rough in the LGA and added to the list. 173 people have moved into long-term housing, and 471 people were made inactive due to moving out of area, incarceration or no contact with services in over 90 days, or confirmed as deceased.

By the end of January 2023, there were 238 people currently active, 120 are sleeping rough. There has been a decrease in the number of people sleeping rough, however the proportion has increased to 50% of the total number of people actively experiencing homelessness. This is indicative of the current limits in capacity of specialist homelessness services to respond to people in crisis in particular, funded crisis accommodation.

Sleeping rough and actively homeless 

Actively homeless and changes in living situations 

Since July 2022, the number of people active has declined each month – sharply in November, in December and again in January - and is now at the lowest number since February 2021 at 238.

Partners 

• Anglicare
• Bolton Clarke
• cohealth
• Justice Connect
• Launch Housing
• Melbourne City Mission 
• Melbourne Health
• Ngwala Willumbong
• North Western Mental Health
• St Vincent’s Hospital
• The Salvation Army
• Unison Housing
• Vincentcare
• Victoria Police
• Wingtringham
• Youth Projects.