Victorian councils are reporting a surge in homelessness across the state and are being forced to respond without the support or funding they need.
A landmark 2024 survey by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) – Homelessness in Victoria – found 86 per cent of councils are seeing worsening homelessness in their communities. Yet, local government receives no dedicated funding from state or federal governments to respond to this growing crisis.
MAV President Cr Jennifer Anderson said the findings are a wake-up call.
“Councils are on the frontline in our parks, libraries, and maternal health centres, but we’re being asked to respond more and more to our communities needs without adequate funding and resources to do so,” Cr Anderson said.
“We’re seeing more young people, families, and older women falling through the cracks. And while we’re not funded or mandated to provide homelessness services, many councils are stepping in because our communities need us to.”
Despite not being specialist providers, more than 90 per cent of metropolitan councils and half of rural and regional councils reported having some form of homelessness response effort in place.
“This is not about taking funds away from housing and homelessness services,” Cr Anderson said. “It’s about funding councils differently — training staff, building stronger local partnerships, and using our community knowledge to intervene earlier.”
The MAV is calling for a new approach from state and federal governments that recognises the role of local government in preventing and responding to homelessness.
Without support, councils are left with few options — often relying on blunt enforcement tools that do nothing to solve the problem.
“Homelessness can’t be solved by moving people on,” Cr Anderson said. “We need a smarter, coordinated and properly resourced approach — and local government must be part of that solution.”
