During the COVID-19 pandemic period, specialist homelessness services like ours received a boost to funding from the Victorian Government that assisted us to extend stays in emergency accommodation, provide funding for people to immediately access the private rental, and provide ongoing support to stay housed.
The funding for rental housing and support for people experiencing homelessness who are staying in temporary accommodation made a significant difference to the people currently staying in crisis accommodation in our catchment.
The funding package came as a relief to BeyondHousing, with our concerns about the longterm outcomes for people in crisis accommodation given the funding had been due to expire at the end of this month.
"We know the people that BeyondHousing have been supporting to stay in caravan parks and motels have been anxious about what comes after their stay ends, not having certainty that they could stay in crisis accommodation whilst the pandemic continues and whilst we support them to find long-term housing. This funding helped us to keep people in crisis accommodation, fund a much-needed level of wrap around support and provides a financial pathway into private rental for some of these households". Celia Adams, BeyondHousing CEO
People who look for homes on the private rental market when they check out of crisis accommodation received assistance with bond and initial expenses from BeyondHousing’s Private Rental Assistance Program, which gained extra funding from the Victorian Government.
What we did:
$172,958.33
provided for the purpose of COVID-19 homelessness assistance and support across the region. All paid to local hotels, motels and caravan parks.
| Shepparton and Seymour | $75,211.34 |
| Wodonga | $56,424.03 |
| Wangaratta | $41,322.96 |
485
households assisted for with crisis accommodation during the pandemic
2,495
night's crisis accommodation provided during the COVID-19 crisis period
Average of $356.62 per assist during COVID-19 pandemic period (1 March 2020 to 30 Sept 2020)
| Average Assist | Assists | |
|---|---|---|
| Shepparton and Seymour | $390.87 | 192 |
| Wodonga | $373.67 | 151 |
| Wangaratta | $291.01 | 142 |
How does this compare to the pre-Coronavirus period?
- Average of $236.62 per assist (842 assists) in six months prior to pandemic period
- Additional funding meant we were able to provide an additional $120 per assist during COVID-19 pandemic period - an 33.6% increase on average in expenses on crisis accommodation
- This meant being able to fund more suitable accommodation for each client - the ability to stay for longer, to have self-contained rooms where the could and also needing to access accommodation providers with higher rates due to availability or access issues like being unable to refer clients across the NSW/VIC Border.
