Homelessness is often hidden, and it can take many forms. People in crisis accommodation, rooming houses, insecure housing, overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing are all experiencing forms of homelessness.
During National Homelessness Week (7 to 13 August), the Monash Health Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) team are raising awareness for people who are sleeping rough. Rough sleepers are the most visible of those experiencing homelessness – those living on the streets, sleeping in parks, squatting, staying in cars or living in improvised dwellings.
Rough sleepers are more likely to be male, aged 35 or over, unemployed, living alone and have mental health and drug or alcohol issues. An emerging group of rough sleepers are women, aged over 55 years, often fleeing long-term family violence and faced with economic hardship due to age and gender.
The ‘Rough Sleeper’s Initiative’ (RSI) is a partnership between Launch Housing, Monash Health Mental Health Program, Melbourne City Mission, Bolton Clark and Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Cooperation, and endeavours to reach the goal of zero homelessness by providing assertive outreach to help care for rough sleepers in many areas of Melbourne including the City of Greater Dandenong.
The Monash Health RSI team led by Claire Jones (Senior Social Worker) and Melanie Jayatilake (Graduate Social Worker) currently services the Mental Health Program and can offer assessment and advocacy, brief case coordination, pathways into emergency and crisis accommodation and applications for public housing. The assertive outreach workers also refer individuals into other community services such as GPs, dental, drug and alcohol services. At this stage, the initiative is only for people sleeping rough in the City of Greater Dandenong.
For more information about the program, please contact roughsleepersinitiative@monashhealth.org.
Approved by Paula Hakesley, General Manager, Mental Health Program