Homelessness and housing reform
Brimbank Melton

Contents

About this area profile

Overview

Socioeconomic status

Country of birth

Aboriginal population

Labour force

Income

Education

Family violence

Characteristics of private dwellings

Affordable private rental

Homelessness and housing service map

Homelessness assistance funding

Homelessness assistance services

Related initiatives

Social housing properties

Homelessness and housing service usage

Gender

Aboriginal people

Domestic and family violence

Housing outcomes for people seeking homelessness assistance

Public housing waiting list

Bond loans

Homelessness and housing reform launch sites: Brimbank Melton area profile1

List of tables

Table 1: SEIFA rankings for Brimbank Melton by LGA, 2011

Table 2: Brimbank Melton homelessness assistance funding 2015–16

Table 3: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – initial assessment and planning

Table 4: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – generalist support

Table 5: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – youth support and refuges

Table 6: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – family violence support

Table 7: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – specialist services for people involved in the criminal justice system

Table 8: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – brokerage

Table 9: Long-term social housing stock in Brimbank Melton, by housing program, December 2015

Table 10: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – THM properties June 2015

Table 11: Housing situation upon entry / after exiting services, Brimbank Melton, by household type, 1 July 2015 to 31 March 2016

List of figures

Table 1: SEIFA rankings for Brimbank Melton by LGA, 2011

Table 2: Brimbank Melton homelessness assistance funding 2015–16

Table 3: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – initial assessment and planning

Table 4: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – generalist support

Table 5: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – youth support and refuges

Table 6: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – family violence support

Table 7: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – specialist services for people involved in the criminal justice system

Table 8: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – brokerage

Table 9: Long-term social housing stock in Brimbank Melton, by housing program, December 2015

Table 10: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – THM properties June 2015

Table 11: Housing situation upon entry / after exiting services, Brimbank Melton, by household type, 1 July 2015 to 31 March 2016

About this area profile

The Victorian Government is reforming homelessness and social housing services. A new way of working will be developed in three launch sites across Victoria (Brimbank Melton, Hume Moreland and Inner Gippsland) and progressively rolled out across the state.

This profile provides demographic, homelessness and housing information for the Brimbank Melton area. The data was sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2011 Census and from Department of Health and Human Services data.

Overview

Brimbank Melton is in metropolitan Melbourne and is made up of two local government areas (LGA) – Brimbank and Melton.

At the 2011 Census the population of Brimbank Melton was 291,994 people, or 5.5 per cent of the overall population in Victoria. Of these, 50 per cent were female and 50 per cent were male – this is almost the same as the statewide distribution of 49 per cent male and 51 per cent female.

On average, Brimbank Melton households consisted of3 people, with 1.9 children per family. Figure 1 shows the composition of households in Brimbank Melton for each LGA.

•In Brimbank79 per cent of households were families, 18 per cent were singles and 3 per cent were groups.

•In Melton82 per cent of households were families, 16 per cent were singles and 2 per cent were groups.

•In Victoria 71 per cent of households were families, 25 per cent were singles and 4 per cent were groups.

Figure 1: Households in Brimbank Meltonand Victoria by household type, 2011

Source: ABS Census 2011

Socioeconomic status

In 2011 the median weekly household income in Brimbank Meltonwas $1,234, which wason par with the Victorian median of $1,216. The median weekly rent was $267, similar to the Victorian median of $277.

Index of socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage

The Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) rankings[1] for Brimbank Meltonin 2011 are at Table 1. The SEIFA for Brimbank shows that it was one of the most disadvantaged LGAs in Australia.

Table 1: SEIFA rankings forBrimbank Melton by LGA, 2011

LGA / SEIFA ranking
Brimbank / 3/80
Melton / 50/80

Source: ABS Census 2011

Country of birth

In the 2011 Census, 55 per cent of people in Brimbank Melton were born in Australia. Brimbank, where 47 per cent of people were born in Australia, was much more diverse than Melton, where 67 per cent of people were born in Australia. This is compared with 69 per cent for all Victoria.

The most common places of birth outside Australia were India (4 per cent), Malta (3 per cent) and the Philippines (3 per cent). Brimbank had a population of people born in Vietnam (10 per cent).Other common places of birth were England and New Zealand.

Aboriginal population

The 2011 Census counted 1,491 Aboriginal people in Brimbank Melton, which comprised0.5 per cent of the total population of the area. This is lower than the percentage of Aboriginal people in all Victoria, which was 0.7 per cent (37,990 people).

The distribution of Aboriginal people across the two LGAs in 2011 is at Figure 2.

•701 Aboriginal people (47 per cent) lived in Brimbank.

•790 Aboriginal people (53 per cent) lived in Melton.

Figure 2: Distribution of Aboriginal people across Brimbank Melton by LGA, 2011

Source: ABS Census 2011

Labour force

There were 137,494 people in Brimbank Melton who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night 2011. This represents 47 per cent of the total population in the area, compared with 50 per cent for all Victoria.

Of all the people in the labour force, 59 per cent reported being in full-time work, compared with 50 per cent for all Victoria. 30 per cent were in part-time work, 6 per cent were ‘away from work’ and 5 per cent were unemployed. Melton had a higher rate of full-time employment (63 per cent) compared with Brimbank (58 per cent) and a lower unemployment rate (6 per cent) compared with Brimbank (8 per cent).

Income

Figure 3 shows the percentage of households in Brimbank Melton with a weekly income of less than $600 and more than $3,000. This data shows that Melton is somewhat disadvantaged with respect to income, compared with Victoria overall.

•In Brimbank 26 per cent of households had a weekly household income of less than $600 and 7 per cent of households had a weekly income of more than $3,000.

•InMelton 17 per cent of households had a weekly household income of less than $600 and 8 per cent of households had a weekly income of more than $3,000.

•In Victoria 24 per cent of households had a weekly income of less than $600, and 10 per cent of households had a weekly income of more than $3,000.

Figure 3: Weekly household income,Brimbank Melton and Victoria, 2011

Source: ABS Census Data 2011

Education

According to the 2011 Census, 32 per cent of the population in Brimbank Melton were attending an educational institution. Of these, 26 per cent were in primary school and 21 per cent were in secondary school. These rates are very similar to the statewide rates. In terms of participation rates in tertiary or technical education, Brimbank (20 per cent) was slightly lower than the Victorian rate (23 per cent), but Melton (15 per cent) was significantly lower.

Family violence

Figure 4 shows the rates of family violence across Brimbank Melton in 2014. Whereas Brimbank (1,084 per 100,000) had a rate that was similar to the Victorian rate (1,115), the rate in Melton (1,268) was somewhat higher.

Figure 4: Family violence incident rate per 100,000 by LGA, Brimbank Melton and Victoria, 2014

Source: Royal Commission into Family Violence Victoria Police data July 2009 – June 2014

Characteristics of private dwellings

The following figures show the characteristics of private dwellings across Brimbank Melton in 2011.

Occupied dwellings

BrimbankMelton had a higher percentage of private dwellings that were occupied(94 per cent) compared with Victoria overall (89 per cent).

Number of bedrooms

Most occupied private dwellings in Brimbank Melton were three-bedroom homes, although Melton had a high proportion of homes that had four or more bedrooms (42 per cent). There were far fewer one and two-bedroom properties compared with Victoria overall.

Figure 5 shows the number of bedrooms in occupied private dwellings for Brimbank Melton and Victoria.

•In Brimbank 2 per cent of occupied properties had one bedroom, 10 per cent had two bedrooms,59 per cent had three bedrooms and 27 per cent had four or more bedrooms.

•In Melton 1 per cent of occupied properties had one bedroom, 6 per cent had two bedrooms, 49 per cent had three bedrooms and 42 per cent had four or more bedrooms.

•In Victoria 5 per cent of properties had one bedroom, 19 per cent had two bedrooms, 47 per cent had three bedrooms and 27 per cent had four or more bedrooms.

Figure 5: Occupied private dwellings in Brimbank Melton and Victoria by number of bedrooms, 2011

Source: ABS Census 2011

Ownership status

Figure 6 shows the ownership status of private dwellings in Brimbank Melton and Victoria. Melton had a much higher proportion of private dwellings with mortgages (55 per cent), and a much lower proportion of dwellings were owned outright (22 per cent), compared with Brimbank and Victoria.

•In Brimbank 37 per centof occupied private dwellings were owned outright, 36 per centhad mortgages and 23 per cent were rented.

•In Melton 22 per centof occupied private dwellings were owned outright, 55per centhad mortgages and 20 per cent were rented.

•In Victoria 34 per cent of occupied private dwellings were owned outright, 36 per cent had mortgages and 27 per cent were rented.

Figure 6: Occupied private dwellings in Brimbank Melton and Victoria by ownership status, 2011

Source: ABS Census 2011

Affordable private rental

In December 2015, according to the department’s rental report, there were 755 rental properties in Brimbank Melton considered to be ‘affordable’ – that is, where the rent was no more than 30 per cent of the household’s gross income. Most of these properties were in Melton (439 properties or 58 per cent). Melton had a much higher rate of affordable properties (46 per cent) than Brimbank (26 per cent) or Victoria overall (19 per cent).

Homelessness and housingservice map

Homelessness assistance funding

The department funds the following homelessness assistance programs in Victoria:

•Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)

•Transitional Housing Management (THM) program

•Housing Establishment Fund (HEF)

•National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH)

•brokerage funding through SAAP and the THM program.

Table 2 shows the homelessness assistance funding for Brimbank Melton provided by the department in 2015–16.

Table 2: Brimbank Melton homelessness assistance funding 2015–16

Program / Total funding
SAAP / $4,093,620
NPAH / $3,149,084
THM / $2,675,641
HEF / $399,952
Total / $10,318,297

*Source: Department of Health and Human Services

Homelessness assistance services

The homelessness assistance programs and services provided inBrimbank Melton are outlined below.

Initial assessment and planning

Initial assessment and planning is delivered at designated access points when people first present – or re-present – for homelessness assistance. In Brimbank Melton initial assessment and planning is deliveredby the Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network (Table 3) and comprises:

•screening to determine whether homelessness services are the appropriate response for the person

•an initial needs-based assessment

•referral to appropriate housing, support services and material aid

•monitoring the person’s circumstances and situation while they are waiting to access services.

Table 3: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – initial assessment and planning

Service type / Location / Provider
Access point – general / Sunshine / •Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network
Access point – general / Melton / •Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2016

Support services

Transitional support provides case management support, which may include counselling, crisis resolution, personal care, life skills training, information and advocacy, or help to access appropriate long-term housing, employment and training.

The Accommodation Options for Families program comprises flexible support packages and private rental brokerage. Flexible support packages are available for families and individuals to access short and medium-term accommodation, and support for up to 14 months, leading to long-term secure housing. The length and intensity of support is based on people’s needs. Intensive support is available for families with complex needs, and shorter interventions (from six weeks to six months) are available for families with less complex needs.

The Support for Families at Risk of Homelessness program provides assessment, referral and case-managed support that may include counselling, crisis resolution, personal care, life skills training, information and advocacy or assistance with accessing appropriate long-term housing, employment and training.

Crisis supported accommodation provides accommodation and support services at congregate facilities, THM crisis properties and refuges. It also provides support to people who are temporarily housed in hotels, motels and caravan parks, and to people who are couch surfing, living temporarily with friends or in other locations. Crisis supported accommodation is expected to be for a short duration, up to six weeks. It focuses on stabilising people’s immediate crisis situation and helping them to transition to stable medium or long-term accommodation, such as transitional housing, public housing or private rental.

Table 4 shows the generalist support available in Brimbank Melton through homelessness assistance funding.

Table 4: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – generalist support

Service type / Provider
Outreach support / •Melton City Council
Adult and Family Homelessness Outreach / •Melbourne City Mission
Accommodation Options for Families / •Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network
Support for Families at Risk of Homelessness / •Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network
Mental Health Pathways program – transitional support / •Break Thru People Solutions
Crisis supported accommodation – Family Crisis Accommodation program / •Melbourne City Mission

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2016

Homeless youth services

Youth-specific services are funded through SAAP, the THM program and NPAH. Table 5 outlines the youth services available in Brimbank Melton.

The Reform, Restructure and Expand initiative, better known as the Enhanced Youth Refuge Response,is auspiced under NPAH, and builds on and expands existing youth services reform in Victoria.

Table 5: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – youth support and refuges

Service type / Provider
Outreach support / •Good Shepherd Youth and Family Services
•Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network – Sunshine Youth Housing
•Melbourne City Mission
Reform, Restructure and Expand – enhanced refuge brokerage / •Melbourne City Mission
Housing and Mental Health Pathways program / •Break Thru People Solutions
Youth Futures – Life Skills / •Melbourne City Mission
Innovation Action Project – Detour / •Melbourne City Mission
Youth refuge / •Melbourne City Mission

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2016

Family violence services

Table 6 shows the family violence services available in Hume Moreland. It does not include services funded through the department’s child protection and family services portfolio.

There are no family violence refuges located in Brimbank Melton.

Table 6: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – family violence support

Service type / Provider
Transitional support – crisis support and transport for women and children / •Caroline Chisolm Society

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2016

Services for Aboriginal people

There are no homelessness assistance services in Brimbank Melton specifically targeted to Aboriginal people.

Services for people involved in the criminal justice system

Table 7 shows the specialist services available in Brimbank Melton for people involved in the criminal justice system.

Table 7: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – specialist services for people involved in the criminal justice system

Service type / Provider
Intensive case management (women) / •Flat Out Inc.
Homelessness outreach support (women) / •Flat Out Inc.
Support for people exiting prison / •The Salvation Army

Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2016

Brokerage

Table 8 lists stand-alone brokerage funding. Several programs offer brokerage as part of their services.

The Housing Establishment Fund provides flexible funds to help homeless people to access crisis, longerterm or alternative housing options, or to help them to maintain their existing housing.

Private rental brokerage is available for families and individuals to establish or maintain a private rental tenancy. Brokerage funds can be used for:

•rent in advance

•bonds (where the person is not eligible for the department’s bond program)

•utility costs

•alleviation of rental debt

•purchase of furniture

•rental subsidies (for a limited time)

•support to obtain and maintain rental accommodation.

Table 8: Homelessness assistance in Brimbank Melton – brokerage

Brokerage type / Provider
Housing Establishment Fund / •Good Shepherd Youth and Family Services
•Melbourne City Mission*
•Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network
•Salvation Army Westcare†
•Sunshine Youth Housing Group Inc.
Private rental brokerage / •Salvation Army Social Housing and Support Network
Youth brokerage / •Melbourne City Mission

* Melbourne City Mission uses HEF in the following programs: Melbourne Youth Support Service, Stopover Youth Housing Service, Outer Western Support Program, Young Women’s Crisis Service.