Supporting Public Housing Communities
On Saturday July 4 the Victorian Labor government announced that nine public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington would be placed under a “hard lockdown” preventing residents from leaving their home for at least five days.
The Greens have supported and will continue to support governments taking a ‘health-first’ approach, but this response needs to be care-led, not force-led.
These unprecedented lockdowns have created appalling outcomes for residents, who are fearful and uncertain about the support services on offer.
The Greens are calling on the Victorian Government to implement a care-led response and listen to the needs of the community.
ARE YOU A RESIDENT NEEDING ASSISTANCE?
If you live in one of the public housing flats that is in lockdown and you need any assistance, my team and Ellen Sandell’s team are here to help. Call us on: (03) 9417 0759 or email us at: [email protected]
ARE YOU A COMMUNITY MEMBER HOPING TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE?
If you know a resident that needs support, please ask them to get in touch with our team on (03) 9417 0759 or email [email protected]
Providing food and essentials
We have been overwhelmed with offers of donations and assistance. Thank you to everyone for your generosity.
The Australian Muslim Social Services Agency (AMSSA) is coordinating food deliveries and is accepting non-perishable food donations at 91-101 Boundary Road, North Melbourne. However, they are receiving large volumes of food donations already.
If you have the means, we encourage you to make a financial donation to local organisations working on the ground:
- AMSSA, who are packing and delivering food to residents.
- Moving Feast, who’ve been providing food support throughout this pandemic.
- The Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, who are helping to ensure police are accountable during this time.
- The Venny, a local organisation helping kids and their families impacted by the hard lockdown.
- The Community Grocer, who provide affordable fresh food for communities in need.
FIXING PUBLIC HOUSING
Labor and Liberal Governments have neglected public housing for years. Now, Melbourne residents in cramped and overcrowded estates are facing ‘hard lockdown’, unlike anyone else in Australia.
Residents have raised concerns about empty hand sanitiser, broken lifts forcing people to huddle into one small space, large families in tiny apartments and 5+ years waiting to transfer to a bigger property, and very little COVID information provided in local languages.
Victoria spends the lowest amount on public housing of any state in Australia. There are 80,000 people on the waiting list including 25,000 children. For years, we’ve called for the Government to build more and better public housing. It shouldn't take a pandemic for the Government to do this. Instead, the Andrews Government is selling off public housing land across inner Melbourne.
Right now, these residents need direct help, and we’re working on getting them the support they need.
But for the long-term, we need to take better care of people. We need to invest in a public housing system we can be proud of, that provides good homes for everyone.