Source : Perth Now news
Homeless service “entry points” across Victoria are regularly being forced to turn away those in need, fuelling frustration and staff turnover.
Workers are forced to deal with aggression, threats and violence, which in many cases increases the need for services to close their doors for the protection of staff.
“As entry points we’re often the face and messenger of a failing broader system,” frontline support worker Julz Nichols, from Wayss Dandenong in Melbourne’s southeast, told AAP.
Entry points like Wayss are the first point of contact for people faced with homelessness, where they are assessed by need and allocated services such as temporary housing and financial support.
A survey involving nearly all of Victoria’s entry point services found 69 per cent were forced to close their doors due to over capacity at some point during two fortnightly survey periods.
The most common reason for reaching capacity was insufficient staffing, the study released Wednesday by the Victorian Homelessness Network found.
Wayss is frequently forced to close its doors as early as 10am due to reaching capacity for its support services, which ranges between 50 and 80 people a day.
Being turned away can lead to frustration and critical incidents, which have a cyclical impact on staffing.
“Witnessing critical incidents and having to respond to the level of demand can have an impact on staff wellbeing and retention, which only further adds to that level of demand on services,” Ms Nichols told AAP.
Ms Nichols said better education about what entry points can actually offer would help alleviate tension.
“We have no housing attached to our program and no say or influence on public housing,” she said.
Staff consistently reported the complexity of issues facing those seeking their help had increased, such as interconnected language, mental health or financial barriers.
Victorian Homelessness Network spokesperson Ruth Gordon said higher levels of complexity meant entry points were taking longer to respond to the needs of those that came through the door.
“If someone’s presenting with significant mental health issues, for example, that can pose quite a significant challenge getting them into housing,” Ms Gordon said.
With limited availability for more specialised services, staff are instead forced to prolong interim supports, placing further pressure on staff.
The study made several recommendations where funding could radically improve the sector.
Areas for improvement included hiring additional staff, multidisciplinary teams, more crisis accommodation and critical incident management, including hiring security, and property repairs.
Ahead of the November Victorian election, Labor has promised four-year funding agreements for community services organisations while the coalition is pledging a state homelessness strategy.
