Footscray Community Response

This is the shocking reality many in our community are facing. This person is still housed, but has no money left for food. With the government doing nothing - a government-funded Job Service Provider is giving him “prayers”. But these Job Service Providers are getting paid billions that should be spent on helping people like John and our neighbours in the mall.

The City of Melbourne should have really taken on board everything they have heard from some of the Melbourne homeless community over the last 44 days since we have been engaging them about their problematic Community Safety Officer program.

No longer is it good enough that ANY security-type person in our CBD or suburbs goes about their business without some peer-led training on homelessness and what our community is actually going through. It can be a life and death issue.

The HPUV would be happy to facilitate this training.

After the Vigil tomorrow night, please join us inside the Town Hall as we view what the Lord Mayor Nick Reece, Homelessness Advisory Committee Chair, Gladys Liu, councillors Owen Guest and others say on their vote to expand the CSO program at a cost of $3.75M.

That money could be directed towards actually helping get people off the street, instead of viewing them as a safety risk to be managed.

We now have 956 people on our petition who are calling for this program to be scrapped. There is no material justification for the doubling of this program.

It's getting darker and colder outside.

We will gather to honour all those who have died isolated, waiting for housing, in parkland and remote areas across our state, tomorrow night at 5:30pm.

We hope you can join us.

Please wear black and bring a flower.

Today Maribyrnong Council’s security patrols have been caught lying and stealing belongings essential to survival from homeless residents. Some Welcome Crew!

When will there be accountability, transparency or justice? We’re supposed to believe that in a few weeks they’ll be welcoming homeless people after abusing their rights the week before and for months and years before that?

Council’s local laws state (at section 78) that impounding powers are discretionary and “Council acknowledges that there are people in the community who are sleeping rough and acknowledges their rights. This clause is not intended to adversely affect individuals experiencing homelessness.”

So we guess stealing homeless people’s sleeping belongings doesn’t “adversely affect” them? And lying that they’re protecting those belongings is cool and normal too?

Council itself and nearly all councillors have blocked us from tagging them, so the community’s concerns about security patrol’s lawless behaviour and what this probably says about the “Welcome Crew” is not of much interest. We encourage our followers to tell councillors directly what they think.

And thanks to Footscray Mall Friends for their on-the-ground eye-witness accounts, and their key role scrutinising and supporting people impacted by council’s shameful s**t.

City of Maribyrnong