The Andrews Labor Government is extending the transition out of emergency hotel accommodation for Victorians who have experienced homelessness during lockdowns and ensuring more families move into the security of a home.

New funding of up to $66 million will help up to 250 eligible families with children currently in emergency accommodation to secure stable housing and have the support they need to keep it.

This funding ensures that up to 400 children doing it tough are provided with better opportunities in a more stable home. These families will continue to be supported in hotel accommodation while the Government works closely with community housing organisations to acquire more homes to match family-size and needs.

All singles and couples currently in emergency hotel accommodation will be offered assistance by homelessness support agencies to identify housing exit pathways over the next few months.

The emergency hotel accommodation program was set up in March 2020 to ensure people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping remained safe and could comply with public health directions, with significant public health benefits for homeless Victorians and the wider community.

This investment builds on the $150 million From Homelessness to a Home Program to transition 1,845 households out of emergency hotels and into stable housing with multidisciplinary support through the pandemic.

Nearly 1,600 Victorians experiencing homelessness have already been provided with a stable home and support through Homeless to a Home, with work to identify additional housing continuing every day.

Significant effort has already gone into vaccinating people in emergency accommodation and this effort will intensify over the next few weeks.

A COVID-19 Isolation and Recovery Facility in inner Melbourne is also available to help anyone experiencing homelessness with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis by providing them with accommodation and medical support.

The Government is delivering 12,000 new homes as part of the $5.3 billion Big Housing Build – Australia’s biggest ever investment in public and community housing – with work underway at ten sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria.