News location:

Canberra Today 17°/20° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Greens promise mental health care for the homeless

homeless camp

ACT Greens housing spokesperson Veronica Wensing has announced a plan to tackle homelessness in Canberra.

“The centrepiece of this package is a $12.5 million commitment to buildMyHome Canberra for people with chronic mental health issues,” Veronica said.

“As we open Anti-Poverty Week, too many people are sleeping rough, or on someone’s couch, which shouldn’t be happening in Canberra.

“Over 1,700 people are experiencing homelessness across Canberra. That number is far too high – but our services are stretched and still reeling from devastating Federal cuts.

“Something isn’t right when the big end of town is getting tax cuts and subsidies, but when it comes to someone’s right for a safe place to sleep each night, the Federal Government turns its back.

“Nationally, the Liberals have made it clear that they aren’t interested in tackling homelessness. It’s up to us to put the community first.

“Many people experiencing homelessness need mental health support, and struggle to get the right kind of help.

“That’s why we will build on the incredible success of Common Ground – a project driven by Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury – by building MyHome in Canberra.

“MyHome will be a two-story facility of individual housing units. They will provide a safe home and high quality care and accommodation for people with mental illness.

“We will also put $6 million back into homelessness and specialist services to help them cope with demand – and deal with cuts from the Federal budget.

“Canberra is a fortunate city. It’s time to put the community first and get serious about homelessness,” said Ms Wensing.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews