Ballarat Uniting Care’s Street to Home program, which helps homeless people in the city find somewhere to live, is in jeopardy if government funding is cut.

Funding for the program ends this month and there is no guarantee of future monies by the federal government.

For the 70 or 80 people who sleep rough every night in Ballarat, this is nothing short of devastating, particularly as Ballarat’s biting winter weather conditions have already hit the region.

And with the cost of living always on the rise, the problem is predicted to worsen.

Although homelessness in Ballarat is not always evident, the problem does exist. Welfare agencies in Ballarat say while not always visible, homelessness is prevalent.

For whatever reason, these people are sleeping rough, whether that be couch-surfing, or in doorways, under bridges or on park benches.

These people don’t need pity or a “hand-out” … they need a hand up.

They don’t need to be looked down on, they need to be treated as human beings. These are people, for whatever reason, have fallen on hard times and can’t seem to find a break.

These latest funding threats have now put in jeopardy any slight “break” they have to finding somewhere to live.

Ballarat has only one person employed to work directly with homeless people. This is less than other regional centres such as Shepparton, with three and Bendigo, which has 2.5 permanent positions.

And now the City of Ballarat has to advocate for the program’s future.

Speaking at the City of Ballarat council meeting last week, councillor Des Hudson said addressing homelessness was a complex issue.

”The thing I would hate to see lost, is the resource we currently have got, which has formed a relationship with the current people and understands their needs,” Cr Hudson said.

“We will certainly be advocating to the federal government to make sure Ballarat is not forgotten.”

Addressing homelessness in Ballarat needs to be done now, before the problem worsens. But cutting funding to vital programs is certainly not the answer.