A key building in solving short and long-term homelessness in Ballarat remains closed after a fire in February caused substantial damage to the interior, with a trade and supply shortage adding to the delay.
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Reid's Guest House sustained extensive damage following the fire four months ago. A 30-year-old male was arrested and charged with criminal damage by fire shortly after the incident. At the time staff and 50 guests were evacuated to the Uniting Breezeway facility in Dana Street.
Jerry Ham is the group manager for Housing, Home and Crisis Support with Uniting Vic.Tas, formerly UnitingCare.
Mr Ham says Reid's was immediately closed following the fire to ensure the safety of staff and residents. Residents of the former coffee palace, built in 1886, were relocated to alternative accommodation, he says.
"Since this time we've been working on the repairs, which not only includes ensuring the structural integrity of the building, but also re-installing and fully testing all fire safety systems and alarms," Mr Ham said.
"Restoration works have also been impacted by a number of factors, including supply chain delays, but we have been working with our contractors to resolve these issues. We know there's a significant need for crisis and emergency accommodation in Ballarat and that's why we're doing everything we can to re-open Reid's as quickly as possible, while ensuring the safety of all of staff and guests."
While the eventual reopening of Reid's may solve a small part of the ongoing problem of crisis accommodation in Ballarat, the bigger picture remains less tractable.
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A proposal to introduce a secure 'sleepbus' has been suggested, where the vulnerable can find shelter and safety from harassment. A similar project has been mooted in Melbourne, but it remains at the drawing board stage.
Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney says one of the problems solving homelessness and accommodation shortages is the perception that 'it's someone else's problem.'
"That's not a good enough response," Mr Moloney says.
"We all play a role in it. Every tier of government plays a role to different degrees. I've had a broader philosophy around social housing, and need for more infill in central areas in particular, as a way of addressing some of these issues before they become as acute as someone becoming homeless.
"Even if we are just providing referrals onto support agencies and working with support agencies, that's a role. But council doesn't get to shirk the issue either, because every time we knock back one and two bedroom apartments, we're creating a more difficult situation for someone who has lost a job or is experiencing health problems or is escaping domestic violence.
"People in those acute situations can't afford big three and four bedroom houses, which are the key stock In Ballarat. There are things we we can do at our level, but those things are often the stages before it becomes as acute as homelessness. And then, of course, there's the funded support through state government in particular as well."
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