Homelessness Action Now!

Addressing homelessness is a core part of what we do at St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and VincentCare Victoria.

Homelessness Week encourages the community and government to help end homelessness. We want to teach people why homelessness happens and what it means. We also show how everyone can help make a difference.

Homelessness is no longer driven only by crisis or personal misfortune. More and more, it stems from a combination of structural pressures: rising rents, stagnant wages, a shortage of affordable homes and increasing cost-of-living stress. For many Victorians, even a steady income isn’t enough to guarantee secure housing. These aren’t isolated issues – they’re systemic and they’re accelerating.  

In Victoria, over 146,000 new social homes are needed to meet current demand. Behind that figure are thousands of lives disrupted – including more than 30,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night and nearly 7,000 children. These are not just statistics. They are reminders of how urgently change is needed.  
    
Everyone deserves the safety, dignity and stability of a secure and affordable home. Homelessness is not only a social issue – it’s a human rights issue and change is only possible when we work together.

What St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and VincentCare Victoria does to address homelessness:

• St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria  
  • Emergency financial support: We pay for emergency accommodation for people facing hardship or crisis, such as a mum escaping family violence. Our first priority is to get people somewhere safe with a roof over their head.
  • Soup Van Service: Our Soup Van hubs deliver meals to rough sleepers and people living in low-cost or temporary accommodation every night.
  • No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS): People on low incomes can access no-interest credit to pay for essential household goods and expenses

• VincentCare services: 
  • Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI)  
  • Pride in Place
  • Crisis, extended supported accommodation and Independent Living Units at Ozanam House 

Donate, volunteer or share  

Homelessness week is a fantastic time to support addressing homelessness in Victoria or get involved. 

• Donate: You can donate to our Winter Appeal here to directly support fellow Victorians in need of support: 
• Volunteer: You can volunteer as a soup van, a Vinnies shop or in many other ways. Find out here: 
• Share our social media posts @vinniesvictoria and @vinnieshopsvictoria  and use the hashtag #HW2025

Homelessness Week aims to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness. That involves raising awareness about the causes and impacts of homelessness and educating the community on how they can use their power as citizens to make a difference. It’s an important opportunity to put pressure on government to make change. If homelessness organisations and advocates across Australia take action then we can send every federal and state member of Parliament a message that change is needed now. Visit Homelessness Australia to see all the events planned for Homelessness Week