Local government is a vital link in solving Australia’s homelessness crisis, according to a new Churchill Fellowship report.
Author Leanne Mitchell, who works for Brimbank City Council in Melbourne’s west, visited Canada, US and UK as part of her Churchill Fellowship to investigate how councils respond to rough sleeping while balancing responsibilities of the wider community.
Her report Everybody’s Business: what local government can do to end homelessness, found local governments around the world have a critical part to play.
“The traditional responsibility of local government might be rates, roads and rubbish, but communities are turning to their councils to take action on homelessness, and at the moment many on the frontline are just not equipped to play their part,” Leanne said.
The report also provides councils with a set of 17 practical guidelines to help them respond to this growing crisis.
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