Page 3793 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 November 2022
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including issues around building supplies. It does not only impact the government but also the sector more broadly. We remain committed. We continue to work to reach our goals.
MR PARTON: What supports are provided to applicants waiting years to be placed into social or public housing?
MS VASSAROTTI: Thank you to the Member for the question. There is a range of supports that are in place. For people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness we have our specialist homelessness services. They are providing incredible supports to people who are in need. This is an area where we have been working with the sector. As I mentioned in this Assembly recently, we have committed more than $12 million over the last two years to provide additional support including emergency accommodation, community mental health support, flexible funding to provide additional work and specific work around rough sleepers. In addition OneLink provides a range of support for people that are unable to access housing right at this point. The housing team and the allocations team work with people sitting on the waiting list to identify if needs have changed and to identify homes we might be able to place them in. This is an ongoing process. It is a process that can be frustrating. I think we are all concerned about the long waitlist for people that are in need but everyone within the system is working hard to provide the supports for people. The reshaping of the homelessness services system is something we are doing in partnership with the sector.
MS LEE: Minister, when will you end homelessness as you have promised
MS VASSAROTTI: Again we have been talking extensively about our vision for homelessness in the ACT. This is a vision that is shared across the community and as I have noted before, I think is shared within this chamber. We want homelessness to be rare, we want it to brief and non-recurring. This is something that will take time. This is something that we are not going to solve within six months or two years of a term of a government. But it is something we are absolutely committed to working with our community partners and others to achieve. That is why we have invested more than $12 million in the services—
Mr Parton: Madam Speaker, on a point of order on relevance. The question was very clear as to when will the promise of ending homelessness be delivered. Some timelines have been offered as to when it will not be fixed but the question asks when it will actually be delivered.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Parton, I know you want a direct answer to that question. I cannot instruct the minister how to answer but she is on topic around the provision and the efforts to address homelessness in the ACT.
MS VASSAROTTI: I would love there to be a specific timeframe but there is not a timeframe so I am not going to get out here and make a commitment about a specific timeframe as the Member is asking for. What I am trying to explain is the significant and deep work we are doing with sector partners in terms of designing a system where
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