Haven Home Safe

28/08/2026

Today is Wear it Purple Day 💜

Wear it Purple Day is about creating supportive, safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQIA+ young people and celebrating the strength of rainbow communities.

At Haven Home Safe, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and welcome in their home, in their community and when accessing support.

Today, our team is wearing purple to show our support and remind LGBTQIA+ young people that they are seen, valued and belong.

Creating inclusive communities takes all of us. 🌈

10/08/2026

Tomorrow, Tuesday 11th August is Census night. The Census provides a snapshot of Australia’s people and housing and is the only national estimate of homelessness.

There are lots of ways to fill out the Census – online, on paper or with help from the Census team. Every answer matters.

Visit census.abs.gov.au for more information. For help in your language call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450.

07/08/2026

We're over halfway through Homelessness Week - a time to raise awareness of Australia's housing crisis and, more importantly, advocate for the long-term solutions our communities need.

Every day, our frontline staff, delivering Homelessness and housing supports see the gap between demand and the resources available to respond. More people are seeking help, with increasingly complex needs, while services are being asked to do more with funding models that were designed for a very different housing landscape.

This pressure is felt acutely across regional Victoria, where housing shortages, rising rents and fewer support options mean people often have nowhere else to turn. Services are stretching every dollar, but goodwill cannot fix a structural funding gap.

The impact isn't only on those seeking support. It is also on the people providing it.
New AHURI research found that 90% of frontline housing and homelessness workers experience moderate-to-high vicarious trauma, 61% report symptoms of burnout, and 43% report PTSD symptoms warranting further assessment. These are the people holding our housing safety net together.

The reality is our funding system is built on assumptions of the past. Today's challenges demand a different approach, one that gives services the flexibility to respond to people where they are, invest in prevention, and focus on meaningful outcomes rather than simply meeting outdated targets.

If we're serious about ending homelessness, we need more than awareness. We need funding that reflects today's demand, a significant increase in social and affordable housing, and a system that backs both the people seeking help and the workforce delivering it. This Homelessness Week (and beyond), let's commit to building a system that funds outcomes, values the frontline workforce, and ensures everyone has access to a place to call home.

📸: A huge thank you to the Bendigo community who showed up to our Winter Walk last Sunday and demonstrated their support for people experiencing homelessness.

31/07/2026

Thank you to the Bendigo Times for helping us bring attention to this Sunday’s Winter Walk in Bendigo which we’re using to recognise the beginning of homelessness week (article in the comments).

“For most of us, winter means putting on another jumper or turning on the heater. For people experiencing homelessness, it means facing another freezing night without the safety and security of a home” shared out Head of Client Care Riva Alice.

We’re hosting this fundraising event to support Haven Home Safe’s work and to raise awareness of homelessness in Bendigo. This event also aims to help people access information about services provided by Haven Home Safe and our event Community Partners MADCOW Australia, Centre for Non Violence, Bendigo Winter Night Shelter Inc. and Annie North Inc.

Registration is $25 and there is still time to sign up and join us.
Register and learn more here: https://events.humanitix.com/haven-home-safe-winter-walk

24/07/2026

On Monday 27th July at 2pm The Australian Government will conduct a national test of AusAlert, Australia’s new emergency warning system.

The test Critical Alert cannot be turned off through a device’s notification settings. A phone on silent or ‘do not disturb’ may still make the alert sound.

AusAlert messages may make a concealed or hidden phone easier to locate. This may present a safety risk for people who use a hidden device, including victim survivors of family and domestic violence.

Anyone concerned about receiving the alert on a hidden device should:
• turn the device off or place it on aeroplane mode at least one hour before the test
• keep it switched off or on aeroplane mode for 24 hours after the test.

22/07/2026

Moving for a future without homelessness.
Join us in Bendigo for our Winter Walk for Homelessness on Sunday 2nd August 2026!

Leading into Homelessness Week, the family-friendly event will bring together individuals, families, workplaces and community groups to walk in solidarity with people experiencing homelessness. Money raised through registrations will support Haven Home Safe's work providing specialist homelessness services and community housing.

The event will include opportunities to learn more about homelessness in the local community, connect with Haven Home Safe and partner organizations such as Annie North Inc , Bendigo Winter Night Shelter Inc. , MADCOW Australia and to share how we can work together to end homelessness.

Let’s move together to raise awareness, inspire action and get closer to a future where everyone has a place to call home.
📍Lake Weeroona, Bendigo
⏰ 9:30am
🎫 $25 per person

Learn more or register here: https://events.humanitix.com/haven-home-safe-winter-walk

29/06/2026

Not long ago, Dylan* was running his own business, owned his own home and was preparing to welcome his first child.

Like many Australians, he never imagined he would experience homelessness.

After losing his business and home, Dylan became the primary carer for his wife and young daughter while trying to navigate homelessness.

The future he had worked so hard to build suddenly disappeared.

Unsure where to turn, Dylan reached out for help and was connected with Haven Home Safe.

For six long months, the family lived mostly out of their car.

Then came the call they had been hoping for. Dylan and his family were offered a social housing home.

Today, they have the safety and stability to rebuild their lives.

"Our lives feel full and colourful again," Dylan says.

As 30 June approaches, your tax-deductible gift can help ensure another family has someone to call when homelessness becomes a reality. Every donation helps provide assessment, practical support, advocacy and pathways into safe, secure housing for people facing one of the hardest moments of their lives.

Read Dylan’s story here: https://havenhomesafe.org.au/dylan-had-a-business-a-home-and-plans-for-the-future-then-everything-changed/
Or donate via the link in the comments.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

17/06/2026

Recently our Client Care Program Coordinator Riva, joined community and industry leaders at Parliament House to present the Council to Homeless Persons ’ Homelessness in Whittlesea: Community Insights Report to Lauren Kathage MP and Bronwyn Halfpenny MP.

The report included alarming data and personal perspectives regarding the state of homelessness in Whittlesea, including a 40% increase in number of employed women seeking support from specialist homelessness services between 2020-21 and 2022-23.

MPs asked attendees where their areas of advocacy and influence could make a difference. Riva used this opportunity to advocate for:
- More funding for staff and an increased number of entry points to help reduce access waiting times.
- Flexible funding models to be able to better access, maximise and allocate existing funding.
- Volunteer programs to help with administration backlog.
- More funding for programs like the Bendigo Winter Nights shelter.
Other members of the group suggested:
- Waiving of the windfall tax for council to build social housing.
- Providing an inventory of council owned building and assess what is vacant and how services can access these to provide homelessness and housing support.

Thank you to the Council to Homeless Persons for allowing us to add our voice to the conversation.

09/06/2026

A man sleeping rough in Bendigo was violently attacked last week.
No one should face violence. No one should be forced to sleep rough.

At Haven Home Safe, our staff are doing everything they can to provide reassurance and practical support to our clients and community, particularly to people who may be new to rough sleeping and may be especially vulnerable.

While it is unacceptable that anyone should need advice on how to stay safe while sleeping rough, we know this is the reality many people face every day. That is why outreach, crisis accommodation, community support and assertive engagement remain so important. The long-term solution is clear: more safe, secure and affordable housing.

Read our statement and what we can all do to help here.

The recent violent attack on a man experiencing homelessness in Bendigo's CBD is a stark reminder of the dangers people sleeping rough face every day. This attack is abhorrent, and we want to make it clear that there is no place for violence in our communities. Attacking the most vulnerable people i...

02/06/2026

Today marks the final day of National Reconciliation Week and Mabo Day.

Today, on Mabo Day (June 3rd), we recognise the extraordinary legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo and the landmark High Court decision in 1992 that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius and acknowledged the enduring connection of First Nations peoples to Country. The Mabo decision was a watershed moment in Australian history; it paved the way for subsequent native title claims. The Australian Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993 the following year.

While National Reconciliation Week may come to a close today, our commitment to learning, listening and taking meaningful action must continue all year round.

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting an internal event featuring a conversation with three First Nations renters. They generously shared their experiences of seeking support, housing, and their journeys as Haven Home Safe renters.

Their stories provided valuable insights, challenged our thinking and offered fresh perspectives on how we can continue to improve the way we support and engage with First Nations clients and communities.

We thank them for their honesty, generosity and willingness to share their lived experience. Their voices remind us that reconciliation is not a destination, but an ongoing practice of listening, learning and walking together.

As National Reconciliation Week concludes, we remain committed to strengthening our understanding, deepening relationships and continuing the work towards a more equitable future.