Haven Home Safe

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.

01/06/2026

We have moved. Our Preston office is now closed.
Our Homeless Intake team providing IAP support have moved from Preston to the Epping Community Services Hub. We’re excited to be working from the Hub where other organisations also deliver a broad range of community services. This co-location will strengthen collaboration and enable more effective warm referrals, improving outcomes for our clients.

Our tenancy and property team are also getting ready to transition to a new office. During this move, we’re asking existing renters to please contact their tenancy and property manager directly via phone or email with any questions or enquiries they have.

29/05/2026

This week our CEO and Head of Impact joined other leaders for the (BWNS) CEO Sleep Out.

Here they experienced firsthand the BWNS and critical role it plays for people experiencing rough sleeping, hearing from the incredible volunteers who make the shelter possible.

The Bendigo Winter Nights Shelter is a program close to the heart of Haven Home Safe.

Our Program Coordinator Nayomi is on the board and a member of the operations committee. We have also had countless staff members volunteer over the years and many of our clients who experience rough sleeping have benefited from the connection, warm meals, showers and a place to sleep during Bendigo’s bitterly cold winters.

The shelter operates during the winter season when cold temperatures increase the risks associated with sleeping rough. It is run by volunteers and funded by donations – this allows the program to be designed to meet people where they are at.

We know the importance and benefit that programs such as the BWNS provide to our community and people experiencing rough sleeping.

Our Rough Sleeper Assertive Outreach Program (RSAP) team will be supporting BWNS a few nights each week at the bus meeting point, ensuring anyone attending the BWNS for the first time has someone they know to greet them. They will also provide an extra set of hands for the volunteers at this important part of the evening process.

Over the program months the BWNS works alongside local agencies and outreach services to help connect guests with longer-term housing and support options where possible. Last year the shelter supported 54 people across the program with 5 people finding permanent accommodation.

Thank you to the BWNS board, volunteers and donors who make this important program available for people in the Bendigo community. 💙

28/05/2026

Yesterday's 's Conversations That Matter brought together the ambitious energy of , the dedicated passion of people working on the frontline from and .community alongside a lived experience advocate who shared their reality of having nowhere safe to live.

At the core of their message was that human kindness can make all the difference, homelessness is solvable because we can do hard things, and the most resilient people are those experiencing housing instability - because they have no other option but to push through.

We don't all have to run across Australia to drive change, it can start with a compassionate conversation with someone doing it tough, donating to an organisation that is making a difference or advocating to policy makers that more needs to be done - more housing, better income support and targeted prevention. Thanks so much to for hosting us, it was a pleasure to be in a room of people wanting change.

26/05/2026

Today we recognise National Sorry Day. This year’s theme is: From Sorry to Action.

The call is clear, we must move from words to action, and this needs to happen now, not in another decade. Acknowledging past harm is important, but acting to address it is critical. Sorry signals compassion; action delivers justice.

With First Nations people disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity and homelessness, we are continually working to exceed the First Nations tenancy targets of 10% by building partnerships that can deliver more culturally safe housing for First Nations Peoples.

This year so far we have seen over 500 First Nations people through our intake and supports services across the state, this is part of the ongoing consequence of dispossession, forced removal, and the destruction of family and community bonds that these policies (that continued until the 1970’s) caused.

We encourage you to mark National Sorry Day on 26 May, and to stand with First Nations People to ensure this day is part of an ongoing commitment to truth-telling and healing.

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22/05/2026

Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming the Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters MP to officially open our Safe Places development in Bendigo.

The three, 3-bedroom townhouses built by Burbank Urban will provide housing for women and children who have experienced family or domestic violence. There was not a dry eye in the room when our partners Annie North Inc and the Centre for Non Violence explained what these homes are going to mean for the women and children they support.

Haven Home Safe is so proud that the land we provided for this development will have such an enormous and long-lasting impact. These homes are a testament to the outcomes we can have when we work together.

A huge thank you to the Australian Government – The Treasury for 2.5 million in funding support for this development through the Treasury’s Safe Places grants.

Thank you to all our partners and supporters who were able to attend the event Lisa Chesters MP , Annie North Inc , Centre for Non Violence , Burbank Urban and representatives of Jactinta Allan's office.

Learn more about the event here: https://havenhomesafe.org.au/much-needed-housing-delivered-for-women-and-children-who-have-experienced-family-violence/

17/05/2026

This IDAHOBIT* Day, we stand together against discrimination and for inclusion, safety and belonging for LGBTQIA+ communities.

LGBTQIA+ Australians are estimated to be at least twice as likely to experience homelessness. At Haven Home Safe, we believe everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and valued - at home, at work and in the community.

Today is a reminder that even small actions matter. Listening, learning, speaking up and showing support all help create more inclusive spaces for everyone.
Happy IDAHOBIT Day 🌈

*IDAHOBIT = International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.

13/05/2026

A fair housing system must support both home ownership and affordable renting.
While we welcome housing measures in the 2026 Federal Budget, long-term investment in social and affordable housing is still essential.
Read our full response here: https://havenhomesafe.org.au/a-budget-that-moves-on-housing-now-we-must-make-sure-no-one-is-left-behind/