Outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station, more than a dozen men and women have been sleeping rough for weeks.
As the street sweepers moved in, the homeless moved their belongings. But when the job was done, they returned to their encampment along the thoroughfare.
While Melbourne City Council can’t move anyone on, it has vowed to crackdown on abandoned campsites -insisting the timing has nothing to do with the upcoming Australian Open, which attracts 700,000 local and international fans.
It’s estimated almost 250 people are sleeping on the city's streets, up 74 per cent over the past two years.
Forty-three-year-old Jason has been sleeping rough on Flinders Street for about a month.
He said he lost his job, and couldn’t find work. He is grateful for the generosity of passers-by.
“People just said if you’ve got nowhere to go, come here,” he told SBS.
“I’d rather have what I had before, you know, a roof over my head, a house, a car, a job.”
For months, charities have tried to address the homelessness crisis.
According to the Salvation Army’s Brendan Nottle, while there are many food and clothing support services available, there aren’t many housing options available.
“The reality is, it’s really difficult to find accommodation for a lot of the people there, because it’s not just a matter of getting a bed for them… there’s a whole range of really complex issues going on.”
One venture hopes to provide an effective alternative.
A philanthropic project in partnership with government bodies and Launch Housing Victoria, will create 57 new one-bedroom homes.
The prefabricated dwellings will be installed on a vacant site in Melbourne's inner west, with rent starting at $150 a week.
Director of Services and Property at not-for-profit organisation Launch Housing Victoria, Dr Heather Holst, said the project was just skimming the surface of the homelessness crisis.
“We are regarding it as a pilot for pretty interesting use for parcels of land that we know there are more of.”
Dr Holst said crisis accommodation and rooming-houses weren’t enough.
“These aren’t permanent homes for people, and that’s what everybody needs, they need somewhere they know they can stay - they know it’s theirs - as long as they pay the rent and abide by the tenancy law.”
VicRoads owns the vacant blocks, acquiring them over time for potential road widening plans. With nothing scheduled for at least the next five years, it is subletting the land for $1 to Launch Housing for that period, which will likely be extended.
The Harris family will provide $4 million dollars towards the $5 million dollar initiative.
Brad Harris, who co-owns several restaurant-bars, and his father, Geoff Harris, who co-founded Flight centre, have previously supported youth homeless service providers.
For Brad Harris, this new initiative is a game changer.
“When we look at the issue, it's a vast one. So just ploughing money into the issue won't solve it. It needs to be outside the box thinking that can really make a dent in this issue.”
He hopes it will lead to future projects.
“It’s trying to get them out of the cycle and into long-term accommodation which is the challenge, there’s just not enough stock. So that’s really the appeal of providing the housing, because that’s the missing link.”
Nine sites along Ballarat Road in Maidstone and Footscray have been earmarked for the 57 dwellings.
One site has been approved, and the Maribyrnong City Council will decide on the other eight by the end of January.
The plan is to have the houses installed by the end of July, with tenants moving in shortly afterwards.
While some locals have objected, Launch Housing has said no resident will move in without being thoroughly assessed first.
"There are some people whose behaviour is really not ok for living close in with other people, and they're not people we're going to be directing here."
