New analysis of Victoria's assertive outreach system reveals there is just one worker for every 297 rough sleepers in what advocates say is a catastrophic failure of the state’s duty of care.
The mapping, undertaken by Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), shows government-funded assertive outreach programs are currently resourced to support around 1,000 people despite more than 10,600 Victorians presenting to services while already sleeping rough last year.
Assertive outreach is designed to find and engage people who are not accessing services, connecting them with housing and support. But CHP’s analysis reveals a fragmented system, with entire regions left without any funded outreach.
The entirety of Gippsland - spanning more than 41,000 square kilometres - has no dedicated assertive outreach program, while dozens of metropolitan and regional local government areas are also overlooked.
CHP chief executive Deborah Di Natale said the findings highlight a system that is patchy and overstretched.
“Assertive outreach is meant to be the front door to the homelessness system for people sleeping rough,” she said.
“But right now, that door simply doesn’t exist in large parts of Victoria and where it does, it’s overwhelmed.”
The mapping found that even in areas with programs, demand consistently outstrips capacity and many services operate with minimal staffing.
In the Wimmera region, a single outreach worker covers five local government areas across nearly 34,000 square kilometres and manages a caseload of around 50 people.
In Gippsland, local health and community organisations have formed informal coalitions to support rough sleepers camping along the Snowy River. But without funding, they cannot provide sustained outreach or pathways into housing.
Ms Di Natale said the reliance on council reserves, philanthropy and short-term funding was creating an unstable and inequitable system.
“We have essential, life-saving services being run on goodwill and fundraising, while other communities have nothing at all,” she said.
“This is not a system designed to end homelessness let alone manage it appropriately.”
There are also no dedicated assertive outreach programs anywhere in Victoria for young people sleeping rough alone.
“Young people experiencing homelessness are often less visible and harder to engage, but that doesn’t mean they need support any less,” Ms Di Natale said.
“Right now, we don’t have a system built to find them.”
CHP said meeting current demand would require at least 177 full-time outreach workers across the state, alongside significantly expanded access to social housing.
“Outreach without housing is only half a solution,” Ms Di Natale said.
“Our workers are doing everything they can to connect people into support but too often, there’s nowhere for them to go.
“Outreach only works if there’s somewhere for people to go. We need more social housing, with dedicated places for people sleeping rough, so that when workers make contact, they can offer a real pathway off the streets.”
CHP is calling on the Victorian Government to urgently expand assertive outreach across the state, including establishing new services in regions with no current coverage and boosting capacity in overstretched areas.
“Victorians are sleeping rough right across the state, at increasing rates. Where you live should not determine whether you can get the help that gets you off the streets,” Ms Di Natale said.
“We know assertive outreach works. What’s missing is the scale and commitment to match the need.”
To read CHP’s Too Short a Lifeline: Mapping assertive outreach across Victoria report, visit: https://chp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Too-Short-a-Lifeline-Mapping-Assertive-Outreach-in-Victoria.pdf
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