No home for help

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
COUNCILLORS have expressed their concerns for the shire’s most vulnerable residents but cannot agree on the best way forward to help them.
Homelessness in the Yarra Ranges was highlighted as an issue during the approval of the Yarra Ranges Council’s local laws policy in April (The Mail, 19 April), which outlawed camping on council land and roadsides without a permit.
The law would directly affect people illegally camping at the popular Lillydale Lake, some of whom were said to be homeless.
Councillor Jeanette McRae brought the issue up as a late item in the 10 May council meeting, in the hope of further developing the council’s homelessness strategy.
Cr McRae said after the local laws discussion she wanted to work on improving the strategy and put forward the motion to prepare a scoping document about what council already does and how it could proceed to help out the homeless community.
The motion was shot down by five of the seven attending councillors, who believed there should be more discussion away from an open meeting before coming to any agreements.
Cr Samantha Dunn said she was happy to look at the motion, although some of the preliminary work had been undertaken through conversations with local agencies that helped the homeless.
“I think it’s become our business given we have local laws officers come across local homeless people camping,” she said.
Cr Tim Heenan said he thought Cr McRae’s intentions were great, but he would prefer to have an open dialogue at a community forum to discuss the important matters in a much greater capacity.
“It’s time to get a greater understanding for where we stand within our boundary,” he said.
“I believe this is going to be a future issue that won’t go away, and we can’t box it into a corner.”