Rough sleepers in Melbourne's CBD will be offered "guaranteed" accommodation by the Victorian government, but soup kitchens and other street services could be cut back in a tougher and more co-ordinated approach to tackling the homelessness crisis.
Minister for Housing Martin Foley has announced a $9.8-million emergency response package to fund immediate housing for the city's street homeless.
And a new rough-sleeping strategy will be developed, beginning with a census collecting detailed information about the estimated 250 people living on the streets of the CBD.
The head of that strategy, Brotherhood of St Laurence executive director Tony Nicholson, said he expected to find that the majority of Melbourne's rough sleepers had no other option than to be on the streets, with key factors including overcrowding of homes and the rising cost of renting.
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Mr Nicholson will also consider if charities delivering meals and other services to the homeless were a help or a hindrance.
"Many well-meaning service providers are bringing all the elements of the home (things like mobile washing machines, showers etc) to the homeless – but not resolving the homelessness," Mr Nicholson said.
"The government has recognised that there is a need to have one coherent strategy for reducing rough sleeping in Melbourne."
VincentCare chief executive John Blewonski said it made sense that smaller community groups providing only immediate food services were "linked in" with bigger agencies for a more co-ordinated approach.
One Voice's Josh Wilkins, who founded Melbourne's mobile shower bus, said the bus was criticised by others for "encouraging" homelessness. But he argued the facility helped restore people's dignity, so they could get on with improving their lives.
"When I started One Voice I said if we become an organisation that gives a hand, not a hand up, then we would stop," he said.
He agreed that there were too many groups handing out meals in Melbourne, and a flood of people offering items that were of little use.
"If you're homeless you can get three course dinners seven days a week, you get everything for free," he said.
"What is there to stop people wanting to be homeless? It is really tricky, complex stuff."
In the past two weeks City of Melbourne officers have collected close to one tonne of waste and abandoned items from nine sites in the CBD.
Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said he was working on new bylaws giving police additional powers to remove items from homeless camps, but would not seek to ban sleeping on the streets, as was reported last week.
The state government's $9.8 million emergency package will be delivered over two years and include 40 transitional housing units (including public housing and private rentals) to be made immediately available until the end of the year when permanent housing is in place.
Public land in Melbourne's north will be used to build 30 modular, relocatable homes. The exact location is yet to be announced.
Mr Foley said the extra funding, in addition to more than $600 million already committed in housing and homelessness support, would mean that people sleeping rough in Melbourne would have "guaranteed" housing.
Forty people would also be given ongoing support for up to two years to help them transition off the streets.
"Yes the roof over your head is necessary, but it's not enough, there has to be some transitional support to get people back as fully participating, functioning members of the community dealing with whatever is the driver – drugs, family violence, mental health, whatever the issue may be," Mr Foley said.