A Place to Call Home

For those unfamiliar with your work, can you share the organisation's mission and the impact you are striving to create across Melbourne? 

We have a clear and unapologetic focus at Launch Housing: ending homelessness. We're ambitious, and we design thoughtful solutions that address people's real needs. We believe stable housing is the foundation for safety, stability, community and hope. Anyone can find themselves in insecure housing, or worse, homeless, and if they do, they deserve more than waiting lists and temporary fixes. They deserve solutions that last. Launch works with people from all walks of life, from prevention and crisis response through to long-term social housing. 

As housing affordability pressures continue to rise, what are the most significant challenges facing individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity? 

We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and an unaffordable rental market, and too many people face homelessness because they can't afford the rent. These pressures weigh most heavily on families, especially those on a single income, and we've seen an increase in employed people who need our help. Women with children escaping family violence often end up without a home, with too few supported crisis options available to them. We have also seen a concerning rise in the number of women aged over 55 seeking our services. 

Launch Housing is known for delivering both immediate support and long-term solutions. Could you share a recent initiative that reflects the impact of this work? 

Homelessness takes many forms and calls for new thinking, and at Launch we're not afraid to do things differently. One initiative I'm especially proud of is Cornelia, a program for pregnant women facing homelessness. Funded by the Victorian Government and generous donors, it's a collaboration between the Royal Women's Hospital, HousingFirst and Launch, providing a safe place to live, access to maternal healthcare and support to transition to long-term housing. It's one of a kind in Victoria. To end homelessness, we need to work together, and it's through partnerships with community and government that we create real change. 

Looking ahead, what are the key priorities for Launch Housing over the coming year? 

We are always excited by opportunities to partner with organisations and people in our community to innovate solutions to homelessness. We continue to advocate for more supported housing for people with high and complex needs and have identified the Mornington Peninsula as a key area where rough sleeping is rising at an unacceptable rate. Some people need long-term support alongside their housing, not because they're failing, but because recovery takes time. This is why we deliver 'Housing First' programs that pair safe, secure housing with wraparound support. We're seeing around 90% of people in these programs maintain their housing and not experience homelessness again, becoming active, valued members of their communities. 

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