During Homelessness Week 2026, the South East Homelessness and Housing Alliance invited the community to consider a simple but powerful question: What does a home mean to you?

The response came in the form of 1500 of origami houses folded and displayed throughout the week at Dandenong Library. Each house carried a personal message about safety, belonging, family, connection, stability and hope, creating a striking visual representation of the importance of having a place to call home.

There is still a lot of misunderstanding and stigma in the community about who experiences homelessness and why, which can undermine support for the solutions needed. SEHHA provides a platform to increase awareness, share accurate information, and build a shared understanding across councils, services, and the broader community of the realities of homelessness and housing instability in the South East.

Homelessness and housing stress don't stop at municipal borders, and neither should the response.

Success for Windermere looks like stronger connection and collaboration across the homelessness and housing service system underpinned by shared purpose. A key priority is improving accessibility and early intervention, ensuring people do not fall through gaps in systems and can connect to support sooner before issues escalate.