Uniting the South East to Address Homelessness

From left to right: Leanne Mitchell, Kelly (Lyndhurst Secondary College), Jack (Parks Victoria), Sharyn (Follow Bless Collective), Brian (Lived Experience)

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

That's why service providers, community organisations, and councils across Cardinia, Casey and Greater Dandenong have come together to form the South East Homelessness and Housing Alliance (SEHHA): a new collaborative initiative focused on long-term, coordinated solutions to housing insecurity in our region.

During Homelessness Week 2025, the Alliance welcomed over 100 guests to its launch event focused on Hidden Homelessness: shining a light on the experiences that often go unseen and unheard but are deeply felt in our communities.

Guests heard SEHHA Chair Shari McPhail about the area's housing issues, and a panel brought together a powerful mix of lived experience, grassroots service, local leadership and systems knowledge. It featured:

• Sharyn, from Follow Bless Collective 

• Jack, from Parks Victoria 

• Kelly, an Assistant Principal at Lyndhurst Secondary College 

• Brian, who has lived experience of homelessness 

This was a powerful and thought-provoking panel brilliantly facilitated by Leanne Mitchell who was recently awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore how local councils can play a pivotal role in ending homelessness.  

Our collective goal: a South East region where everyone has a safe and stable place to call home. We must keep working together to turn this vision into reality.

From left to right: Cr Anthony Walter (City of Casey), Cr Kim Ross (City of Casey), SEHHA Chair Shari McPhail, Cr Trudi Paton (Cardinia Shire Council), Cr Liz Roberts (Cardinia Shire Council), and Cr Collin Ross (Cardinia Shire Council)