Supporting the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Amendment (Right to Housing) Bill 2025

In letters to the Victorian Premier and Leader of the Opposition, Council to Homeless Persons has urged bipartisan support for the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Amendment (Right to Housing) Bill 2025, which would recognise housing as a human right in Victoria.

In its call, CHP emphasises that homelessness is a failure of systems, not people. Every Victorian deserves a “fair go”, and this requires a guarantee of safe and dignified housing. Because not providing a safe home has direct and dire consequences for quality of life.

Homelessness costs people the opportunity to contribute to society due to its impacts on physical and mental health; its disruption of the ability to access education and employment; and negative stigma which erodes people’s connection with their community.

But even more devastatingly, homelessness costs people their lives, with a Guardian Australia investigation in 2024 showing the average life expectancy for a person experiencing homelessness is just 44.

As CHP says in its proposal, when homelessness means premature death, housing must be a human right.