The State government must take immediate action to put homeless people in hotels to protect them and the wider community from the COVID-19 crisis.
The Shadow Minister for Housing, Alison Standen, said the Premier should move quickly to adopt Labor’s policy to use hotel rooms to accommodate people who are homeless.
Vision Hotels has offered to provide four of its hotels for this purpose and has noted that other states have been proactive in adopting this proposal.
“From the start of this crisis, Labor has been raising concerns about how Tasmania’s homeless population can comply with the requirement to self-isolate if they have nowhere to live,” Ms Standen said.
“The Premier himself has said he doesn’t want to see people in the streets in the middle of a pandemic.
“With shelters already full and the waiting list for public housing blowing out to almost 3,500 households, there is no excuse for the government not acting quickly to ensure everyone in our community is safe during this crisis, including our most vulnerable.
“As we head towards winter and the onset of much colder weather, it has never been more important to provide shelter to those most in need.
“We know that there are many other hotels and accommodation providers that stand ready to assist with the response to Covid-19.
“I urge Peter Gutwein to take up this offer as a matter of urgency and provide immediate emergency accommodation to everyone who needs it.”
Alison Standen MP
Shadow Minister for Housing
