Opinion: Homeless veterans deserve more than platitudes

Which, sadly, adds up to even more – and even more tragic – numbers. Veterans are more than twice as likely to die by suicide than the rest of the Australian population. They’re also nearly three times more likely to experience homelessness, and that sense of abandonment only feeds into the suicide crisis facing our veterans.

The V Centre Veteran Empowerment Program, run in Victoria by the not-for-profit Vasey RSL Care, wants to address homelessness. However, so far, the government has used it as a political crutch and then left it to fend for itself.

Giving veterans hope

The V Centre was established in Ivanhoe, Victoria, in February 2024, and boasts 16 complete apartments, three studios, a communal kitchen, living spaces, outdoor areas and places for quiet contemplation. An attached support hub provides IT services, consultation and therapy rooms, rec rooms, and other spaces.

The V Centre Veteran Empowerment Program operates out of The V Centre and offers programs to help empower veterans with the social skills they need to transition into a new and stable phase of their lives outside the defence force.

Setting up The V Centre cost Vasey RSL Care $12 million, and it had hopes that the government would front up a similar investment over the next three years. Vasey RSL Care estimates the total savings from its program as being more than $18 million in that three-year time frame, a worthwhile investment considering those savings also represent human lives.

Matt Keogh, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, certainly seemed to buy into the idea.

“I’ve been very pleased to meet with Vasey RSL Care from Victoria with the member for Jagajaga, who brought to my attention the important work they are trying to do in establishing new services to support veterans experiencing homelessness,” Minister Keogh said in August 2023, speaking to a matter of public importance.

“They also want to be able to come forward and apply for funds from government, but we can’t enable that right now, because the Housing Australia Future Fund is being blocked by the Coalition and the Greens.”

So, at that point, it was the Greens blocking the government from being able to support The V Centre.

Kate Thwaites, the member for Jagajaga and the Assistant Minister for Social Security, Ageing and Women, said a month later that the Housing Australia Future Fund “will also mean more homes for veterans at risk of homelessness and for services like Vasey RSL Care, which is doing brilliant work at The V Centre just next to Heidelberg Repat supporting veterans and their families but which could do even more with the right support from this fund”.

It was a love fest all around, and if it weren’t for those dastardly Greens, we’d be helping Vasey RSL Care right now.

Taking hope away

At the time, Vasey RSL Care was helping the government get its legislation through, working with both the crossbench and the opposition to get it passed. Once passed, however, the promises dried up. Vasey RSL Care was told that since it was already operating, it was no longer eligible for government assistance, despite the promises written into Hansard.

According to Janna Voloshin, chief executive officer at Vasey RSL Care, “We cannot sit around waiting for funding.”

“Enough is enough – last month, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide handed down its final report and recommendations. We are fully supportive of the recommendations, in particular, Recommendation 88a – ‘improving outcomes for veterans who are experiencing homelessness, including a long-term investment framework that supports capital and operational expenditure for veteran-specific housing and the provision of wraparound services’. We are here – we are doing this – we are saving lives. But we can’t go on doing it without government support.”

This seems a fair thing to say – the lack of support for veterans, which in turn has led to the horrific suicide figures among our current and ex-Defence personnel, is a government problem to fix.

Defence Connect put this proposition directly to Minister Keogh, and to call the response underwhelming is … putting it politely.

“The rate of veteran suicide is a national tragedy, and that’s why Labor supported the establishment of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in opposition,” Minister Keogh said in response to Vasey RSL Care’s claims.

“Now, some three years and thousands of submissions later, the final report has now been delivered to the government.

“The report is an important body of work, which marks the culmination of the most significant and comprehensive inquiry conducted into suicide and suicidality in the Defence and veteran communities.”

The minister went on to talk about the government response and the comprehensive nature of the royal commission’s report, and failed to address Vasey RSL Care’s concerns over a lack of funding.

Not at all good enough

Defence Connect spoke to a Vasey RSL spokesperson and while it was impossible to coordinate commentary from Voloshin, its CEO, it was clear that Minister Keogh’s response – or lack thereof – was not particularly welcome nor constructive.

“While the royal commission’s role in listening to the concerns of the veteran community and making recommendations is crucial, we must remember that it took three years to reach this point. Following the government’s response, we may face several more years of implementation. In the meantime, veterans are waiting, and we continue to lose lives,” Voloshin told Defence Connect.

“While the royal commission was in process, we actively worked on a solution that we knew was necessary. Since 2022, we have engaged with the government to ensure they were aware of this initiative.”

The V Centre and its accompanying veteran empowerment program are in operation now, and it’s already making a difference. A real difference to real veterans who need that support.

“The V Centre has just transformed me,” Shane Reynolds, who attended The V Centre, said of the program.

“It’s just amazing the things that I’ve done that I’ve never done before – my painting, my art … I’ve become a productive person again.

“I found through my art that I released a lot of my traumas. If it wasn’t for V, I don’t know where I’d be.”

It’s clear that Vasey RSL Care has a program that works – and it could do so much more with just a bit of support from the government.

“Previously, we relied on research to identify what was needed,” Voloshin said. “Today, The V Centre has been operational for six months, demonstrating significant positive outcomes for veterans and giving us real-life examples of the impact a service like this can have.”