How to get emergency accommodation including in a crisis

To speak with a housing and support worker, if you find yourself homeless, at risk of homelessness or escaping family violence, call 1800 825 955 - 24 hour, statewide, toll free number.

Contact an Access Point

If you're looking for housing help or at risk of experiencing homelessness, there are special services called Access Points that can assist you. They go by different names like Entry Points or IAP (Initial Assessment & Planning), but they all do the same thing.

These services are run by various organisations located in different places. Most of them offer general help, but some are specifically for young people (up to 25 years old).

You can visit or call any of these Access Points to get advice and information. If you need ongoing support they will link you in with a support agency.

Remember, just because an Access Point is in a certain location doesn't mean they have housing available there. They're there to support you and provide knowledge about local services. They'll try their best to work with you based on your preferred areas.

To find a list of Access Points in metropolitan Melbourne, click here. You can also call 1800 825 955, which is a free 24-hour number for the whole state. They'll connect you to the nearest Access Point based on your physical location.

Remember, help is available, and you're not alone. Reach out and get the support you need. You got this!

 Intake Assessment

When you first contact an Access Point, the service will complete an initial intake.With your consent they will obtain and confidentially record some basic information such as:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Language spoken(including if you need an interpreter)
• Residency status
• Contact details

When it’s your turn a worker will meet with you one on one (either in person or over the phone depending on how you made contact) and complete an assessment if you don’t already have one on file or have not accessed the service for a while.

An assessment will cover a lot of different areas of your life including quite personal questions so the worker can best assess the most suitable accommodation options and support available to you. Remember all the information is kept securely and confidentially so will not be shared with anyone without your consent (ask about the organisation’s privacy policy and data collection if you’re concerned and they haven’t already told you about it).

 Most assessments will take about thirty minutes and cover the following areas:

• Housing history and need
• Mental health
• Alcohol and other drugs
• General/physical health
• Family violence/safety concerns
• Disability
• Legal
• Debt
• Family/friendship support
• Formal support
• Income

If you already have a case worker who is supporting you, whether they work in housing or not, they can complete the assessment with you and with your consent send this to an Access Point. This will help make the process quicker when you contact an Access Point and save you from having to re-tell information to more people. Speak with your case worker about this who can contact an Access Point to get a copy of the assessment form if they don’t already one.

You can also contact a youth case manager here at Wombat who can complete this assessment and send to an access point. Just complete this referral form and a youth case manger will contact you!

Emergency Accommodation Options

Short-term emergency housing is managed by not-for-profit organisations. It includes:

• Women's refuges
• Youth refuges
• Major crisis supported accommodation services

These organisations may also be able to help you find or keep long-term housing or even get into private rental.

Youth Specific Access Point

Frontyard is a crisis centre in the CBD providing emergency accommodation, health, education and employment support for 12 - 24 year olds. Drop-ins are always welcome and there is no need for a referral or appointment. Young people experiencing homelessness can have a shower, or grab some toiletries, underwear, and socks.

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