James Williams's one-bedroom flat is filled with the smell of lamb shanks in the slow-cooker.
His home in Pascoe Vale, in Melbourne's north, is neat and light, with medication and paperwork in order, certificates of achievement hanging on the walls.
Two years ago, life was completely different for the 37-year-old Gunditjamara/Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri/Gunai man.
"It was drugs, living in a hostel, renting out a room, hospitals, jail — it wasn't good, what I was doing," he said.
He credits the Andrews Government's Homelessness to a Home program (H2H) with completely turning his life around.
The program started in 2020, to house about 2,000 rough sleepers in hotels, and then into long-term housing, with customised support services, including case management, mental health support, as well as drug and alcohol counselling.
"It's kept me out of hospitals. It's kept me drug-free. It's kept me employed. It's given me support through lawyers in regards to family lawyers, connected me up with NDIS. It's been a big change," Mr Williams said.
He now works full-time in employment services, volunteers as a runner with his football club and is working on reconnecting with his daughter, who lives interstate.
"I'm not the way I used to be," he said.
His mother, Lisa Thorpe, said she has never seen a program so effective, and her son has done a lot of work to get his life to this point.
"I'm just so proud of James, and I love him and wish him all the best," she said.
"The proudest part of it is that I've got my son back."
Crucial services under threat
Housing services, including the Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA) and the Council to Homeless Persons, are calling on the government to expand the program.
Acting chief executive of CHIA Vic, Jason Perdriau, said he is concerned funding for the support services expires at the end of June.
"In the midst of a housing crisis, now is not the time to be cutting services to the most-vulnerable people in our community," he said.
He said the program was based on an internationally-recognised "housing-first" model.
"It prioritises giving people housing, without making them jump through any hoops, and then provides wraparound services to help them build their lives and overcome issues they've been dealing with for many years," he said.
Mr Perdriau said it was those services — which, he was concerned will receive less funding beyond June 30 — that make the program work.
"A lot of the people involved might have chronic mental health issues, histories of trauma, drug and alcohol abuse issues, histories with the justice system and, really, they need a lot of support to be able to maintain their home," he said.
"So, really, what's needed is the social housing combined with the support services."
The number of households on Victoria's social housing waitlist is 57,672, up from 54,751 in December 2021.
Mr Perdriau said about 15,000 of those people are in the sub-category of people who are homeless, and need further support.
"So, clearly, we need to be investing more in social housing and more in social support services, and not cutting back programs that are proven to be effective for the most-vulnerable people in Victoria," he said.
Calls to expand H2H program further
In its budget submission, the Council to Homeless Persons describes the H2H program as holding "the promise of maturing to deliver an almost 90 per cent housing sustainment rate, for a cohort with a sustainment rate that is usually less than half that".
Chief executive Deborah Di Natale said the program should be expanded to support 2,400 people, at a cost of $220.6 million over four years.
"You cannot expect someone who has been sleeping rough for many years to move into a house, and that tenancy will be sustained," she said.
She argued the program was an investment that would save money in the long term, for both the justice system and health system.
"I know the government talks about how tight this budget will be, but this will be a smart budget if it invests in the Homelessness to a Home program," she said.
"It's a win for people who have been experiencing homelessness, and it's a win for ensuring that the economics stack up."
The Homelessness to a Home program is funded at $12 million a year from next month, far less than the $150 million when the program launched in 2020.
In a statement, a Victorian government spokesperson said the program had helped 1,845 households, including 1,770 who are now settled in long-term homes.
"Victoria is the only jurisdiction in Australia to introduce a comprehensive housing and support program that is a significant step towards a housing-first model," the spokesperson said.
Clients attest to life-changing results
In St Kilda, in Melbourne's inner south, Michael Jovicic has just moved into a flat.
He said that, before he was linked to the Homelessness to a Home program, he had been sleeping rough for more than 15 years, since a series of complex medical conditions that meant he could no longer keep up with his rent.
"It was just existence. It was just existence: sometimes you ate, sometimes you didn't," he said.
He said the H2H program had made a huge difference.
"Shelter to start off with," he said.
"You don't have to get wet if you want to go use the toilet — a fridge, a shower, a bed, it's all a big help, a big difference from roughing it out on the street."
He said the support services meant he could now keep up with his medical treatments, and he could foster rescue dogs, like three-year-old Artie.
He wants the program to be expanded so that other people can get the support he had received from his support workers.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them," he said.
