Kathleen Terrick, like too many other Indigenous women, has recently experienced homelessness.

After spending time living in a tent on a riverbank as a child, she is now a member of the Homeless Persons Union of Victoria, which has just launched a campaign about a growing concern: the treatment of those sleeping rough in the CBD.

“Being homeless is not a crime,” Terrick said. “I don’t like these security ‘solutions’ that councils are coming up with. We need resources to go into proven services like outreach support and homeless shelters.”

The Homeless Persons Union started a petition on Monday demanding the City of Melbourne dump its $2 million program in the council’s 2025-26 budget to hire 10 security guards for city patrols, claiming the move unfairly targeted homeless people and

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