In a region encompassing five council areas covering Warrnambool and Portland there were 688 people waiting for social housing in March.

And 388 of them needed "priority housing", a criteria for experiencing homelessness.

Services pointed out the intrinsic link between homelessness and family violence at a south-west hearing for the Parliamentary Inquiry into Homelessness in Victoria.

Speaking at the inquiry, Barwon South West Homelessness Network's Rebecca Callahan said overall the need was clear: "Additional social housing properties should be the primary priority".

But a Warrnambool social worker told The Standard partnerships housing people in the city's vacant motel rooms during the coronavirus had also "shown what is possible".

Brophy Family and Youth Services team leader Leah McDonald said the service had housed 68 people including about 20 rough sleepers in five motels for up to two weeks at a time since March.

"Usually we can only place someone for two or three days, so COVID has allowed us to place people for one or two weeks," she said.

"That's the main driver of being able to support our local motels because they have reduced their rate to be affordable for us.

"When we have had to have social distancing and homes are overcrowded that's when the couch sleeping becomes rough sleeping.

"It is a hidden issue. Insecure housing and couch surfing are still parts of homelessness."

But Ms McDonald says when tourism returns and the federal government's JobSeeker payments reduce from a current fortnightly $1100, many won't be able to self-fund their accommodation.

"Once tourism returns, we will lose the ability to have those affordable accommodation options.(If) the extra $550 stimulus finishes in September that will pretty much cut all those rough sleepers out of being able to self-fund," she said.

Ms McDonald said the last four months had shown what could be done.

"Consistent good sleep, access to showers, things that we take for granted. We have been able to prioritise safety first," she said.

A lack of long-term affordable housing in Warrnambool means family violence victim-survivors and their children are staying in refuge and transitional housing for longer.

Emma House chief executive Ruth Isbel serviced 21 victim-survivors and their children into refuge and transitional houses in 2019-20 - a number well below a funding target of 80.

"There has been an increase in the length of stays in our crisis accommodation," Ms Isbel said. "The average length of stay for our refuge is between six and nine months and for our transitional properties it's up to two years but the refuge is funded based on a six-week stay."

Ms Isbel said the length of stays had trended upwards in the past decade and become entrenched in the past five years as public and social housing policy had impacted affordable housing options and accommodation for industries such as tourism and construction had increased.

"Our funding body is aware of this issue and continues to support our organisation," she said.

Emma House provided emergency accommodation to women and children on 117 instances in the past financial year. The length of stay in this form of accommodation, typically in motels, has also increased from four to six weeks.

"This is placing distressed fearful and traumatised families into motels that is far from ideal and even less appropriate for extended periods," Ms Isbel said.

Between July 2019 and March 2020, 67 per cent of the Wimmera South West family violence flexible support package funds were spent on emergency accommodation, which Ms Isbel said left "very little for targeting recovery and healing".

South West Centre Against Sexual Assault (CASA) centre manager Mary Clapham told the inquiry the service had 80 crisis care responses last financial year - four times its funded target.

"The impact of sexual assault can completely shatter people's lives, the lives of those around them and the hopes for the future they had planned," she said.

"It's not insurmountable for people to recover and heal from the impacts of sexual assault but homelessness and its usual downward trajectory adds to this already enormous burden."

The inquiry heard stop-gap accommodation at motels and caravan parks became "no longer available to agencies" during Warrnambool's peak tourism periods.

It also heard when wind farm projects ramp up, bringing workers into short-term housing, agencies notice emergency housing options reduce for people experiencing homelessness and family violence.

But the construction projects could also become part of a solution, the Barwon South West Homelessness Network's Ms Callahan said.

"Companies (could) consider purchasing transportable units for their workers. When they are no longer required the units could be moved onto local or state government land identified (for social housing)," she told the inquiry was one idea.

Ms Callahan said no south-west council had a homelessness strategy, unlike some in metropolitan areas.

"Housing that is secure, affordable and stable should be a part of any well-being planning proposals developed by local governments," she said.

Warrnambool City Council told The Standard it was at "an advanced stage" preparing a Warrnambool Social Housing Planning Project.

"A draft will be presented to council shortly and will provide information to understand the existing and future social housing needs of Warrnambool," a city spokesman said.

"The project provides a demand and supply evidence base, and focuses on the mechanisms and partnerships that will be required to grow social housing stock in Warrnambool."

The council also owns and manages 13 community homes which operate on an affordable housing model and support the vulnerable.

Emma House's Ms Isbel called for secure accommodation specifically designed for victim-survivors and their children forced to leave their homes.

"We would like the see further development and investment into gender and family violence informed long-term housing options supported by specialist family violence and sexual assault services," she said.

"This could include increasing transitional housing for specialist family violence services, cluster refuge beds and long-term supported secure accommodation."

Ms Isbel said housing recognising the specific needs of women and children had been proven to support recovery.

She backed a statewide social housing strategy that commits to increasing Victoria's social housing up to the national average of 4.5 per cent.

"It is a matter of urgency," she said. "For victim-survivors who are unable to stay at home or access private rental, social housing is the only long-term housing option.

"We could increase the current crisis accommodation options that Emma House manage and support and look at building on the current partnership that we has with TILT Renewables and Women's Housing.

"There needs to be an immediate increase in crisis and medium-term accommodation options for specialist family violence services in rural and regional area which could be part of the COVID construction stimulus strategy."

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