First homeless shelter to be established in Melbourne CBD

Australian city of Melbourne will provide funding for the city's first homeless shelter, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Night Time Safe Space will be operated by the Salvation Army from the end of May onwards with rough sleepers able to take refuge from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven nights a week.

Robert Doyle, mayor of Melbourne, said the decision to fund the shelter came after a successful trial in 2016.

"More than 70 people a night are expected to receive support through this service, which is particularly important as we head into winter," Doyle told News Limited on Wednesday.

"This is not just about providing a safe and warm space at night in the CBD. It's about linking people with appropriate housing, as well as drug and alcohol services to help them find permanent pathways out of homelessness."

Funding for the service comes from a wider 1.5 million U.S. dollar package of funding for homeless initiatives across the city.

The shelter will operate for a minimum of 250 days of the year, including during the extreme seasons of winter and summer.

Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle said the initiative was a great way to take care of rough sleepers.

"If you see someone living rough on the streets, please encourage them to come to the Salvation Army for support," Nottlle said.

"Last year's 20-week pilot was a great success and we look forward to helping more this year."

A new Daily Support Team will also be rolled out to connect homeless people with outreach services and support as well to collect real-time data on the state of the city's homeless.

"We don't want to accept a situation where large groups of people see sleeping on a city street as the best long-term choice they have available," Doyle said.

"If we can successfully bring together all the services to work as one, we can hopefully make real difference to the lives of people sleeping rough." Endit