Council pledges more homes for the homeless

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP has announced 70 new homes for rough sleepers as part of last week’s National Homeless Persons’ Week.

The 70 subsidised rental homes will be located in Woolloomooloo; an area where the homeless population has risen 37 per cent in the past year and is now home to half of Sydney’s homeless.

“This is the most significant action taken to address homelessness in decades,” Ms Moore said.

“Chronic homelessness has been a problem in Woolloomooloo for more than 40 years.”

The Lord Mayor’s announcement is an additional string to the City of Sydney Council’s homelessness reduction bow that has spanned several decades.

“The City of Sydney is the only local council in Australia with a dedicated Homelessness Unit and has been providing a direct response to the homeless since the establishment of the Homeless Persons Information Centre (HPIC) in 1985,” Ms Moore said.

She went on to explain the importance of the HPIC but admitted there was no silver bullet.

“We are working with other levels of government and non-government organisations to do all we can to reduce homelessness – but there is no quick-fix solution.”

Chief Executive Officer of the St Vincent de Paul Society Nation Council, Dr John Falzon, said the most important step was more housing.

“We also acknowledge that we cannot eliminate homelessness as a nation unless we invest in social housing,” he said.

“We remain deeply concerned about the inadequacy of social security benefits, especially the Newstart Allowance. Being forced to survive on $34 a day increases a person’s vulnerability to homelessness.”

Ms Moore said the decision is a “momentous step toward our common goal of reducing homelessness in the inner city.”
By Thomas Hellier