Sydney homelessness sees concerning rise, Mayor urges state government to take action

By LAUREN FROST

Sydney’s Mayor Lord Clover Moore is urging the state government to address the rapidly rising rates of homelessness in Sydney.

The City of Sydney measured a 23% increase in people sleeping rough in the inner-city streets over the past year.

About 100 volunteers participated in a street count on the morning of February 21. The count found 277 people sleeping rough in the local area, a significant increase from the 225 people counted the same time last year.

Also concerning is the decrease in the number of available crisis and temporary accomodation beds. At the time of the count, crisis and temporary accomodation beds were nearly at full capacity with 93% of beds being occupied.

“These figures won’t go down unless we tackle the causes of homelessness,” Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said, calling out the new state government to prioritise ending homelessness.

“The pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing inequality and highlighted how precarious access to housing, food, and financial support is for many,” Moore said.

However, the Lord Mayor is not without hope, explaining that the pandemic also demonstrated that with enough political willpower and urgency, homelessness can be tackled far more effectively.

“When the city went into lockdown, people sleeping rough were rushed into temporary accomodation and many were then supported into longer term housing,” she said.

“We now have nearly 300 people sleeping on city streets each night, with much of the extra help available through the pandemic now dried up or discontinued, with non-residents back to not being able to access any support at all.”

The responsibility of housing and homelessness falls under the NSW government, however, the City of Sydney has long been playing their role in tackling homelessness.

For over 30 years the City of Sydney has been assisting those sleeping rough in the inner city through their homelessness unit, having been the first council in Australia to introduce a unit dedicated to homelessness.

Moreover, the City of Sydney has run the street count since 2010 to aid in the development of responses to homelessness in the local area. Public space liaison officers walk the streets daily to help link those sleeping rough to services they need. Additionally, the council invests $2.2 million, annually, to reduce homelessness, over half of which is given to external specialist homelessness services.

However, Moore believes that more needs to be done by the State Government in the realm of affordable housing.

“The City is doing everything it can to generate more affordable housing in our local area. We have introduced planning and development agreements, land rezoning and transfers, affordable housing levies and a dedicated fund to support the development of permanent affordable and diverse housing,” the Lord Mayor said.

“But the lack of ambition shown in the State’s major housing projects is disappointing. The former Government’s proposed redevelopment of Waterloo Estate sees just 100 more social housing homes than what is there now.”

“This is a missed opportunity for such a significant site,” Moore said. “With more than 57,000 people on the waitlist for social housing in NSW, this site should be 100 per cent social and affordable housing. At a minimum, the incoming Government should commit to 30 per cent social housing and 20 per cent affordable housing, with more housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people given their long connections to this area.”

“This would go some way to meeting the critical need for social and affordable housing in the inner city,” she said.

“We cannot solve homelessness without more housing”

Homelessness NSW CEO Trina Jones similarly pleads that the NSW Government invest more heavily in social housing and homelessness services.

“We cannot solve homelessness without more housing, it’s that simple. The challenge right now is even greater due to the rising cost of living, low wages and a dire shortage of affordable rental homes making homelessness a reality for more people,” Ms Jones said.

“We urge the NSW Government to guarantee continued funding for the Together Home program which has achieved strong results in helping people who are sleeping rough into stable accommodation with critical wrap around services,” Ms Jones said.

Ms Jones says that the Together Home Program has been “highly successful in transitioning
people from rough sleeping into a home. But just as importantly it is keeping them in those homes because the wrap around services offered as part of the program help to prevent people returning to the streets.”

The program, which was initially funded during the pandemic, requires a commitment from the Government for ongoing funding of $25 million per year, which Ms Jones says is a “relatively modest but important investment”.

“Homelessness does not have to be a problem that only gets worse and programs like Together Home can make such a difference to the lives of our most vulnerable people in the community.”