With winter around the corner City tackles homelessness

BY MICK ROBERTS

CONSERVATIVELY between 150 and 350 people sleep in parks and streets on any given night in the inner city, according to welfare and support agencies.
As temperatures drop with the end of summer, welfare agencies are appealing for more blankets for the homeless, while the City of Sydney Council grapples with finding shelter for the hundreds of ‘rough sleepers’.
The most recent Australian Census data available shows that 324 people were identified as staying in improvised homes within the city area in 2001. Numbers would undoubtedly have grown in recent years with Sydney’s spiraling rental and living costs.
Council says that to quantify accurately the number of homeless people in the Sydney city is difficult.
‘While some homeless people may regularly access, and be known to particular support services, others rarely come into contact with such services,’ a spokesperson told The City News.
To accurately establish the numbers of rough sleepers and to reduce their numbers, Council have begun the City’s Homelessness Strategy 2007 ‘ 2012.
The most recent data collected by the City’s Homeless Persons Information Centre indicates there were slightly more than 50,000 calls made from a city location during the 2005-06 financial year.
‘The City of Sydney has created the Homelessness Strategy not because we believe there is an increase in numbers, but because that is the right thing to do, no matter how many people are homeless,’ a spokesperson said.
As part of the Strategy Council is working with the NSW Department of Community Services and Housing NSW on a new project to address chronic homelessness by providing housing with ongoing, coordinated support.
The Complex Needs Coordination Project is based on a successful international model that enables homeless people to remain in stable housing, with improved health and wellbeing.
Housing NSW will lease 30 properties for clients of the project, with nine other agencies signed up, including the Office of the Protective Commissioner; Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care; health services; homelessness services; NSW Police; and the Probation and Parole Service.
Council said they do not give out information about the location of the homes, but it is likely some of the 30 properties to be leased to house the homeless will be located within the inner city area.
The strategy also included a new Public Space Liaison Officer. Since taking up the position in June last year, Mike Fish has worked cooperatively with rough sleepers, residents and organisations to solve problems and improve amenity, receiving positive feedback.
‘The key role of the position is to work co operatively with people who are homeless to improve public space management and ensure that people are put in touch with the right services that can help them such as Street Outreach and Missionbeat,’ the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile the end of summer means the start of a busy period for welfare and support agencies as the nights turn cold and the city’s homeless seek the warmth of shelters.
Missionbeat, a non-government service which helps the chronically homeless, have run out of blankets for rough sleepers due to the unseasonably cool weather.
Missionbeat patrols inner Sydney streets, helping people to services where their immediate needs can be met, such as safe accommodation, food, clothing and the option to access other intervention support services.
Donations of clean blankets can be made by phoning Missionbeat on 1300306461, or by delivering the blankets to Unit 2, 1 Brompton Street, Marrickville.