City of Sydney Council has warned against the return to a business-as-usual approach to tackling homelessness on the back of temporary accommodation measures introduced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
Council’s latest street count found 225 people sleeping rough on Sydney’s inner-city streets, compared to 272 in February last year.
Crisis and temporary accommodation beds were at 81% occupancy – 1% lower than at the same time last year.
More than 110 volunteers took to the streets to carry out the twice-yearly street count in the early hours of Tuesday 22 February. They were joined by eight of the City of Sydney’s homelessness advisors – volunteers with lived experience of homelessness.
Lord Mayor, Clover Moore (pictured) said despite increased effort by the NSW Government during the pandemic, it was clear much more needs to be done.
“When the city went into lockdown, the NSW Government seized the opportunity to house people,” the Lord Mayor said.
“People sleeping rough were rushed into temporary accommodation and many were then supported into longer term housing. Many people who aren’t residents, who usually live without government support, were kept safe in emergency accommodation.
“Despite this increase in investment, we still have over 200 people sleeping on city streets each night. Much of this extra help has now dried up or been discontinued and non-residents are back to not being able to access any support at all.
“We know the cost of living is a real issue in Sydney and the pandemic has further widened the inequality gap. We want the significant funding in housing options and additional support services the government made available during the pandemic to remain, to ensure a roof is available for people who would otherwise be on the streets. If not, we will see this figure climb again.
“These temporary arrangements and support are often the first step in a journey to more permanent accommodation options, which is the ultimate aim.
“We also need much more social and affordable housing in our area and a continued focus on how we can work together to prevent people slipping through the cracks.”
While the NSW Government is responsible for supporting people who are homeless, Lord Mayor Moore says the City of Sydney was the first local council in Australia to set up a homelessness unit.
Every day the City’s public space liaison officers walk the streets to help link people sleeping rough with the services they need. The City of Sydney invests over $1 million each year in specialist homelessness services, she said.
“Increasing the amount of affordable and diverse housing in the local area is a priority for the City of Sydney. The new City Council is currently establishing a Housing for All working group to further develop relevant housing strategies and initiatives,” the Mayor said.
Visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/public-health-safety-programs/street-counts for previous homelessness count results.
