Decision details

Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by Councillor Worling –

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note that:

(i)         Shelter NSW recently launched the report Examining the intersectionality housing needs for the LGBTIQA+ community across the City of Sydney;

(ii)        the research was supported by a City of Sydney Innovation and Ideas grant; 

(iii)      the report finds that:

(a)       LGBTIQA+ people are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis, experiencing higher rates of housing insecurity and homelessness;

(a)       LGBTIQA+ people experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and disadvantage in the housing market; and

(b)       many LGBTIQA+ people feel unwelcome or unsafe in mainstream housing services, shelters or aged care facilities;

(iv)      while acknowledging the significant work that the City of Sydney does to ensure that the inner city is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTIQA+ people, including the recent grant to establish a cooperative for trans women in Darlinghurst, the report notes that the City of Sydney’s currently policies and strategies do not include a focus on LGBTQIA+ housing needs;

(v)       Twenty-ten and the Gender Centre have been working to address homelessness and accommodation issues faced by gender and sexually diverse people, particularly young people, for over 40 years; and

(vi)      the report recommends that Council consider:

(a)       improving data collection to inform the picture of the housing needs of LGBTQIA+ people;

(b)       developing a toolkit of resources for Council, community housing providers and others on how to advocate for the housing needs of LGBTIQA+ people;

(c)       developing a LGBTQIA+ focused housing policy, and/ or updating Council’s policies to ensure intersectional LGBTQIA+ housing needs are considered;

(d)       supporting the development of a LGBTQIA+ specific or specialist housing service, potentially through seed funding; and

(e)       supporting the creation of an LGBTIQA+ ‘foyer’ housing project in the City of Sydney; and

(B)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         consult with Twenty-Ten, the Gender Centre and other relevant stakeholders on the recommendations in the report; and

(ii)        refer the report to the Housing for All Working Group for consideration and for advice to Council about opportunities to respond to the report’s findings. 

The motion, as varied by consent, was carried unanimously.

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