Decision details

Homelessness Crisis

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Miller –

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         there is a crisis of homelessness in NSW; 

(a)       homelessness has increased by 16 per cent in the last four years;

(b)       in the same period, spending on services for those who are homeless and those sleeping rough decreased by 14 per cent;

(c)       288,000 people access homelessness services each year; and

(d)       almost 200,000 people are on waiting lists for social housing; and

(ii)        there are many individuals sleeping rough in our City each night, and many experiencing long-term homelessness; and

(B)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to explore strategies to provide additional support to rough sleepers and homelessness services in the City, including the 24 hour safe space promised by the NSW State government in August 2017.

At the request of Councillor Thalis, and by consent, the motion was varied, such that it read as follows –

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         there is a crisis of homelessness, and:

(a)     homelessness has increased by 37% in NSW, and by 14% across Australia in the five years to 2016, according to census data;

(b)     in the same period, spending on services for those who are homeless and those sleeping rough decreased by 14%;

(c)     288,000 people access homelessness services every year; and

(d)     51,453 people in NSW are on the social housing waiting list and almost 2000,000 people are on waiting lists for social housing across Australia;

(ii)        there are many individuals sleeping rough in our City each night, and many experiencing long-term homelessness;

(iii)      that, for over 30 years, the City of Sydney has been supporting homeless people in the inner city and is the only council in Australia with a dedicated Homelessness Unit who work seven days a week engaging with people and connecting them to specialist services;

(iv)      the City of Sydney invests $2.2 million every year in reducing homelessness and its impact in Sydney, including providing $3.5 million over three years through NSW Family and Community Services to support the delivery of specialist homelessness services;

(v)       for the past 10 years, the City of Sydney has conducted a bi-annual street count, monitoring the number rough sleepers in our city;

(vi)      the City of Sydney work, in collaboration to help protect vulnerable people through:

(a)     the Emergency Response Protocol with the NSW Department of Family and Community Services;

(b)     the Homelessness Assertive Outreach Response Team, (the HART), a coordinated specialist outreach team; and

(c)     quarterly interagency meetings with Family and Community Services, specialist homelessness services, business and community groups;

(vii)     that City staff have worked with the Homelessness Assertive Outreach Response Team, and the Family and Community Services’ Homeless Outreach Support Team to help approximately 250 rough sleepers into long-term, permanent housing since March 2017; and

(viii)    that, to date, the City has supported the delivery of more than 800 affordable housing dwellings, with over 1000 more in the pipeline; and 

(B)      Council recommit to the resolution of 7 August 2017 to support the establishment of a 24/7 safe space in Central Sydney through a grant to the Department of Family and Community Services of up to $100,000 per year for up to three years, and offer of the temporary use of a Council property for an immediate interim facility subject to Department of Family and Community Services providing necessary support services.

Carried unanimously.

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