Wollongong City Council to partner with NSW Government on homelessness crisis

REPORTER: As the affordable housing crisis worsens in the Illawarra, the NSW government has revealed its 20-year road map to reduce homelessness in the state by 50 percent. Earlier this month, NSW Housing Minister, Melinda Pavey announced the state government would be partnering with Wollongong City Council to assess the use of vacant land and buildings for short term crisis accommodation. Wollongong Lord Mayor, Gordon Bradbury is a keen supporter of the pilot program. 

GORDON BRADBURY: Well for a start I hate seeing buildings empty. It’s very offensive to me when there are people sleeping rough and without a shelter to see a building empty. 

REPORTER: The pilot program will aim to provide short term accommodation up to two years for those in the area facing near or immediate homelessness. Whilst the program will be assessing only government owned land and buildings, the council has also indicated it will be approaching developers and private owners in the hopes of providing more affordable housing options. 

GORDON BRADBURY: When it comes to council and the community, it’s not just a matter of sweeping people off the street and tidying up the town, and growing pretty flowers, and things like that, and making us all feel good. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about human rights, it’s about justice, that everyone has a right to certain amenities and part of that is housing. 

REPORTER: News of the program has been welcomed by Wollongong Homeless Hub CEO, Mandy Booker. As the weather begins to cool, the hub is preparing for another busy winter season. 

MANDY BOOKER: We’ve seen a 42% increase in the last six to twelve months of people presenting either homeless or just about to become homeless. We’ve got people ranging from, I think our eldest in the last 12 months has been 82 right through to pregnant ladies giving birth while they’re here [laughs] so we really do see everybody. 

REPORTER: The Wollongong homeless hub is currently funded to see 630 people through its services each year. Ms Booker estimates that this year alone they have seen just under 3000 people through their programs. 

MANDY BOOKER: We’ve really seen people are here in crisis. So, they come through in temporary accommodation here. But after 30 days they essentially need to have an exit point otherwise we’re actually exiting them back into homelessness. That’s not ok and that’s never going to be ok. So, we do need that interim option, and if there’s buildings and vacant buildings that can be reutilised or that are currently underutilised, then I think it’s all of our duty to actually look at what we can do with that.