Latest news with #roughSleepers
News.com.au
10-08-2025
- General
- News.com.au
How Sydney's homeless crisis has transformed since 2019
In February 2019, the NSW government signed an end street sleeping agreement with the Institute of Global Homelessness and City of Sydney. This included a commitment to reduce street homelessness by 50 per cent by 2025. Short of reducing or even remaining the same, the number of rough sleepers has instead increased by 67 per cent in the past five years, according to state government counts. One central Sydney volunteer has seen first hand how the face of homelessness has shifted over that time, saying 'it's no longer just those sleeping on the streets, but students, jobseekers, families, and older Australians all slipping through the cracks'. Donna Brooks has been volunteering for homeless assistance charity Orange Sky for more than six years near Central Station in the heart of Sydney. Over that time, with cost of living becoming increasingly burdensome and people struggling more and more to make ends meet, Ms Brooks said homelessness had shifted from something predominantly affecting those with pre-existing circumstances to everyday people just down on their luck. 'I think some years ago here it was a more common story that (homelessness) was a complex needs situation often,' she said. Complex needs refers to a situation where a person is dealing with several connected issues that seriously impact their wellbeing and ability to function in society. Examples can include intellectual disabilities, mental health concerns and drug addictions. 'Whereas now, I think what we're seeing a lot more is that people have less resources available to them. The cost of living definitely has had an impact on that,' she said. 'The cost of rent, a lot of people are priced out of the market. Some of the people that I've met doing Orange Sky have ended up learning about these services that they had no idea even existed for decades because they had careers and they ran a business and they were in a family. 'Then their circumstances change and they realise that they can't even get a rental and that they're struggling to get employment.' Orange Sky provides hot showers and laundry cleaning services via mobile vans and Ms Brooks said the demographics of homelessness she was seeing over the course of her work was becoming 'increasingly diverse'. 'I think it's important to note the diversity of people we see,' she said. 'We're seeing young people, older people, all ages, genders, ethnicities. It's become increasingly diverse. 'I think there are so many pathways and circumstances that people are facing that lead them to seeking out help and services like Orange Sky. 'What we see now is not just necessarily the rough sleepers that people might be familiar with walking past in the inner city or in the streets. There's a lot of people that are being very creative as to how they're surviving without having a secure home.' Ms Brooks said for some people that meant living out of a car, vehicle or couch surfing. But for others, more innovative solutions were required. 'I volunteer regularly near Central Station in Sydney,' she said. 'A lot of the people that come through there, for example, will ride trains and ride overnight trains and late-running trains just to get a bit of shelter and hopefully some safety rather than being out in the open overnight. 'So that's a different kind of homelessness but is very much homelessness nonetheless.' Speaking to NSW parliament on Friday morning, Premier Chris Minns announced a 10-year strategy targeting homelessness. Mr Minns drew focus to young people and Aboriginal communities 'disproportionately affected' by the issue. In the last census, the total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing homelessness was up 6.4 per cent from the previous census, making them approximately eight times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous counterparts. Mr Minns announced a sleeping register would be brought in to develop a 'true picture of the scope and nature of people that are sleeping rough in NSW'. 'This is a real priority for us, an important one for the state, and an important one for Sydney, given we're one of the most expensive cities on the face of the world,' he said. Speaking to NewsWire, Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said 'the previous government's promise to cut homelessness in half by 2025 simply hasn't delivered'. 'We've heard the reports and seen the statistics, and we need to be honest, past plans by the former Liberal/National Government failed because they were never adequately funded, never strategic enough and never long-term,' she said. 'This week, we announced our new homelessness strategy, a real and comprehensive approach to tackling homelessness. 'This strategy isn't just about crisis accommodation; it's about addressing the root cause of homelessness, the lack of affordable housing.' Ms Jackson acknowledged in order to solve the crisis a strategic approach was needed. 'The cost of living is hitting hard, and we're seeing more and more everyday people at risk,' she said. 'They're not just the people we've traditionally seen affected. Now, more people, through no fault of their own, are falling into homelessness. They've lost jobs, experienced misfortune, and just can't make ends meet.' Ms Jackson said the previous government's approach lacked 'both the vision and the resources'. 'This is where we are different — we're putting in the investment that's long overdue,' she said. 'We've committed the largest housing investment in the state's history through our Building Homes for NSW program, $6.6bn, and we're implementing once-in-a-generation planning reforms to ensure we build homes where they're needed most. 'Not just for the people already homeless, but for preventing it from happening to more. 'We are taking responsibility. And we are doing it now, with the scale of investment, the whole-of-government strategy, and the long-term vision it takes to make homelessness a thing of the past.' Ms Brooks said in the recent cold and wet months the mood had shifted among the homeless community. 'It really takes a toll. The shift that I do is on a Sunday morning, and by 8.30 in the morning there's often people gathered waiting for us to turn up, and especially when it's been cold and wet, because they're eager to try to get a bit of a fresh start and to maybe have a warm shower and wash their clothes and put on some dry things and sort their bedding out so that they can almost start afresh that day,' she said. 'They will wait eagerly and are so pleased to see us because they can do that. It really takes a toll on people. 'Once you get into that cycle, it is so hard to get out of it. It impacts your health, your wellbeing. If you don't have a place that you can even safely sleep, how do you keep turning up for job interviews to try to get the job, to then try to get the apartment, to then try to get some furniture and a fridge? They're all very linked and it plays on people's health and it's certainly not just physical but mental health as well. It really takes a toll.'
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Law change alone not enough to help homeless, say Yorkshire charities
The government has decided to decriminalise homelessness in England and Wales - but charity bosses say the move will do little to give dignity to rough week ministers announced plans to scrap the Vagrancy Act - first introduced in 1824 - with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner labelling it "cruel and outdated".Representatives from homelessness charities in Bradford and Sheffield said they were unaware of the legislation still being used to prosecute people, with a government spokesperson admitting use of the act had "significantly declined over the years".Tim Renshaw, chief executive of the Sheffield-based Cathedral Archer Project, said: "I think it will bypass most people that they could have been arrested purely for being vagrant." Mr Renshaw, whose organisation helps people off the streets, said the law change was "probably going to be trumped up as something it probably isn't"."Nobody is seeing people who don't have homes as criminals by default," he said."They are seeing the behaviour of some of those people who don't have homes as anti-social and are therefore looking for enforcement against that."According to Mr Renshaw, the announcement "lacks the other element of how do we give dignity, if we are not going to say that people are criminals? How do we include them in society?". The Labour government said it planned to replace the Vagrancy Act with "targeted measures" that would "ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe".They would include new offences of facilitating begging for gain and trespassing with the intention of committing a Renshaw said any enforcement measures should be accompanied by support for homeless people."If we say: 'You can't do that activity in that place', at the same time we need to be saying: 'How do we support you not to do that activity in this place?'."It's not that enforcement doesn't have a place, it's just that by itself it will only ever displace [from one area to another]."In Sheffield, the Cathedral Archer Project is working on what Mr Renshaw calls a "support model", backed by authorities including the police and city has become more visible in the city centre in recent years, with an outreach charity counting 71 people sleeping rough in and around central Sheffield in August last year. 'Homeless have complex needs' Steve Richardson, a trustee of Bradford charity Homeless Not Hopeless, welcomed the law change as a "great step forward", but said it "should just be the first step"."People can at least live their lives without automatically being criminalised," he said."Let's start putting in place the mechanisms to actually help and support them."Mr Richardson described the Vagrancy Act as "a convenient rule if somebody needed to be moved on as a threat".However, in his view, "just giving people a flat isn't the answer"."These people, after years of sleeping rough, have complex needs," he added."They need some support to address them." Homeless Not Hopeless supports between 100 and 150 people in Bradford every week, a "significant proportion" of whom are homeless, said Mr is based next to railway arches at Forster Square Station, a location where some of the city's homeless would sleep until they were moved on by Bradford Council last year to provide space for art installations as part of City of Culture Richardson said he was "absolutely confident" people on the streets would "pay back every penny of investment to get them back on their feet"."They want jobs, they want to work, to pay tax. Many, many many of them also try to give something back."We have several people we have supported over the years who have come back and volunteered."The government said it had boosted funding for homelessness services by an extra £233m this financial year, bringing total investment for 2025-26 to nearly £1bn.A spokesperson said the deputy prime minister was also developing a new homelessness strategy with other government departments, as well as mayors and councils, to be published later this year. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Peterborough charity plans house to tackle long-term homelessness
A charity refurbishing a house for rough sleepers hopes it will be a "stepping stone" for people struggling with First Peterborough, which began renting the three-bedroom terrace in Millfield earlier this year, hopes it will be ready to welcome its first residents by Saeed from the charity says many rough sleepers in the area have been "stuck on the streets" for more than a decade and may also struggle with alcohol or drug City Council said in its latest homelessness report that there were 24 rough sleepers in the city in 2023, the same as the previous year. The authority said its rough sleeper team "promptly" identified and assessed new individuals on the streets and offered them tailored aim of the Community First Peterborough house is to help people sleeping rough access support services from the council and other organisations such as charities."This is a stepping stone to get them into housing and into rehabilitation services to get them off the streets," said Mr Saeed. The house will be kitted out with CCTV and have an office for a Community First Peterborough staff member to help with application forms and make sure residents are staying on will have a garden for the residents to plant flowers and vegetables, as well as a community room with a table tennis table. Mr Saeed said his charity had been in contact with people who had been sleeping rough for 10 years or thought this was due to a number of different reasons, such as not having any documentation, or mental health issues."We are taking it on board to get those people into a position where they can become recourse to public funds and then be able to avail themselves of housing," he aim is for people to stay in the house for six to 12 months until they can move on to another property, such as supported accommodation with the council. But Mr Saeed says this can be a difficult journey, especially if individuals are struggling to overcome alcohol or drugs addictions."We know in the addiction circles, people will relapse," he added."We're not here to judge who's at what stage, if people relapse that's part of the process and we have to understand and have to be there."The housing charity, Crisis, said prolonged periods of rough sleeping increase the likelihood of somebody experiencing substance misuse issues, describing it as a "dangerous and isolating experience". Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
SBS Australia
08-05-2025
- Sport
- SBS Australia
NITV News: May 8, 2025
Community support for rough sleepers as Brisbane Council moves in to evict them from Musgrave Park. Vigils getting underway to remember the victims and survivors of domestic violence. And - big praise for the New South Wales coaching staff ahead of game 2 in the Women's State of Origin.
