Fewer people sleeping rough in the City of Sydney

18 Mar 2022

The number of people sleeping rough in the City of Sydney continues to decline as the NSW Government ramps up efforts to address homelessness across the state.

Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones said no matter where you live, the priority is to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in the City of Sydney by almost halving the number of people sleeping rough in only five years which is really encouraging,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

“But we now need to redouble efforts to tackle this issue in regional areas to match that progress.

“This year I took part in the count to see first hand how it works. I want to thank the many volunteers who give up their time to do this important work as well as the staff from the City of Sydney and from the Department of Communities and Justice.”

The City of Sydney street count for 2022 shows 225 people sleeping rough, a 17 per cent reduction since February 2021 and a 48 per cent reduction since February 2017.

Across the regions there are increases in the street count with the statewide figures showing there are 1,207 people sleeping rough.

The 2022 figures do not include some parts of the state, including Brunswick Heads and Mullumbimby, because street counts in those areas were cancelled due to the recent extreme weather events.

For the first time we have expanded the count to include Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Inverell, Moree Plains, Yass Valley, Bellingen and Wentworth.

The NSW Government has committed to reducing street homelessness in NSW by 50 per cent by 2025, as one of the Premier’s Priorities.

Since April 2020, the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) has expanded assertive street outreach services from three initial locations to almost 60 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across NSW, performed over 9,500 street patrols and other outreach activities to engage with people sleeping rough and offer a pathway to long-term housing.

“We have supported more than 1,300 people sleeping rough into social housing, and more than 600 people into private accommodation,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

“We have invested in new homelessness prevention programs to support people in social housing to maintain their tenancy and avoid returning to homelessness.”

“Having a street count is an extremely valuable measurement tool. It gives us real information tailored to particular areas so that we can direct our resources where they are needed most.”

The Department of Communities and Justice partnered with more than 150 local organisations to conduct this year’s statewide street count in 76 LGAs across NSW.

In addition to efforts to address housing in flood-affected parts of NSW, the NSW Government has introduced:

• A $484.3 million investment to support women and children escaping domestic and family violence into housing and specialist services.
• An additional $183 million dedicated to fast track more social housing properties across NSW.
• The Community Housing Innovation Fund, a $150 million program to deliver social and affordable housing in partnership with Community Housing Providers (CHPs).
• The $1.1 billion Social and Affordable Housing Fund, an initiative to provide access to social and affordable homes together with access to tailored support services.
• Together Home, a $122.1 million program which helps people into long-term stable housing.
• Rent Choice, which supports access to safe and affordable housing in the private rental market.

The 2022 street count figures are available at:

https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/about/reforms/homelessness/premiers-priority-to-reduce-street-homelessness/street-count

Anyone who is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, can call Link2home on 1800 152 152.