The New South Wales government has cleared out a second homeless camp in inner-city Sydney.
The camp in Belmore Park near Central station was dismantled after its residents left the site over the past week.
NSW’s family and community services department (Facs) ran an outreach service over a number of days – accompanied by police – which offered 58 residents temporary or permanent housing.
Thirty-two accepted offers of temporary accommodation, which would “turn into offers of permanent accommodation for those eligible”.
“Because of this effort, there are no longer any people sleeping rough in tents in Belmore Park,” a spokesman said.
It is unclear where the other 26 residents have gone.
The clearing of the camp escaped the kind of public attention given to Martin Place earlier this month. It’s understood a significant police presence was used in Belmore Park – although Facs said that was standard practice for its outreach services.
The tough new move-on powers, introduced as a solution to the Martin Place camp, were again not used.
The state’s homelessness services welcomed the offers of housing to Belmont Park residents.
But both Homelessness NSW and the St Vincent de Paul Society have expressed concerns about a lack of long-term support services, which are needed to keep the residents in housing. There are also concerns that residents are being sent to homes without furniture.
The Homelessness NSW chief executive, Katherine McKernan, said it was crucial those experiencing homelessness were simultaneously given both housing and wraparound psychosocial and case management support services.
Without adequately funded support services, McKernan warned people would end up back on the street, continuing the cycle of homelessness.
The approach championed by McKernan, known as Housing First, has been employed in the United States with some success.
“The concern is that without the ongoing support, that people will be unable to maintain their housing and will end up homeless again and will have difficulty getting back on the housing register, as the policy states that you need to demonstrate six months of private rental history in order to be reconsidered following an exit from public housing,” she said.
A Facs spokesman said the government did offer “supportive services and connections to community-based supports”, with the intent to help people stay in their homes and avoid returning to homelessness.
But St Vincent de Paul Society NSW chief executive, Jack de Groot, echoed the concerns of Homelessness NSW about the sustainability of the housing being offered.
“Our people are saying to us that there’s some very temporary and non-sustainable options being given to people – a bit of emergency housing, but it doesn’t have any support around it,” he said.
“People are not going to stay in that sort of housing. It needs to be much more planned, coordinated, linked in to other support services that they need.”
McKernan said about 100 people from Martin Place and Belmore Park have been housed, while a similar number were currently in hotels or motels.
“Facs are to be commended in identifying properties and accommodation options for people, however, people who have been rough sleeping require long-term support to maintain housing,” she said.
“Our understanding is that of the 100 people housed only 25 people have been provided with furniture.”
Homelessness NSW wants to see targets to reduce and end homelessness in inner-city suburbs in Sydney, a dedicated supply of housing to the Housing First approach, properly funded psychosocial and case management services, coordinated outreach for those sleeping rough, and a cross-government and nongovernment taskforce, as well as a broader strategy to achieve housing affordability in Sydney.
McKernan said the City of Sydney’s last street count showed 1,020 people were homeless in the council area.
“Band-Aid responses will not address this issue and without action on affordable housing and a coordinated Housing First response this figure will either remain static or increase as more people will become homeless,” she said.
De Groot warned those sleeping rough were the “pointy end” of a much larger problem and most forms of homelessness were invisible to the public.
“[It’s] the pointiest end of a very big wound that we’ve got in the community about unaffordable rents, spikes in utility prices and the lack of support services,” he said.
The Greens’ housing spokeswoman, Jenny Leong, said the government was attempting to “hide the problem rather than find real solutions”.
“Rounding up vulnerable people and moving them out of the city into homes with no furniture and away from their support services and even from access to meals, is appalling,” Leong said.
“The premier must take responsibility and find real solutions to the growing homelessness crisis in this city – it’s not enough to just try to push the problem out of sight,” she said”
The camp in Belmore Park near Central station was dismantled after its residents left the site over the past week.
NSW’s family and community services department (Facs) ran an outreach service over a number of days – accompanied by police – which offered 58 residents temporary or permanent housing.
Thirty-two accepted offers of temporary accommodation, which would “turn into offers of permanent accommodation for those eligible”.
“Because of this effort, there are no longer any people sleeping rough in tents in Belmore Park,” a spokesman said.
It is unclear where the other 26 residents have gone.
The clearing of the camp escaped the kind of public attention given to Martin Place earlier this month. It’s understood a significant police presence was used in Belmore Park – although Facs said that was standard practice for its outreach services.
The tough new move-on powers, introduced as a solution to the Martin Place camp, were again not used.
The state’s homelessness services welcomed the offers of housing to Belmont Park residents.
But both Homelessness NSW and the St Vincent de Paul Society have expressed concerns about a lack of long-term support services, which are needed to keep the residents in housing. There are also concerns that residents are being sent to homes without furniture.
The Homelessness NSW chief executive, Katherine McKernan, said it was crucial those experiencing homelessness were simultaneously given both housing and wraparound psychosocial and case management support services.
Without adequately funded support services, McKernan warned people would end up back on the street, continuing the cycle of homelessness.
The approach championed by McKernan, known as Housing First, has been employed in the United States with some success.
“The concern is that without the ongoing support, that people will be unable to maintain their housing and will end up homeless again and will have difficulty getting back on the housing register, as the policy states that you need to demonstrate six months of private rental history in order to be reconsidered following an exit from public housing,” she said.
A Facs spokesman said the government did offer “supportive services and connections to community-based supports”, with the intent to help people stay in their homes and avoid returning to homelessness.
But St Vincent de Paul Society NSW chief executive, Jack de Groot, echoed the concerns of Homelessness NSW about the sustainability of the housing being offered.
“Our people are saying to us that there’s some very temporary and non-sustainable options being given to people – a bit of emergency housing, but it doesn’t have any support around it,” he said.
“People are not going to stay in that sort of housing. It needs to be much more planned, coordinated, linked in to other support services that they need.”
McKernan said about 100 people from Martin Place and Belmore Park have been housed, while a similar number were currently in hotels or motels.
“Facs are to be commended in identifying properties and accommodation options for people, however, people who have been rough sleeping require long-term support to maintain housing,” she said.
“Our understanding is that of the 100 people housed only 25 people have been provided with furniture.”
Homelessness NSW wants to see targets to reduce and end homelessness in inner-city suburbs in Sydney, a dedicated supply of housing to the Housing First approach, properly funded psychosocial and case management services, coordinated outreach for those sleeping rough, and a cross-government and nongovernment taskforce, as well as a broader strategy to achieve housing affordability in Sydney.
McKernan said the City of Sydney’s last street count showed 1,020 people were homeless in the council area.
“Band-Aid responses will not address this issue and without action on affordable housing and a coordinated Housing First response this figure will either remain static or increase as more people will become homeless,” she said.
De Groot warned those sleeping rough were the “pointy end” of a much larger problem and most forms of homelessness were invisible to the public.
“[It’s] the pointiest end of a very big wound that we’ve got in the community about unaffordable rents, spikes in utility prices and the lack of support services,” he said.
The Greens’ housing spokeswoman, Jenny Leong, said the government was attempting to “hide the problem rather than find real solutions”.
“Rounding up vulnerable people and moving them out of the city into homes with no furniture and away from their support services and even from access to meals, is appalling,” Leong said.
“The premier must take responsibility and find real solutions to the growing homelessness crisis in this city – it’s not enough to just try to push the problem out of sight,” she said”
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