Call for more action on homelessness as new strategy is launched

Urgent government action is needed to address homelessness on the Central Coast, with local advocates warning the community is “past the point of just creating awareness”.

The warning came as the State Government unveiled a 10-year strategy to tackle homelessness across the state – the first of its kind – aiming to shift the focus from crisis management to prevention and long-term housing solutions.

The NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025–2035, announced on Friday, August 8, is led by Homes NSW and was developed in collaboration with homelessness and housing services, people with lived experience, and Aboriginal organisations.

The strategy sets out a coordinated approach to reform across government, the homelessness and housing sectors, local services and communities.

Key reforms in the first stage of implementation include: replacing hotel and motel stays with more appropriate homelessness accommodation, delivered with supports tailored to the individual or family’s needs; developing local housing and homelessness collaboration networks to identify and address service gaps, reduce duplication and target resources effectively; establishing a NSW Street Sleeping Registry to improve service coordination for people sleeping rough and reduce the need for people to repeatedly tell their story; targeted responses for young people and Aboriginal people who face particular challenges in the service system; and designing a Housing First approach for NSW, ensuring people can access stable housing as quickly as possible, supported by the services they need.

The Government says the strategy builds on recent actions to make the housing system fairer, including: a record $6.6B investment in social housing and homelessness through the Building Homes for NSW program; the delivery of more than 1,700 homes over the past year – the largest increase in government-built public, community and affordable housing in over a decade; upgrading more than 6,000 social homes; reducing the social housing wait list by an average of eight months across NSW; and the introduction of modular housing for mass public housing, with over 90 modular public homes to be delivered over the next year.

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said the strategy was about embedding a long-term plan.

“We are formalising and embedding the Housing First approach as the official government policy to end homelessness in NSW,” she said.

Rose JAckson

“This approach ensures that people have stable housing first, backed in by the support they need to rebuild their lives.”

Homelessness NSW CEO Dom Rowe welcomed the announcement, saying the strategy sets “a path to a better future” for people at risk of homelessness and the services that support them.

Minister for the Central Coast David Harris said homelessness is a concerning issue on the Central Coast, as it is in every region and city in NSW.

“Everyone has the right to housing that is safe, affordable and appropriate for their needs,” he said.

“But NSW is in a housing and homelessness crisis after decades of neglect.

“I applaud Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson for releasing this 10-year strategy.

“In a first for our state, the strategy will take a whole-of-government approach to tackle the root causes of homelessness by shifting focus from crisis management to prevention and support.

“A key part of the strategy is setting up or strengthening local partnerships operating in every region in the state.

David Harris

“On the Central Coast this will streamline the efforts of homelessness services, housing providers, councils, Aboriginal organisations, communities and government agencies to get everyone working together to help put a safe roof over the head of people impacted by homelessness in our region.”

Member for Gosford Liesl Teach said with the cost-of-living crisis hitting our community hard, too many are doing it tough and sleeping rough.

“For too long, a crisis driven approach has resulted in a lack of long-term vision for tackling homelessness in our community,” Tesch said.

“This strategy is a game-changing, whole-of-Government initiative, which goes to the root of homelessness – to prevent and support – with an approach to provide stable housing first, bolstered by the strategic resources needed to rebuild lives.”

Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch was contacted for comment but a response has not yet been received.

A spokesperson for Toukley Neighbourhood Centre has welcomed the news but says there is a critical gap in both short-term and mid-term accommodation options for vulnerable community members.

“Without these pathways, many who have bravely fled unsafe, abusive, or harmful situations are left with no viable alternative but to return to the very environments they escaped,” the spokesperson said.

“We call for solutions to be developed in genuine consultation with the community, existing government agencies, and NGO partners — building on and coordinating current services.

“A structured approach must be implemented to address individual needs, provide safe and feasible short-term options, and deliver mid-term accommodation that offers stability.

“With strong wrap-around support, individuals can lay the foundations for independence and secure long-term housing — breaking the cycles of domestic and family violence, elder abuse, poverty, and other entrenched social challenges.”

Central Coast homelessness advocate Jake Cassar, who has spent decades working with vulnerable communities and running outreach in places like Rumbalara and Coast Shelter, says the Government must build on existing services rather than start from scratch.

“There are already great examples of refuges for men, women, and youth on the Central Coast,” he said.

JAke Cassar

“But as the issue of homelessness grows, we need the services to grow also.”

These buildings are mostly owned by Council with State and Federal Government funding and sponsorships by local businesses keeping them running.

Cassar says they not only provide a safe haven for the most vulnerable in our community but also provide much-needed local employment for the staff and other associated services.

“The bottom line is that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel here,” he said.

“We have the infrastructure and the business model already well and truly up and running.

“Things aren’t getting better; they are getting exponentially worse.

“If the demand is increasing, then so too must the support services.

“We need more funding as a region, and the community’s most vulnerable need urgent help.

“We are past the point of just needing to create awareness.

“We need the government to urgently prioritise ensuring that no Australian who needs a roof over their head is denied that basic human right.”

Skaie Hull