St Vincent de Paul Society NSW says new census homelessness figures are a national crisis

Action on homelessness and housing must be made an immediate priority for all levels of government following the alarming figures on homelessness released as part of the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s latest census.

“It is not an overstatement to say that this is a national crisis and drastic action has to happen right now to ensure everyone has a safe and secure place to live,” said Yolanda Saiz, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW Acting CEO.

“Homelessness across Australia has risen by 5.2% from 116,427 to 122,494 people during the course of the last census.

“It was pleasing to see the number of people experiencing homelessness in NSW has decreased from 37,692 to 35,011 since 2016 representing a decrease of 7%.

“However, the number of people experiencing homelessness is still 27% higher from when the 2011 census was conducted a decade ago.

“It is unacceptable that the number of people experiencing homelessness remains so high, especially given the efforts made during the height of the pandemic, when the census was taken, to ensure our most vulnerable were housed.

“The Government set precedent, providing people sleeping rough with emergency accommodation during the worst of the COVID lockdowns.

“We know it is possible, when there is political will, to provide greater assistance to people experiencing homelessness.

“We’ve seen at a state level that targeted programs such as Together Home for rough sleepers and the Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF) have helped contribute to a 7% decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness in NSW.

“We need to keep working on reducing homelessness in NSW and around Australia,” Ms Saiz said.

The ABS statistics reveal that there has been a 63% decrease in rough sleepers throughout NSW from 2,588 in 2016 to 963 in 2021, while the homeless rate was 43 persons for every 10,000 persons in the 2021 Census, down from 50.4 in 2016 Census.

“Our members are seeing the reality of the housing and homelessness crisis every day in the communities where they live and work,” said Paul Burton, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW State President.

“Around a quarter of the people we’ve assisted this year have sought help for the first time, including a growing rate of families and people working full-time, because there is simply not enough money to make ends meet.

“We cannot allow things to continue as they have been with housing; we need to see major reforms and investment to give the most vulnerable in our communities safety now and hope for the future.

“The Society commissioned research from UNSW last year which showed that if the NSW Government built 5,000 new social housing dwellings every year for a decade, the NSW social housing waiting list would be reduced by three quarters.

“We’ve also called for an increase in funding for Specialist Homelessness Services which will be vitally important as a necessary measure to ensure services are properly funded to meet the growing demand for assistance.

“We cannot wait any longer to address the homelessness and housing crisis – action is needed now,” Mr Burton said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones | 0417 446 430