Vinnies NSW says government must strengthen social safety net

As sustained cost of living pressures continue to be felt throughout the state, the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW says the NSW Government must invest more in social housing, specialist homelessness services, food relief and energy affordability in the 2024-25 budget.

The Society’s Pre Budget Submission, ‘Rebuilding essential social infrastructure and programs’, features recommendations across four key priority areas that are essential to ensuring the people of NSW are able to live with security and dignity.

1. Deliver significantly more social homes with wrap-around support
2. Support safe pathways out of homelessness and into homes
3. Food relief programs that reach more people
4. Energy affordability crisis relief

“The social infrastructure that is so important to maintaining a healthy, cohesive state needs to be at the forefront of the government’s agenda. We must act now by investing in essential relief measures and delivering better targeted programs for people doing it tough,” said Yolanda Saiz, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO.

“We need to understand that when we talk about these pressing issues, we are talking about the devastating human face of poverty and disadvantage. People on low incomes or experiencing disadvantage are disproportionately impacted by the persistent cost of living crisis. On a daily basis, the Society hears stories from people who are living in unacceptable conditions such as an airless shipping container, a mouldy leaking room, a tent, or their car because they cannot afford a decent place to live.

“Already this year, our members have supported 83,000 people - almost surpassing the total people assisted in the entirety of 2023 - while we’ve seen a concerning trend of people experiencing homelessness or in temporary accommodation rising from 19% to 30% in the space of two years,” said Ms Saiz.

The Society is calling for a multibillion-dollar investment in social housing to deliver new and upgraded homes capable of accommodating the more than 120,000 people currently on the waitlist in NSW. Currently, social housing accounts for just 4.5% of housing in NSW, while less than two-thirds of public housing in the state met acceptable standards.

The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW and The McKell Institute recently published a report calling for a generational investment in social housing to meet current and future need.

While it is well established that more social homes are required, more than just a roof is required for tenants to thrive and to break the cycle of homelessness. Funding longer-term, wraparound support is essential to improve the wellbeing of tenants and maintain housing stability so that homelessness is not repeated.

In the face of the housing crisis, NSW Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) are at breaking point. The latest Productivity Commission Report on Government Services revealed close to half of all people seeking assistance from SHS in the past year were unable to access accommodation.

“Last year, there was an 80% increase in the number of people our housing and homelessness services saw that we were unable to assist directly. The Specialist Homelessness Service sector plays a significant role in addressing homelessness and requires an additional $50 million annually to function adequately.

“Along with increased core funding, we need to see greater investment in SHS staff through specialist roles and training, while it is also important to extend the Together Home program that works to house rough sleepers,” said Ms Saiz.

Along with housing stress, four in five people have sought food assistance from Society members so far this year in NSW. In response, the Society is calling for greater funding to deliver emergency food relief to address poverty, along with establishing a taskforce to review and provide a fit for purpose food relief system.

The cost of energy also remains a recurring cause of hardship, with many people assisted by the Society opting to endure single-digit temperatures or heatwaves during peak times of year out of fear of the adverse financial implications.  

It is recommended that the Low-Income Household Rebate be revised to a fixed percentage rather than a flat rate, as well as reviewing the equity, accessibility and adequacy of existing rebates in the state.

“Our members across our metro, regional and rural footprints are seeing concerning levels of hardship occurring every day that are directly related to the priority areas we’ve identified in our Pre Budget Submission,” said Paul Burton, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW State President.

“The measures we are calling for are far from revolutionary – however many will result in associated cost savings through improved health and wellbeing, reduced service use and productivity gains. They are essential to ensuring that everyone can live securely and with the dignity we would want for ourselves,” said Mr Burton.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW’s Pre Budget Submission ‘Rebuilding essential social infrastructure and programs’ is available at www.vinnies.org.au/NSWPBS2024.