KEMPSEY is experiencing high rates of homelessness with many people on a day-to-day basis accessing homelessness support or living on the streets.
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Local homeless service providers estimate that on any given night in Kempsey, there are about 50 to 80 people who don't have a safe and secure place to call home, with some finding shelter under shopping centres and local bridges.
Someone can be experiencing homelessness if they are sleeping rough or in an improvised dwelling, or do not have a medium or long-term place to stay and need to frequently move from one place to another, such as couch-surfing or in refuges or emergency accommodation.
The Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) told The Macleay Argus that in the past three months alone, FACS has seen 105 people who were homeless or in need of urgent housing assistance in Kempsey.
On top of the 105 people seen by FACS over the past three months, Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS) providers in Kempsey have assisted 250 more people, including those who are actually homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“Homelessness is a complex issue and it does not always mean a person is sleeping rough. Some people cannot continue to rent their property because their lease is not being renewed or because they have fallen into rent arrears,” a FACS spokesperson said.
“FACS and SHS can help people to find privately rented accommodation and can for example give them a loan for a bond.
“If people cannot rent privately then they may be considered for public housing and some services provide short-term accommodation which can be used while people are helped to find something more permanent.”
The waiting time for public housing in Kempsey is currently from five to 10 years, and even with 472 NSW Housing dwellings in the area, the homelessness situation is not getting any better.
“The main issues reflect state-wide issues, but are overlaid by a number of factors special to Kempsey,” Arthur McCulloch from the Mid North Coast Tenants Advice Service said.
“The long waiting lists and the lack of social housing reflect a social housing system that is not growing and the high levels of unemployment in Kempsey make affordability of housing a key issue.”
One Kempsey Specialist Homelessness Service, New Horizons, is primarily focused on homelessness early intervention by securing or accessing safe and affordable housing.
New Horizons regional manager Luke Buckley said homelessness could occur for reasons including family and relationship break downs, loss of employment, domestic violence, illness and accidents.
“We work closely with individuals and families who are already homeless or are identified as being at risk of homelessness to help break the cycle for good,” Mr Buckley said.
“This may include people whose tenancies are at risk, people who are experiencing over-crowding or are in insecure accommodation, or are in rental stress.
“New Horizons has supported 583 people to either access or maintain safe and appropriate accommodation in the Kempsey area over the past year.
“We’ve been offering homelessness services on the Mid North Coast for four years, having supported more than 3500 individuals to find and maintain long-term accommodation.”
Mr Buckley said homelessness affected a range of individuals from a range of backgrounds, however, a high proportion of people New Horizons supports in Kempsey are of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background.
“People who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander have four times the rate of homelessness compared to non-Indigenous Australians,” Mr Buckley said.
“Indigenous Australians make up more than 38 per cent of New Horizons customers accessing homelessness support in the Kempsey area, despite 11 per cent of the total Kempsey population identifying as Indigenous.
Homelessness Prevention Week 2015 started on Sunday.
New Horizons in partnership with other Kempsey homelessness services will be holding a free lunch at the Kempsey Neighbourhood Centre, 5 Kemp St, from 11.30 am to 1.30pm on Thursday, to raise awareness about homelessness in the community - all welcome.