No reliable data on Coast homelessness

Laurie Maher, Executive Officer of Coast Shelter stated that he emphatically agreed, but the situation on the Central Coast is far worse off than every other area of the State because the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not even recognise the Central Coast as an area separate from Sydney.

“No wonder Newcastle, Albury/Wagga, New England, Richmond/Tweed and the Mid North Coast are all identified to benefit from the Australian and NSW Government’s $280 million to address homelessness,” said Mr Maher, “and what did the Central Coast get? Nothing!”

“Surely it’s time for all of our politicians, both State and Federal, to bang some tables and tell the Australian Bureau of Statistics that the Central Coast is not Sydney and is not Newcastle. The Central Coast has a population in excess of 300,000 people and is the third largest separate region in NSW. Surely we are worthy of consideration when social infrastructure money is being given out,” he said.

In announcing the release of funds, the NSW Minister for Housing stated he was “setting ambitious targets because we are determined to break the cycle of homelessness”. Responding to this statement, Mr Maher said, “If that’s the case, what about us?”

“While we agree with the Minister that it is difficult to obtain accurate data, even based on an estimate from the 2006 Census, it is very likely that the Central Coast has more than 1,000 people who are homeless or living in insecure accommodation every night,” Mr Maher added.

“The figures used in the Counting the Homeless 2006 Report are three years old, which was well before the current economic crisis and things are much worse now. At Coast Shelter we find we are supporting many more families and are unable to accommodate the increasing numbers of families and individuals who now face homelessness,” Mr Maher concluded.

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