1300 662 721: Emergency out of hours repairs

Are you homeless? Click here

27 Sep MORE ROUGH SLEEPERS INTO SECURE HOMES

Posted at 09:53h in Community news, News by

Homes North Community Housing has supported 31 people who were previously sleeping rough, one year on from the establishment of the NSW Government’s landmark Together Home program.

Homes North Chief Executive Officer Maree McKenzie said Homes North received $1,359,896.52 to help deliver the program which is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

CEO Maree McKenzie said “Homes North now has the resources and the time to help rough sleepers in the region. We can coordinate services for clients that often fall through the gaps. And they fall through the gaps because they don’t fit into criteria very neatly or they’re difficult to sometimes engage. But with 2 years of guaranteed funding for 20 rental units, the new scheme gives Homes North the time and the resources to be able to break the back of those chronic problems”.

The NSW Government has invested a total of $122.1 million in the Together Home program, which is expected to help 1,050 people off the street and into housing.

Delivered in partnership with community housing providers, specialist homelessness services and healthcare agencies, the program involves securing housing from the private rental market for rough sleepers, and connecting them to tailored support services to address their individual needs.

Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Alister Henskens said the program has already had a profound impact for the hundreds of people housed.

“The past 12 months have been incredibly challenging, but the success of this program demonstrates that we can support people to break the cycle of homelessness,” Mr Henskens said.

“Together Home is not just about putting a roof over their head, but instead addressing the complex needs of individuals, to ensure they get the support they need to improve their health and wellbeing.”

Anyone who is homeless or is at risk of homelessness can call Link2home on 1800 152 152 for information and referrals to services, including temporary accommodation.