Today’s release of the results of this year’s NSW Street Count shows there are 26 per cent more people sleeping rough than last year. 2,037 people were counted sleeping rough, 414 more people than in 2023.
Home in Place was one of more than 300 organisations that supported counts. The counts took place between 1 February and 1 March 2024 in more than 400 towns and suburbs in 76 local government areas (LGA) across NSW.
Home in Place and its staff supported the counts in the Mid Coast and Cessnock LGAs.
Mid Coast had the fifth largest increase in rough sleepers of any LGA compared to last year. There were 49 people counted, 34 more than in 2023. Cessnock LGA had the fourth largest decrease of any LGA. There were four people counted, seven fewer than in 2023.
As the Social Housing Management Transfer (SMHT) provider in the Mid North Coast, Home in Place coordinated the Street Count in Taree, Forster, Tuncurry, Wingham and Gloucester on February 20. Samaritans and Great Lakes and Manning Youth Homelessness Service provided valuable support with this year’s count.
Home in Place is a social and affordable housing provider, not a homelessness service. It works closely with such services and other housing and community support services. Under its SMHT contract with the NSW Government, Home in Place manages more than 730 social housing properties in the Taree/Manning area. It also provides all temporary accommodation services, private rental assistance and Start Safely (escaping domestic violence subsidy program) on behalf of the government.
In Cessnock, the count was coordinated by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. Home in Place provided its office as a communication hub and several staff to assist in the count in that area on February 14.
Home in Place has supported all five annual street counts. The Street Counts provide the NSW Government and partners with point-in-time data to track street homelessness and target programs aimed at reducing it.
You may download the NSW Government’s Technical Paper here. It analyses the 2024 results and provides a full table of results by LGA.
