The NSW Government's $30.4 million investment will provide some immediate relief for overwhelmed homelessness services, but investment at a scale that matches the magnitude of the housing crisis is still needed.
The funding package includes $20 million to expand crisis and transitional housing and $10.4 million over four years for The Rev. Bill Crews Foundation.
Homelessness NSW CEO Dom Rowe said the investment provides some immediate relief for overwhelmed services but emphasised the need for much greater long-term commitment.
"This $30.4 million provides breathing room for frontline services, but we must be clear about the magnitude of the challenge we face," Ms Rowe said.
"The 2025 Street Count showed an eight per cent increase in rough sleeping to 2,192 people, compared to 2,037 people in 2024. Around 68,000 Australians sought help from specialist homelessness services in NSW in 2023-24, with many turned away due to overwhelming demand.
"Homelessness services across the state are overwhelmed. They cannot help everyone and must make heartbreaking decisions about who to turn away. This should not be happening in one of the wealthiest places on Earth."
Ending the homelessness crisis requires greater structural change.
"Today's announcement will provide breathing room, but it's a band-aid on a much larger wound. The state's worsening housing crisis is forcing more people to bed down on streets because they can't afford the broken rental market."
Homelessness NSW is calling on the state government to:
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Increase social housing stock from 4.7% to 10%
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Deliver a 30% increase in baseline funding for specialist homelessness services
"With over 65,000 households on the social housing waitlist and wait times up to 10 years, we need bold action that matches the scale of this crisis," Ms Rowe said.
"Every person sleeping rough tonight deserves better. We need sustained, substantial investment at the scale that matches the crisis we're facing."
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