Lake Macquarie Electorate Homelessness

Homelessness is a real and growing issue in Lake Macquarie. It is increasingly being felt across our community, with people sleeping in cars, couch surfing, living in overcrowded housing or moving between temporary arrangements. This is not a static issue. Every available indicator shows it is getting worse, and we are not seeing meaningful intervention in my electorate. Recently a small group of people experiencing homelessness established a rough sleeping site along Toronto's foreshore. When staff from my electorate office became aware of the situation, they took action. The response was not driven by protocol or process, but by compassion. They saw people in genuine distress and acted.

My senior electorate officer Belinda Pevy liaised with Lake Macquarie City Council, Homes NSW, Matthew Talbot Centre and local charities. They attended the site, spoke directly with people staying there, helped progress housing applications and connected individuals with support services. They also provided information about where people could access food, showers, washing machines and essential supplies to make daily life more manageable. I acknowledge and thank local organisations, including the Salvation Army and NourishEd, which sourced tents, food, clothing and other essentials. This local response highlights a broader reality: Homelessness in Lake Macquarie is far more prevalent than many realise.

Official street counts record only a few dozen people sleeping rough. However, Toronto-based charity NourishEd recently reported that when hidden forms of homelessness are included, over 700 people are estimated to experience homelessness in the City of Lake Macquarie. Many people are transient, moving to avoid attention or because they are forced to move on. Housing stress is a major driver. In Lake Macquarie around one-third of residents experience rental stress, vacancy rates hover at around 1 per cent, and people can wait up to 10 years or more for social housing. Local services and charities are stretched to their limits and beyond as they face an ever‑growing need for support.

In New South Wales the Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places affirms that people experiencing homelessness are entitled to seek shelter in public spaces. Of course, that often leads to tension as public spaces are contested and, as we saw in the case of Toronto, unsafe living conditions pose a risk to both those sleeping rough and the broader community. Police may only issue move-on directions when there are genuine safety, public order or behavioural concerns. However, jurisdictional overlap between police, councils and land managers—combined with local "no camping" policies—can result in people being moved on repeatedly despite having nowhere else to go.

That does not resolve homelessness; it simply shifts it from one location to another. The lack of coordination was evident in Toronto. Police had to comply with State policy protecting the rights of people experiencing homelessness, while council rangers were also required to enforce local regulations. The result was repeated displacement, with people moved from one site to another and now establishing a fourth rough sleeping site. It further destabilises already vulnerable lives. There is no single cause of homelessness. In Lake Macquarie, it is driven by a complex mix of housing shortages, domestic and family violence, incarceration, mental illness, substance dependence and poverty. In some cases, people may have been evicted from social housing due to their inability to maintain a tenancy.

Certain groups are also particularly vulnerable, including women and children escaping domestic and family violence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, young people leaving out-of-home care and people exiting custody. Many people experiencing homelessness are difficult to keep in contact with. They may not have phones, transport, identification or, indeed, trust in governmental systems. Temporary accommodation alone is not enough if people cannot access follow-up support. What we are doing now is not working. We need stronger alignment between State agencies, councils and service providers, as well as coordinated wraparound services, which incorporate stable housing, health and mental health care, drug and alcohol support, post-custodial support, identification and employment assistance.

As I said in a private member's statement last September, we also need much more and better-quality social housing in my electorate. Most importantly, we must recognise that behind every statistic is a person—sometimes invisible and often unheard—who deserves dignity, stability and a genuine pathway out of homelessness. Our community in Lake Macquarie deserves a response that matches the scale and complexity of the challenge.