Menkit Prince, Uki
There are solutions to homelessness that are affordable and quick to construct. Search ‘Tiny House Village’ on Google and Youtube to see what they are doing in the U.S. Alternatively, a village of cabins for families who need more space than a tiny house. Other options are domes, yurts and converted shipping containers. While not as good as a real house at least they provide shelter from the elements and other dangers.
Such villages need community facilities and rules (no drugs, alcohol, violence or disruptive behaviour + community work).
I wrote to council in December suggesting this but only three councillors replied (Mayor Milne, Cr Cherry and Cr Cooper). Mayor Milne forwarded my email to the General Manager who replied that according to council’s Homelessness Policy, council only offers support to agencies dealing with homelessness. Land seems to be the biggest problem however my suggestion that council lease land to a community organisation (Rotary, church groups) so they could fundraise to build tiny houses was ignored.
When the NSW State government gives us $12 million for housing, how much more bang for our buck if we only have to spend $3,000-$30,000 per tiny house?
It only takes four councillors to vote to change council’s Homelessness Policy especially now with many hundreds displaced from the recent flood or forced into homelessness by the rental crisis. Please write to them requesting a new policy otherwise homelessness will get exponentially worse with human population growth and Australia’s immigration policy.
If Gosford council can do it, why not Tweed?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
