The Greens candidate for Richmond, Mandy Nolan, has called for local Federal member Justine Elliot to ensure Fletcher Street Cottage receives government funding to continue providing vital services to the homeless community.
Fletcher Street Cottage, a vital homelessness service in Byron Bay, is on the brink of cutting essential services.
Without ongoing government funding the service is struggling to keep up with demand and is being forced to fundraise to retain services. So far they have fundraised $240,000 out of the total $1 million they require to keep services operating.
‘Fletcher Street Cottage is a lifeline for so many in our community,’ Ms Nolan said.
‘The fact that the General Manager Louise O’Connell recently won Byron Community Member of the Year but is still forced to consider cutting services is a heartbreaking testament to the failure of our government to support the most vulnerable.
‘With Labor in power at a state and Federal level, the question we must all ask is, “Where are they?” We cannot play a game of chicken with the lives of the most vulnerable in our community.’
Byron Shire has the highest number of rough sleepers in NSW
The June 2023 annual NSW Street Count has found 300 people sleeping rough in the Byron Shire,
Increase from 2021 (198 people) and 2022 (138 people).
Justine Elliot MP, replied and said, ‘In a desperate attempt to divert attention from the Greens’ destructive actions in the Federal Parliament, Greens Party candidate Mandy Nolan is now trashing the truth while undermining Ballina Greens state member Tamara Smith’s responsibilities to deliver urgent state government funding for local homelessness services’.
‘Fletcher Street Cottage provides an important service for our community and needs financial assistance to keep providing their ongoing services.
‘Federal Government funding is delivered directly to State governments so they in turn can provide financial grants to homelessness services such as Fletcher Street Cottage.
‘In this financial year, the Australian government will provide states and territories $1.7 billion in funding under the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. This includes $515.6 million for NSW to deliver housing and homelessness services and programs. Specific decisions regarding which services and programs are funded are matters for state and territory governments.
‘Clearly Mandy Nolan doesn’t mind trashing the truth or Tamara Smith’s standing to cover up that the Greens Political Party are stopping the building of 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes for people in need.
‘Every single day, $1.3 million is delayed from going into social and affordable housing because the Greens Party is blocking Labor’s $10 billion Housing Fund in the Federal Parliament. This fund is the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in a decade. Disgracefully, the Greens are blocking it – along with the Liberals, Nationals, and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
‘It’s disgraceful that, while locals are living in cars, and women and children fleeing domestic violence have nowhere to go, candidate Mandy Nolan and her Greens Party colleagues are playing political games to try to win votes.
‘As the Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, I’m on the ground speaking to people and groups involved and working hard to get this Bill passed.
‘The fact is at all levels of government, the Labor Party builds houses, and the Greens Party blocks them. The Greens Party is the reason people can’t find a safe place to call home on the North Coast. Our community is desperate for housing and the Greens Party needs to either back the Bill or just get out of the way.’
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