Claims by Byron Mayor Sarah Ndiaye (Greens) that Homes NSW had removed temporary accommodation for homeless people in Byron Shire have been strongly refuted by NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson (Labor).
Cr Ndiaye said Council operates in collaboration with community-led initiative, Ending Rough Sleeping Collaboration Byron Shire (ERSCBS). She says the removal of the only three [temporary accommodation] providers currently operating in the Byron Shire, is ‘despite record homelessness levels’.
‘The NSW government plans to close eight of 36 temporary accommodation providers across the Northern Rivers, including those in Byron Shire. With over 500 households currently relying on temporary housing, the loss of these services could force people to relocate to distant areas like Tweed, Ballina, and Lismore’, Cr Ndiaye added.
For-profit providers
Minister Jackson told The Echo, ‘We are not reducing our temporary accommodation services in the Byron Shire and more broadly within the Northern Rivers’.
‘The claim that we are shutting down service providers is completely incorrect and outright wrong.
‘We continue to provide support and services to anyone experiencing homelessness in the area. We are simply no longer using some for-profit commercial providers, such as hotels and motels, that refuse to negotiate their rates and insist on charging us more.
‘Instead, we are increasing the number of rooms with providers that offer better value to government and wrap-around services, including case management by non-government organisations. This approach provides immediate shelter, while helping people to access longer-term housing and essential support services and is preferable to expensive for-profit providers.
Major issues impacting people across the state
‘Homelessness and housing are major issues impacting people across the state. It is crucial we best use available funds to ensure anyone who needs it has a safe roof over their head.
‘I am very disappointed at this outright misrepresentation and call on those making these claims to justify why they believe we should pay more to for-profit motel and hotel providers for rooms and not partner with not-for-profit services who want to work with government to deliver long-term solutions’.
She added that a $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund (HIF) will support temporary accommodation providers within the Byron Shire, and will ‘commence servicing the area early in the new year’.
In reply, Cr Ndiaye said Council’s understanding of the changes to temporary accommodation in the Byron Shire was ‘based on the information we received from Homes NSW representatives’.
‘Despite several attempts to seek clarification from Homes NSW, Council has received very little information about the changes to temporary accommodation in the region.
‘If the information Council received was wrong and temporary accommodation services are still available in the Byron Shire, that’s definitely good news’, Cr Ndiaye said.
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