Land owned by Byron Council would be used to build an emergency housing village under a plan being proposed by Mayor Sarah Ndiaye, and her Green’s colleague Elia Hague.
Under the plan, coming before this week’s Council meeting, staff would prepare a report setting out possible sites for the village, infrastructure requirements and estimated costs.
The report would also set out grant funding opportunities for the project, and potential management models, including partnership opportunities with local service providers.
In their written comments accompanying the motion, Cr Ndiaye and Cr Hague said with state and federal governments failing to deliver crisis accommodation in any meaningful way, responsibility for filling the gap had fallen to local government.
‘This is particularly critical given the upcoming closure of the Bayside Brunswick Heads pod village and the eviction of residents from these 27 dwellings,’ they said.
‘Successful models for a Dignity Village exist in Portland, Oregon, and Culver City, California, including designated safe spaces for people living in vehicles, places for rough sleepers to stay without fear of being moved on, and simple accommodations with shared facilities and access to support services’.
In their comments on the proposal Council’s Director of Sustainable Environment and Economy, Shannon Burt, and its Community Services Director, Esmerelda Davis, said there was a clear need for more housing options, including emergency accommodation.
However, they said any plan for an emergency village would need to incorporate skilled staffing and access to appropriate, trauma-informed support, flexible stay options to meet different needs, and clear pathways to other forms of housing.
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