The NSW Government has announced Parramatta locals experiencing homelessness will be helped into temporary accommodation and connected with support services, as part of a two week outreach drive.
Speaking at Centenary Square in Parramatta, Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones was joined by Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee, City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Donna Davis and Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Barnes for the announcement.
Ms Maclaren-Jones said the NSW Government will join forces with police and specialist homelessness services to engage with at risk people in Parramatta.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us to reach out, identify people who are sleeping rough, contact one of the outreach services and ensure that people sleeping rough have a safe, warm place to sleep and the services they need,” she said.
“This is a whole community approach, we are working with police, with council, along with local businesses.”
Mr Lee said the homelessness outreach drive is “really about us all working together”.
“Especially going into winter, what we want to do is focus on those people who are homeless and make sure they have a safe, secure place to live,” he said.
Mr Lee also identified the key role local businesses play in the outreach drive.
“Shopkeepers see the impact of homelessness on our streets everyday. We want to empower these businesses to help tackle homelessness through informing them about the right avenues, whether that be referral to homelessness outreach or other services,” he said.
Mr Barnes said the NSW Police’s primary goal is to make sure everyone in the community feels safe.
“Particularly, in respect to homeless people, we recognise there is a large portion of Sydney’s homeless that reside in and around Sydney’s second biggest CBD,” he said.
“What we’re trying to do is engage with those people, try and get to know them, find out what their stories are, and through that work out the best way to give them a hand.”
Cr Davis, who welcomed the announcement, said the outreach program will “build on the work we do on a daily basis”.
With outreach programs operating across the whole of NSW, Ms Maclaren-Jones said the NSW Government has been investing “significantly” in early intervention initiatives.
“Here in Parramatta, we’ve actually seen the numbers decrease over the last two years by over 50 per cent,” she said.
“It’s great to see the initiatives are working but there is more to do.”
The Parramatta homelessness outreach drive runs until May 27.
If you or someone you know is at risk or experiencing homelessness contact Link2home on 1800 152 152.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.