New survey results have revealed a shocking number of homeless people in NSW are in the Hunter Region.
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Hunter Homeless Connect collected the data at its recent open day in Newcastle, which found that the homelessness and affordable housing crisis in Maitland appears to be deepening.
The survey found that about seven per cent of homeless people in NSW are in the Hunter.
On top of this, more than 700 individuals and families are on waiting lists for public housing in Maitland, with an estimated 110 people homeless in the city.
This is not a new problem. The Mercury reported last year that there were waiting lists as long as 10 years for some types of public housing in the Maitland area.
It appears the situation has not improved.
Compass Housing NSW operations manager Lisa Tierney (pictured) said her organisation was working with Hunter TAFE to try and make sure these numbers are as close to accurate as possible, so the appropriate resources can be allocated to fix the problem.
Ms Tierney said part of the problem was that most homeless people did not sleep rough, but found temporary shelter with friends, at boarding houses, caravan parks or elsewhere.
She called these people the hidden homeless because they weren’t typically visible wandering or sleeping in public places.
But these people desperately need help too – even if they aren’t spending their nights out in the open.
“There simply isn’t enough social and affordable housing in the region to give those people a place to live,” she told Fairfax Media.
The latest data showing the dire state of some people’s situation in this city is in line with anecdotal evidence and comments made by other community welfare groups, such as Maitland Neighbourhood Centre, for at least the past couple of years.
While these latest numbers make the issue seem like a huge problem to tackle, there is no other option.
Every extra day it takes to improve this situation is another cold night out in the elements for some of our fellow community members.
This can have far reaching impacts on their well-being and mental health.
- Help is always available on Lifeline’s 24-hour support line: 13 11 14.