The Hunter will receive a share in $20.9 million in state government funding to combat homelessness in the next year.
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Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast Scot MacDonald said the funding would be used to boost services that support homeless people and reduce homelessness.
National Homelessness Prevention Week begins on Monday and finishes on Sunday, August 9.
Mr MacDonald said he believed the Hunter was struggling to meet the demand for crisis accommodation.
“I recently attended an information meeting held by Nova for Women about women at risk in the Hunter, which included the issue of homelessness,” he said.
“There is no doubt we are struggling to meet the demand for crisis accommodation across the region."
Statistics for rate of homelessness are difficult to verify, but not-for-profit organisation Homelessness Australia estimates that one in 200 people in Australia are homeless on a given night.
The organisation also estimates that there are about 28,000 homeless people in NSW – an increase of about 20 per cent since 2006.
“This week reminds us to think about what we can do as a community to help people without a home and help prevent further homelessness in the Hunter,” Mr MacDonald said.
“I encourage everyone in our community to get behind Homelessness Prevention Week, which aims to raise community awareness and understanding of homelessness.
“The NSW government has acknowledged the challenge faced by people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness and is making a record investment of over $182 million in funding for homelessness services in 2015-16, to assist around 54,000 people.”