Rough sleepers on Main Street are the public face of a growing issue of homelessness in Lithgow. According to the manager of Lithgow Community Projects Inc (LCP), Deonne Kinney, the service is currently working with over 100 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the Lithgow area.
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“The number of people who need support has increased over the past years,” Mrs Kinney said.
“I think people are noticing now because the rough sleepers are becoming more visible. And they are not locals.”
Mrs Kinney said people generally become rough sleepers through a culmination of events such as chronic health problems, trauma, breakdown of social connections and financial hardship.
Michelle Ringin, who works at LCP and grew up in Lithgow, said there has always been rough sleepers in the area. “I think rough sleepers are moving to Lithgow because it’s the last train stop,” Ms Ringin said.
“Also what’s happening in the city, such as councils moving people living on the street, or that services are stretched there, can influence rough sleepers to come here,” said Mrs Kinney.
“People often feel safe when they are around other people rather than a backstreet. So often rough sleepers will access congested areas.”
Currently, there are no housing services in Lithgow funded to support rough sleepers. LCP staff are going beyond formal funding agreements to provide immediate help.
“As the only homelessness service in Lithgow, we aim to provide access to temporary accommodation funded via Housing NSW and work with rough sleepers towards obtaining and maintaining independent accommodation.”
According Deonne Kinney Lithgow has other homeless populations not so visible to the public eye.
“There are lots of couch surfers and we’ve seen an increase in families who are couch surfing,” Mrs Kinney said. “There are also lots of people living in accommodation where there is no security such as pub rooms and caravan parks.”
“Additionally women and children who have experienced domestic violence are often required to access either crisis or temporary accommodation due to not having a safe place to stay.”
LCP is funded to support a minimum of 134 people annually who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Last year, LCP exceeded this quota by more than 200 people.
“I think we will be exceeding those numbers again this year,” Mrs Kinney said.
Teresa Pilla, the Lithgow Salvation Army Store Manager, said a few people come into the store to ask for accommodation every month.
“We encourage them to access accommodation through the Department of Housing who can put them up for a few nights a year,” Ms Pilla said.
Mrs Kinney said the increase in people requesting support at LCP was likely due to declining housing affordability, limited education and employment opportunities, gaps in health services and the impacts of family violence.
“It’s important we are aware of what is happening in our community and link people experiencing these problems to services.”
What to do if you need housing support:
If you are at risk of homelessness call Lithgow Community Projects: 1800 664 996
If you don’t have somewhere safe to sleep tonight, call Housing NSW’s Link2home service: 1800 152 152
For emergency relief assistance, such as for utility bills, food or clothing, call the Salvation Army on: 1300 371 288
