Whole-of-government strategy to support NSW homeless

The NSW Government has released a 10-year strategy to tackle homelessness.

Led by Homes NSW – which sits within the Department of Communities and Justice – the strategy places a focus on early intervention, local coordination and long-term housing options.

Developed in collaboration with homelessness and housing services, the strategy – the first of its kind in NSW – shifts the focus from crisis management to prevention and support. “This approach ensures that people have stable housing first, backed in by the support they need to rebuild their lives,” Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said.

A complex challenge such as homelessness cannot be tackled without a clear strategy, she added. “Without a plan, your interventions are random and uncoordinated, and you can’t make or measure progress. We are changing that.”

Among the key reforms featured in the NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035:

• Developing local housing and homelessness collaboration networks in partnership with local homelessness services and housing providers, and local government.
• Developing new targeted responses for young people and Aboriginal people who face unique challenges when dealing with the service system.
• Establishing a street sleeping registry to improve service coordination for people sleeping rough.

According to a street count conducted in February, there were 2,192 people sleeping rough in NSW – an 8 per cent increase compared to 2024. “The establishment of the NSW Street Sleeping Registry will revolutionise how we coordinate services for people experiencing homelessness. No one will have to tell their story repeatedly. We’ll connect them to housing and support faster and more effectively,” Jackson said.

Peak agency Homelessness NSW played a vital role in helping the government develop the homelessness strategy. “Our sector has been calling for a whole-of-government response to this crisis, that acknowledges a need to respond now but also sets a reform agenda for the future,” said CEO Dom Rowe. “This homelessness strategy answers that call and sets a path to a better future for people at risk of homelessness and the services that support them.”