This week is recognised as national homelessness week. Of our population here on the Central Coast of just under 350,000, between 4,100 – to 8,500 people are homeless or marginally housed. Sadly, there was a 35 percent increase in homelessness on the Central Coast alone from 2011 to 2016.   

Homelessness can be caused by poverty, unemployment or by a shortage of affordable housing, or it can be triggered by family breakdown, mental illness, sexual assault, drug dependency, financial difficulty, gambling or social isolation. Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness in Australia.

Central Coast Council is committed to supporting vulnerable people, including people experiencing hardship or homelessness in our community, particularly when it comes to affordable housing and addressing the growing need within our LGA.

Recent strategies have included identifying council owned land as affordable housing sites to be directly sold to a community housing provider as part of the recent asset sales tranche three given the current shortage of affordable housing on the Central Coast.

Council continues to play a proactive role in meeting and working in partnership with community housing providers.

Our focus is for a fair and inclusive region, where everyone has access to affordable and sustainable housing.   

Rik Hart, Administrator