Our most recent street count found 334 people sleeping rough across the local area in the early hours of Tuesday 18 February – 39 fewer than the 373 people counted in the same month last year.
Crisis and temporary accommodation beds were at 91 per cent occupancy, 3 per cent lower than at the same time last year.
A total of 27 City of Sydney staff and 119 volunteers took part in the street count from 1am to 3am. They were joined by 23 of the City’s homelessness advisors – volunteers with lived experience of homelessness.
We were the first council in Australia with a dedicated homelessness unit and have been assisting people sleeping rough in the inner city for over 30 years. The City allocates more than $2 million each year to fund its own homelessness support operations and specialist homelessness services through the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
Increased access to housing, engagement with and support for people sleeping rough and improved collaboration with other organisations remain the City’s top priorities for tackling homelessness.
Figures from previous City of Sydney street counts are at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.
Published 27 February 2020
