HOMELESSNESS SURGES UNDER LABOR

HOMELESSNESS SURGES UNDER LABOR

The homelessness crisis in New South Wales is continuing to spiral out of control under the Minns Labor Government, with new figures revealing the scale of the emergency facing communities across the state.
 
A new report from Homelessness NSW estimates that as many as 80,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness in NSW, with almost 700,000 more at risk of losing their housing.

Frontline services are under extreme pressure, with staff overwhelmed and unable to meet soaring demand.
 

Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer said the Minns Labor Government has failed to protect the state’s most vulnerable as the housing and cost-of-living crises deepen.
 

“As housing costs rise and the cost of living continues to bite, more people are experiencing homelessness for the very first time,” Mr Dwyer said.

“Rough sleeping, couch surfing and overcrowding have become the new reality for communities right across New South Wales.”
 

“Homelessness isn’t just people sleeping on the streets. It’s families crammed into overcrowded homes, young people moving from couch to couch, and older women living in cars because they have nowhere else to go.”
 

Under Labor, the disability social housing waiting list has risen by 21 per cent, now standing at 21,245 people. As of October 2025, there were more than 67,700 households on the social housing waiting list, with over 12,000 already experiencing homelessness.
 

“Under the Minns Labor Government, frontline homelessness services are being starved of funding and stretched to breaking point,” Mr Dwyer said.
 

“They are doing everything they can, but without additional investment they simply cannot keep up with demand.”
 

“The NSW Government must act now by investing in Specialist Homelessness Services, expanding transitional housing with wrap-around supports, and stopping families from falling through the cracks.”
 

“Right now, services are being forced to turn people away because there’s no bed available, no caseworker and no long-term housing option.”
 

“That is a political choice, and it’s a choice this Government can no longer justify.”