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A meeting will be called of all three levels of government, church leaders, stakeholders and community housing to discuss options for emergency accommodation for homeless people in the Shoalhaven during extreme weather conditions.
In a mayoral minute Shoalhaven Mayor Joanna Gash proposed getting the organisations together to see what can be done, including making vacant halls and premises available for shelter in times of wild weather.
Shoalhaven Homeless Hub manager Kerri Snowden, who has been calling for such facilities, has welcomed the move.
“Something needs to be available for these people to take shelter out of the weather when it is extremely bad,” she said.
“The homeless situation continues to grow in the Shoalhaven with a number living in tents at the Nowra Showground.
“We need something to be made available for the homeless in times of bad weather, like the recent South Coast low and then gale force winds which battered the area.
You don’t let your dog sleep out in yard in this sort of weather but we are willing to do it to people.
- Shoalhaven Homeless Hub manager Kerri Snowden
“Ideally, we would like to have enough accommodation so we don’t have a homeless problem at all. But that is not the case.
“We are not talking about somewhere for them to stay every night, it is just in the case of extreme weather like the area experienced at different times this winter.
“You don’t let your dog sleep out in yard in this sort of weather but we are willing to do it to people.”
Ms Snowden said the move to hold a meeting to discuss the issue was a move in the right direction.
“I’m really pleased there has been some progress and discussion,” she said.
“The numbers of homeless in the area is increasing. We all agree people need somewhere safe and warm to go and need shelter.
“I would like to see something established sooner rather than later. We don’t want to be talking about the same issues next winter.
“Let’s not wait. It would be great to get something done before the September local government elections.
“Let’s turn hopelessness into hope!
“We have made a lot of progress locally in the past few years. There has been wonderful support from the community over homeless issues and a number of church organisations have come on board and are providing free meals for the homeless.
“Getting emergency shelter in extreme weather is the next step.
“Homelessness is a whole of community problem and we need to be able to fix the things within our power and this is one of them.”
Cr Gash proposed tackling the issue at council’s Strategy and Assets meeting.
“I want to get all three levels of government, church leaders, stakeholders, including the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub, and community housing to discuss options for emergency housing in extreme weather conditions,” she said.
“We have put a recommendation before council to get all these groups together and discuss the possibility of vacant halls, premises etc being used for extreme emergency housing in bad weather situations,” Cr Gash said.
Cr Gash said the proposal woulds also include commercial sites.
“There are a number of concerns over the amount of homeless people who are living at the Nowra Showground,” Cr Gash said.
“We have put the recommendation forward to meet as soon as possible.
“A number of concerns for and against have been raised over the situation at the showground.
“We are getting a growing number of people staying up there and some residents have raised concerns with some of the issues arising.
“We are concerned about the greater growth of people coming here because it is such a good location and council needs to decide how it is going to handle it.
“I understand people from Kiama and the Eurobodalla are coming here as we are one of the few councils that still allows camping at the showground.”
Council allows a person to camp at the showground for 30 days per year and only 14 days in any one instance.
Council’s report said the 14 days consecutive camping practice had been relatively effective in managing camping at the showground, however it was not a policy position of council.
The Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings Regulation 2005) Condition 73 allows for a person to camp at the showground for 50 days in any 12-month period.
To help the homeless people council has also moved to reduced the cost of staying at the showground from $14 a night to $7.