The homelessness rate in Hornsby is double the state average.
In March, registered national charity 4 Voices conducted a fact-finding tour across 40 Australian towns in Sydney and Brisbane. Through a combination of desk research, gathering statistical data from the 2021 census, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, and Centrelink figures, along with anecdotal findings from the tour, 4 Voices created a comprehensive analysis.
‘It was confronting,’ says Jo Westh, Founder of 4 Voices. ‘Although there is discussion at political levels about domestic violence and homelessness, until you come face to face with it, you don’t have a good feel of the severity.’
Hornsby is considered an affluent area of Greater Sydney and labelled as “relatively safe”. Despite this, 0.4% of the population are homeless, compared to the 0.2% state homelessness average. Median weekly rental prices are $580 in Hornsby. Jobseeker payments and rent assistance from Centrelink affords those unemployed about $450 weekly to find housing in the private sector.
‘It is contributing to homelessness,’ says Jo Westh. ‘There is a shocking number of people in NSW that are on the waitlist for social housing. You add domestic violence into the mix, that’s pretty diabolical.’
The leading cause of homelessness for women is domestic and family violence. In NSW, programs such as the Immediate Needs Support Package is an escaping violence payment to financially assist with rent, household items, clothing, toiletries, appliances, a change of locks and security cameras, storage, and more. The maximum allocation is $5,000 for each individual circumstance, pre-capped.
‘Is it enough to help set a woman up again, a brand-new start? It’s a drop in the bucket,’ says Jo Westh. ‘There are great organisations like charities and not-for-profits doing great work in this sector, but there is not a lot of collaboration. We mobilise the best scientists in the world when COVID was scaring the globe. Why can’t we galvanise the best minds to solve this issue which is far more reaching?’
4 Voices are fundraising to instate a van for the Northern Suburbs of Sydney. The vans are solar-powered, outfitted with technology like mobile phones, computers, printers, scanners WIFI, and coffee and tea-making machines. Identifying the areas of most need, 4 Voices will conduct shifts at particular locations to service the population, offer them a cuppa, and use the technology on board to help. If unemployment is the issue, the technology will we used to write resumes and apply for job listings.
‘We realise the problem in the Northern Suburbs, and we are fundraising and looking for volunteers,’ explains Jo Westh. ‘That is the single biggest issue for us… getting a woman to safety after she’s fled domestic violence.’
For more information about 4 Voices, visit www.4voices.org.au
