Illawarra homelessness services under strain as demand reaches new highs
The Community Matters podcast offers a frontline view of homelessness pressures in the Illawarra
Demand for homelessness services across the Illawarra has reached unprecedented levels, with new figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showing the region now ranks fourth-highest in Australia for demand. That pressure is playing out daily on the frontline, as services grapple with longer waitlists, more complex needs and a rapidly changing profile of people seeking help.
Those realities were laid bare in a recent episode of the Community Industry Group’s Community Matters podcast, hosted by its CEO, Nicky Sloan.
The episode featured Kelly McGarrity, housing services manager at Wollongong Homeless Hub and Housing Services (WHHHS), which has delivered homelessness support in the region for more than 40 years.
McGarrity said social housing wait times continue to exceed public expectations. Across New South Wales, about 68,700 people are currently on housing waitlists, including 1,547 in the Wollongong local government area, 612 in South Wollongong and 899 in Shellharbour.
“We’re seeing more people than ever presenting to our services,” McGarrity said. “They’re sleeping in their cars and staying in unsafe accommodation.”
One of the most striking trends is the rise in people experiencing homelessness who have pets.
In the past full year, WHHHS accommodated 50 people with pets. In just six months this financial year, that figure has already climbed to 83.
“We hear people say that their pets are a protective factor,” McGarrity said. “They keep them safe and connected to their identity and wellbeing.”
She noted that for women fleeing domestic violence, fear for a pet’s safety can be a powerful barrier to leaving unsafe situations.
Homelessness, McGarrity stressed, is no longer confined to the stereotypes often seen in the media. Alongside people sleeping rough in parks or tents, services are increasingly seeing working families, older people and renters pushed out by rising costs.
“We’re seeing a lot of people over the age of 55 presenting for services for the first time ever,” McGarrity said.
“They’ve often outlived their loved ones, don’t have support, and then their current rental ends.”
WHHHS provides crisis and transitional accommodation, a weekday drop-in hub at Fairy Meadow, and early-intervention case management to sustain tenancies and prevent eviction. But capacity is limited. In the past six months alone, the service has been unable to accommodate more than 150 requests for crisis accommodation requests.
“That’s why reaching out early is so important,” McGarrity said. “If people contact services before a crisis point, there may be options to preserve a tenancy and avoid homelessness altogether.”
Support from the broader community also plays a role. WHHHS relies on volunteers to pack food and supplies and accepts donations of essential items, such as toiletries. Small gestures, McGarrity said, can have a profound impact.
She recalled a woman in her mid-50s who had fled family violence and was sleeping in her car with her dog, travelling across the region by train and bus to reach safety.
“When she got to the site, she just burst out crying,” McGarrity said. “It was a humbling reminder that those really small things do make a difference.”
You can watch and listen to the full podcast here: