IT'S the challenge that remains in the shadows in the Central West.
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People aren't sleeping on pavements, in parks or outside shops in the major cities of the region, but that does not mean homelessness doesn't exist.
The number of homeless people in the Central West has been growing since 2011 and there is a significant population of young people "couch-surfing" with friends or relatives.
The gap between the demand for and supply of rental properties in cities such as Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo has worsened the situation and finding a house without a previous rental history remains difficult.
Experts say domestic violence in regional areas is also contributing to the homeless population.
The NSW Government has promised to halve the population of rough sleepers by 2025, but is that possible?
Today, the Daily Liberal has a closer look at the problem in the Central West.
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THE Central West has seen a rise in its homeless population, but it seems the region is still not on the NSW Government's radar.
Data showed there were 746 homeless people in the region in 2016 - an eight per cent increase on 2011.
So what's the NSW Government plan to halve the number of homeless in the Central West by 2025?
The NSW Government plan for the Central West
A NSW Department of Family and Community Services spokesperson said the state government will provide more than $10 million to the Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) program across the region in 2018-19.
"The NSW Government currently invests in over 6800 social housing dwellings through public and community housing providers in the region," the spokesperson said.
It currently funds 14 SHS to support 3861 people and has plans to build more than 300 dwellings in the region over the next 10 years.
Labor too has a plan
Tania Mihailuk, the NSW Shadow Minister for Housing, says the real question is what the NSW Premier has done in the past eight years about the problem.
The number of homeless people in the state grew by more than 33 per cent in the five years alone from 2011 to the census in 2016, Ms Mihailuk said.
"She [Gladys Berejiklian] has enjoyed an unprecedented economic growth. She has collected billions in stamp duty, but her priority was to splurge on city stadiums," Ms Mihailuk said. "She has sold off thousands of social housing properties."
She [Gladys Berejiklian] has enjoyed an unprecedented economic growth. She has collected billions in stamp duty, but her priority was to splurge on city stadiums. She has sold off thousands of social housing properties
- Tania Mihailuk
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Ms Mihailuk says a Labor government will directly work with Specialist Homelessness Services in the region.
"We will also work with other community-based organisations such as those providing mental health services, helping marginalised families and rehabilitation," she said.
Expert take
Katherine McKernan, the CEO of Homelessness NSW, says the NSW Government has had a focus on inner city rough sleeping.
"The announcement of targets to end rough sleeping will need to also focus on rough sleeping across NSW, as 30 per cent of people sleeping rough do so in regional and rural NSW," Ms McKernan said.
"To reduce homelessness in regional areas, investment is required in specialist services for domestic and family violence, young people and mental health and drug and alcohol services.
"Currently, 28 per cent of all clients accessing homelessness services are Aboriginal and so we also need to see investment in and support of Aboriginal communities to help prevent Aboriginal homelessness."
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CSU lecturer Rohena Duncombe says the problem needs to be attacked from many angles.
"The real cause for homelessness is poverty and inequality," Ms Duncombe said.
The real cause for homelessness is poverty and inequality
- Rohena Duncombe
"When people grow up poor, especially in intergenerational poverty, they are subjected to a lot of stress which in turn increases the likelihood of a conflictual environment.
"People experiencing stress, poverty and conflict in childhood are more likely to develop psycho-emotional symptoms than people growing up in stable, non-poor households.
"They are less likely to complete their schooling and may try to manage their symptoms and stress through substance use.
"These are dynamics which actually lead to many problems, including homelessness."
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A service helping the homeless reports it has had an intake of about 20 new clients in its Dubbo facilities since February 1 alone.
Orana Support Service (OSS) also reports having “a huge waiting list” as it works to meet the needs of people who lack a roof over their heads.
It had put “close to 10 homeless people” into permanent housing since February 1, manager Tina Reynolds said.
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The organisation also headleased an extra five flats in January “to get another five people living down at the riverbank in tents into some kinds of housing”.
But it still did not have “enough places to put people”, Ms Reynolds said.
OSS provides crisis accommodation for women and children at the Dubbo Women’s Refuge, and for men at Sturt House.
It works to transition clients to other accommodation within three months, Ms Reynolds said.
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OSS also has a boarding house, had access to Compass Housing houses and headleased other properties as well, Ms Reynolds said.
“So we do have a fair few facilities, probably better than other places... we’re lucky we do, but the demand is quite high,” she said.
“So we still don’t have enough places to put people.”
Ms Reynolds said she believed it was a “crisis situation right across the state”.
“Speaking to other organisations that do the same thing that we do, we’re hearing the same stories,” she said.
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The manager said clients had different circumstances, and might be a young person in their twenties who had fallen out with their family and with nowhere to go they were living on the streets.
Domestic violence and mental health could also be factors, she said.
“We’re starting to see more elderly people coming in, we’ve had a few elderly people who have been homeless, and I’m led to believe that’s a trend, we’ll start to see more elderly people coming in, becoming homeless as well,” she said.
One challenge for OSS was to find properties that suited the needs of clients, particularly in the cases of women with children, or men with children.
“The women’s refuge, for example, we can have children, males up to 14 years of age there, so mother and children up to 14 can stay together,” Ms Reynolds said.
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“After 14, if the mum wants to stay with the kids, there’s nothing really here.”
Similarly for families of men with children needing crisis accommodation in a refuge there was “nothing here”.
“So we’re looking at where the needs are changing... and saying how can we fix this situation and we’re working towards fixing that.”
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Don't have a place to crash? Help is a phone call away in the Central West
Bathurst Homelessness and Housing Support Service for adults and families, Wattle Tree House: 1800 851 858 / B.W. and C. Refuge: 1800 738 303.
Bathurst Homelessness and Housing Support Service for young people, Veritas House Inc: 6332 3882 (after hours: 6331 1675, mobile: 0407 188 877).
Orange Homelessness and Housing Support Service for Adults and Families, Housing Plus: 1800 674 474.
Orange Homelessness and Housing Support Service for young people, Veritas House Inc: 6361 8088, 0417 657 323 or 6332 6835.
Dubbo Homelessness and Housing Support Service for adults and families, Orana Support Service Inc: 6882 2100.
Dubbo Homelessness and Housing Support Service for young people, Uniting Care Burnside NSW/ACT: 6884 5254.
Mid-Western Homelessness and Housing Support Service, Barnardos Australia: 6361 1544.
Parkes-Forbes Homelessness and Housing Support Service, The Trustees of The Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes (CentaCare): 6850 1788.
Cobar Homelessness and Housing Support Service, The Trustees of The Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes (CentaCare): 6836 2172.
Western NSW (Central) Homeless Youth Assistance Program (HYAP), Veritas House Inc: 6332 3882.
Warrumbungle Homelessness and Housing Support Service Mission Australia: 6842 5197 (Coonamble, Coonabarabran) or 6817 8798 (Gilgandra).