Letter to the editor: Homelessness looks different for everyone

Further to your article Rough sleeper convicted for threatening and harassing housing worker published on January 30, 2023, I write to give some further background on the Together Home Program and homelessness in NSW and Dubbo.

Your article shone a light on one person who is experiencing homelessness in Dubbo. Each person's experience is different, however many people who are rough sleepers have experienced multiple traumas and have complex needs.

Together Home is a highly successful Housing First program introduced by the NSW Government during COVID-19. It seeks to help the most difficult to reach homelessness clients in our communities.

Clients are some of the most vulnerable in the community, people who have been homeless for a very long time, usually sleeping on the streets or in carparks and have multiple complex needs.

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We have been delivering Together Home in Dubbo since 2021. In the past 12 months the program has assisted 26 rough sleepers across Dubbo, Orange, and Bathurst. Of those we have assisted, 24 continue to reside in their new homes after 12 months.

It is challenging work, but work Housing Plus is proud to do. Clients do not always want to be supported or they may want to one day and not the next. Goals can change from one day to the next, depending on the capacity of the client on that day.

As many of your readers will know, we are in a housing crisis, with homelessness on the rise across NSW. The lack of housing and lack of affordable housing is affecting many in our community. For someone who is rough sleeping the goal of having a home, somewhere safe to stay each night, is beyond reach, which is why programs such as Together Home are so important.

David Fisher

CEO Housing Plus