FORMER disability housing campuses the Stockton Centre and Tomaree Lodge should be repurposed to provide emergency accommodation for the homeless, say a group of Hunter welfare groups and NSW Labor MPs.
The opposition's spokesperson for Housing and Homelessness, Rose Jackson MLC, joined Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp and Port Stephens MP Kate Washington in making the call at Stockton today.
This week - August 1 to 7 - is declared as national Homelessness Week.
The three MPs met at the Stockton Centre with representatives of specialist homelessness services Nova for Women and Children and Jenny's Place, together with the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service.
Although some in the community are calling for the sites to be used for low-cost housing on a longer-term basis, the Labor MPs stressed they were raising it as a temporary fix while a better long-term future was found.
Ms Jackson said it was "scandalous to have a facility like the Stockton Centre sitting vacant in the middle of a housing crisis."
"Every day I am hearing the worst stories about the housing stress of people in our communities and it is clear what the government is doing just isn't working," Ms Jackson said.
She called on the Minister for Family and Community Services, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, to urgently investigate this option to provide additional emergency accommodation options to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter.
Mr Crakanthorp said that with services stretched to capacity due to the current housing crisis in the region, these and other welfare agencies were routinely turning away women and children who were then forced to sleep in cars or tents.
He said the Stockton Centre - which closed two years ago in August 2020 - had eight renovated houses and two units on the site that would be suitable for emergency accommodation.
He said various housing and welfare organisations had come to him asking about reopening the Stockton Centre and he had approached the government a number of times, only to be stonewalled and have the request rebuffed.
"We are at a crisis point, we urgently need emergency accommodation and we have this facility sitting here vacant. Let's use this facility to help the most vulnerable in our community," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"This asset belongs to the community, not some Minister in Sydney who says it's all too hard. We need less talk and more action when it comes to addressing the housing crisis.
"Every week I am dealing with people experiencing homelessness who are struggling to find accommodation. Whilst this is only a temporary solution its one that is desperately needed right now to get us through this crisis".
He said the Stockton Centre site was controlled by the Department of Communities and Justice, the same department tasked with assisting those experiencing homelessness in the state.
Ms Washington said she had also been ignored after making corresponding approaches to the government to use Tomaree Lodge for crisis accommodation.
Based on the numbers of people who lived on-site when the two facilities were used for disability housing, Tomaree had the capacity to house 150 people. Stockton had more than 300 residents in its final phase but has housed considerably more in earlier decades.
The housing call follows a housing and homelessness summit in Port Stephens last Thursday hosted by Ms Washington and attended by about 30 people from 15 organisations, who gathered at Medowie to discuss the crisis.
"We've been crying out for more social housing in Port Stephens for years, but the Liberal Government just isn't listening," Ms Washington said.
"Instead of waiting around for the government to find a conscience, we brought all of the local players together to see if we can find some local solutions.
"Every day, I hear from local people, local families, who have nowhere to go. It's tragic, and something has to be done," Ms Washington said.
Kelly Hanson, chief executive of Nova for Women and Children, said "all of our refuges are at capacity and we are turning away women and children to sleep in their cars or worse".
"We need immediate solutions now, opening up additional temporary emergency accommodation would make a significant difference in our work," Ms Hanson said.
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