Kylie Emery returned from a shower on Thursday morning to find her shopping trolley full of belongings was gone. It contained everything she has to her name: a sleeping bag, warm clothes, her credit card.
Emery is among about two dozen people who have been sleeping rough at Sydney’s Central station, some for several years, in a sheltered spot near the light rail stop. The majority are women, who find the site safe because of its CCTV cameras and public location.
On Thursday, at about 5am, the homeless sleepers were woken by police and told to move on for two hours, as happens most mornings. They have been told by police this is to avoid disruption for passengers during peak hour.
When they returned, they found all their items had been covered in caution tape – and, for the first time, posters had been erected.
“Please remove all your belongings by 12pm today 31/07/2025,” the laminated signs, which were not attributed, read, “or your items will be disposed afterwards.”
Emery’s trolley was eventually returned by a cleaner, who had taken it downstairs, but she said her items had been moved and sorted through. Another man who also had his items taken, including his sleeping bag, was told by a cleaner that they had been thrown away.
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While Emery’s belongings had been returned she had nowhere else to go and it was pouring with rain.
Many of the women who lived there, including her, had been through complex trauma and struggle with PTSD, she said. “It’s unsafe for everyone [on the streets], but it’s extremely unsafe for us.”
Emery said she had been on a priority list for housing for seven months, after experiencing a home invasion in Port Macquarie last year.
“There’s no way I could go back there, it’s not safe,” she said. “I ring up [housing services] and they’re like, ‘Sorry, we can’t help you.’
“It’s horrible seeing ladies out here on the street. There are mothers and grandmothers here … we haven’t done anything wrong.”
According to the New South Wales street count, the number of rough sleepers counted across the state has grown by nearly 70% in five years, from 1,314 in 2020 to 2,192 in 2025. Systems are struggling to cope with demand. A report released by Mission Australia on Thursday found demand for its tenancy support services had surged to an all-time high, with a 52% increase in people seeking assistance between 2023 and 2024.
The fastest-growing groups of people seeking support were employed people, young people and those escaping family and domestic violence.
Dominique Rowe, the CEO of Homelessness NSW, said Sydney’s housing crisis was forcing more people, including women and children, to seek shelter in stations, parks and other public places.
“People forced to sleep rough need suitable homes and trauma-informed support services, not heavy-handed move-on instructions from authorities,” Rowe said.
“The government must urgently increase funding for stretched homelessness services so they can help more people in need.”
Amanda, who did not want to use her surname, has been living at Central station for two-and-a-half years, except for a few brief stays in temporary accommodation.
She had a doctor’s appointment on Thursday, but had to cancel it to guard her belongings. She said the warnings that belongings would be removed was the “harshest response” she had seen by authorities during her time sleeping at the station – particularly as they were targeting the entire group, not just individuals.
“They’re saying we’re inhibiting passengers, but everyone’s getting on board [the light rail],” she said. If we were standing in front of trains, stopping the trains from moving, I would probably say that’s appropriate [to ask us to leave], but we aren’t.”
Amanda said police had given the group warnings in the past, including to keep their belongings tidy and clean and to make sure benches were made available for passengers.
“But when they moved us on this morning, they said if people didn’t take their belongings with them, they’d dispose of them,” she said. “They’ve never done that before.
“And every time I put a complaint in to NSW police, I don’t get a response.”
In most cases, police require a court warrant to lawfully remove property from public land. NSW councils can remove belongings or tell people to move on under certain circumstances, including those that threaten public health or safety.
Alexia Smith has been staying at Central station for about five months and has been periodically homeless since arriving in Australia from the Philippines in 2004. Two weeks ago, she said the group had been advised to move their belongings from inside the station to the undercover concourse.
But nobody had offered them a long-term solution – a home.
“They just create more problems on top of problems,” she said. “Australia shouldn’t treat people like this.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for NSW police said move-on directions were issued “if a person is causing, or is likely to cause, inconvenience to other persons on railway premises” with removal or fines listed as possible consequences of non-compliance.
“The NSW police force is part of a multi-agency response, in collaboration with Sydney Trains, NSW Health and Housing NSW, regarding the matter of homeless people at Central railway station,” the spokesperson continued.
“Being homeless is not an offence, and NSW police will continue to work with the community and help homeless people make contact with appropriate services if needed.”
The City of Sydney council declined to comment and referred Guardian Australia to Transport for NSW.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said Sydney Trains was requested by NSW police to ask for the belongings to be removed and its staff “work closely” with the homeless community at the station.
“Unattended belongings pose a risk in a transport hub like Central Station,” they said.
“If unattended belongings are moved, they are able to be collected. Sydney Trains will hold belongings for at least 24 hours.”
