Homelessness and human rights
Media and commentary on our work to protect and strengthen human rights for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
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StreetCare and HPLS improve access to critical housing supports
Many people in critical need of a home will have easier access to NSW Government housing and Temporary Accommodation.
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City Hub: When The Safety Net Snaps: How NSW’s Social Housing Is Failing People Who Need A Safe Home
This opinion piece from Policy Officer Alannah Daley explains why the NSW Government needs to support people in social housing better.
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Alternative First Responders: Housing not hyper-policing
People with lived experience of homelessness report excessive and unjust policing. Policy Officer Alannah Daly outlines why we need a different response.
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2SER: Reducing unfair fines and over-policing from alcohol-free zones
Kira Levin, Principal Solicitor of the Homeless Persons’ Legal Service, joined 2SER to discuss a City of Sydney proposal to reduce the number of alcohol-free zones across the city.
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2SER: Why we need to count the deaths of people experiencing homelessness
StreetCare member Tony Pierce discusses the need to gather more data about the deaths of people who have been homeless.
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StreetCare advises on redevelopment to protect rough sleepers
Members of our lived experience advocacy group attended the redevelopment work at Macquarie Street.
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2SER: ending no-grounds evictions in NSW
With rental affordability at its highest point in 17 years, NSW tenants are facing a housing crisis. The continuation of no-grounds evictions exacerbates this issue. Across the state, landlords still have the power to end tenancies without a reason in certain circumstances, giving as little as 30 days’ notice. Renters in SA and ACT are already protected…
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Temporary accommodation changes provide ‘breathing space’ for people in crisis
Our advocacy helped secure changes that are easing the pressure on people in housing crisis.
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2SER: Better housing for all
Housing has been a hot topic throughout the NSW election campaign. Interest rate increases are contributing to the cost-of-living crisis for mortgage holders, while more people than ever are renting their home, and feel they will be for life. With rents increasing rapidly, in Sydney and regional areas, and long queues to inspect rental properties…
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Homelessness, disability and institutional neglect
A severe shortage of social housing, combined with an increasingly unaffordable private rental market and inadequate social security payments, is causing more and more people to experience homelessness across Australia. Homelessness can happen to anyone, but people with disability are at increased risk. PIAC advocates for a social security system that genuinely supports people to access…
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Improved efficiency standards for new houses in NSW
PIAC’s Energy + Water Consumer Advocacy Program (EWCAP) has welcomed the Commonwealth, state and territory government agreement to improve residential energy efficiency standards in the National Construction Code. The changes, supported by a joint community and industry campaign, will lift minimum NatHERS energy efficiency ratings from 6 to 7 Stars and require homes to meet…
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2SER interview: everyone deserves a healthy home
Living in a house that is difficult to warm or cool down isn’t just annoying and unhealthy. It can also be very expensive. With rising energy prices, many of us are understandably concerned about our next power bill. Thomas Chailloux, Policy Officer joins 2SER Breakfast to discuss why everyone deserves to have a healthy home.
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2SER interview: housing affordability crisis
We all need a home. But where do you turn if you cannot find one you are able to afford? Decades of under-investment by government have created a severe shortage of social housing. Low incomes, social security payments and rental assistance are not keeping pace with rent increases. Thomas Chailloux from the Public Interest Advocacy…
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Public forum on policing public space
Thank you to everyone who attended PIAC’s online forum on 18 May and heard from policy, legal and consumer experts, as we formally launched a new joint report with Homelessness NSW. ‘Policing Public Space: The experiences of people sleeping rough,’ highlights how negative interactions with police can stop people who are experiencing homelessness from enjoying…
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Reducing homelessness: scheme helps 50,000 people out of debt
PIAC’s Homeless Persons’ Legal Service first recommended the Word Development Order Scheme in 2006, to reduce the impact of fines on people who are financially vulnerable.
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Opinion: Public housing in NSW – a tragic game of musical chairs
By Dr Louis Schetzer, Senior Policy Officer in PIAC’s Homeless Persons’ Legal Service As a kid I intensely disliked the game musical chairs. There was something in the underlying premise of the game that offended my childhood sensibilities – a dozen or so excited children contesting a deliberately inadequate supply of chairs, with a backing…
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Homelessness in NSW up by 37% since 2011
Alarming new statistics on homelessness, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, reveal a sharp increase in homelessness in NSW in recent years, with a particularly worrying rise in the number of older women experiencing homelessness. PIAC’s Senior Policy Officer for Homelessness, Dr Louis Schetzer said that the figures, from the 2016 census,…
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Homeless women: #metoo and the need to look beyond rough sleepers
The recent City of Sydney Street Count found that the number of people sleeping rough in inner Sydney has decreased by 24 percent compared to the same time last year. That translates to 100 less people sleeping on the streets. In many respects, this is an extraordinary result – the largest reduction in rough sleeping…
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Proposed homelessness laws heavy-handed and counter-productive
The NSW Government’s proposed new laws to give police more power to forcibly evict homeless people from public spaces are heavy-handed and an ineffective way of dealing with homelessness in the inner city. ‘There are over 400 rough sleepers in the city on any given night, and these laws will affect all of them,’ said…