With homelessness a burgeoning problem in the Illawarra, one man has benefitted from the specialist homeless strategy 'Together Home'.
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Brent (not his real name) is a local man who has been sleeping rough and couch surfing for most of his adult life.
He has connected with the Homeless Hub on and off since 2018, while battling schizophrenia, an intellectual disability, and drug addiction.
This year the Homeless Hub was able to refer him to the Together Home program, and Brent now has a roof over his head and is getting the support he needs.
"It feels good - I really appreciated all the staff for getting me a place and supporting me into rehab," he said.
Together Home supports people sleeping on the street or with a history of street-sleeping into stable accommodation and linked to wraparound support.
It's a $122 million investment by the NSW government, part of a plan to halve street homelessness by 2025.
I really appreciated all the staff for supporting me
- Brent
The program is delivered by Community Housing Providers (CHPs) in partnership with Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) and support providers, as part of the Community Housing Leasing Program (CHLP).
Brent's caseworker, Natalie, said she was "stoked" to be able to provide him with the support he needed.
"People who are homeless and have a disability may not be aware of the services available to them," she said.
"Since getting help we've seen Brent flourish."
There are about 1500 people sleeping rough in the Illawarra on any given night.
Housing Trust CEO Michele Adair said 42 of those people would have a home thanks to the program.
"The lockdown highlights the importance of having a safe secure home," she said.
"Our team is working closely with fantastic locally connected organisations such as NEAMI National and Wollongong Emergency Housing to ensure the wraparound supports are in place to give our new Together Home tenants the best chance of success.
"With virtually zero vacancy rates across the Illawarra our biggest challenge is finding suitable rental accommodation for the program.
"I urge local landlords and real estate agents to contact Housing Trust if they have vacant properties and would like to find out more about how to participate."
If you need help, contact Link2Home on 1800 152 152 or https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/help/ways/are-you-homeless
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