In the early hours of Tuesday morning, members of StreetCare, PIAC’s consumer advisory group on homelessness, participated in the City of Sydney’s street count, accompanying Minister Pru Goward, and sharing their first-hand experience of homelessness.
Street count aims to collect up to date information about the number of homeless people in the local area. Over 150 volunteers, many of whom have lived experience of homelessness, assist with the count, which takes place in February and August each year.
‘Over the past few years the number of people sleeping rough in the city has been steadily increasing,’ said Lou Schetzer from PIAC’s Homeless Persons’ Legal Service.
‘While we won’t know the final numbers for another week, the event is always a reminder that there are far too many people living without access to appropriate housing.’
StreetCare members Dave Jeffrey, Amir Bodenstein, and Daryl Smith played a key leadership role in the conduct of the street count as team advisors and team leaders sharing their lived experience of homelessness.