Sydney is “failing homeless seniors”

Melbourne is said to be putting Sydney to shame when it comes to looking after older homeless people, leading to a call for more care accommodation for seniors sleeping rough in NSW.

Sydney’s homeless population is nearly twice Melbourne’s, but has a third of the number of aged care homes for older, homeless people, according to charity aged care provider HammondCare.

Health and Hospitals General Manager at HammondCare, Stewart James said a 2013 report found 10 residential aged care services dedicated to supporting older homeless people in Melbourne, compared to just three in Sydney.

James said the City of Sydney Council was working hard to address the issue in inner Sydney, but further action was required.

“More needs to be done to provide safe and affordable housing options for older women, and more residential aged care services for older, homeless people are needed in inner Sydney,”

NSW Police have joined Mission Australia to launch a charity drive in support of Homelessness Week 2016.

Homelessness Week is an annual awareness campaign – coordinated by Homelessness Australia – that began on Monday and continues until Sunday. It aims to raise awareness of people experiencing homelessness and the issues these people face.

As part of the police charity drive, officers from Local Area Commands across the state are donating their second-hand police boots, which will be collected by Mission Australia and distributed to those in need.

Local police stations have established drop-off sites, which will remain in place throughout Homelessness Week and the month of August, before the donations are collected for delivery.

NSW Police Central Metropolitan Region Spokesperson on Vulnerable Communities, Superintendent Allan Sicard said the NSW Police is proud to take part in this initiative with Mission Australia.

“Commands across the state have thrown their support behind the charity drive; the leather boots are very comfortable, they’re of great quality certainly have plenty of life left in them,” Sicard said.