Minister meets with Gosford homelessness service providers

Tanya Plibersek and Member for Robertson, Belinda Neal today met with service providers to discuss homelessness in Gosford and detail progress of the Rudd Government’s White Paper on Homelessness.

“The Central Coast and Western Sydney have been identified as two of the regions of NSW most affected by the global financial crisis,” Ms Plibersek said.

“That’s why it’s important to meet with service providers to see what’s happening on the ground.

“The Government has made addressing homelessness a national priority and the White Paper delivers an additional $1.2 billion for homelessness services.”

One of the first steps towards achieving the White Paper’s goals is finalising the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness Implementation Plan with the NSW Government, which details how they will deliver new and improved services.

“We are currently working to finalise our National Partnership Agreement Implementation Plan in the coming weeks,” Ms Plibersek said.

Ms Neal said the Australian Government is also tackling homelessness by providing an additional 20,000 new social housing dwellings across Australia as part of the $42 billion Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan.

Across the electorate of Robertson, 73 new social housing dwellings will be constructed as part of Stage One of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, at a cost of $19.6 million.

In addition, 476 dwellings will receive repairs and maintenance at a cost of $2.2 million. This includes minor works such as installing new bathrooms and kitchens, painting, new carpet, plumbing and re-wiring.

“This additional housing will help provide more options for people who are at risk of becoming homeless,” Ms Neal said.

“I’m very pleased that the Minister accepted my invitation to meet with local organisations so they can discuss the situation in Gosford and the issues facing their clients.”