I love the sound of the rain on the roof, but I never thought it would be like this." The advertisement screenshot widens to reveal a mother in her car with her children. They are homeless, victims of domestic violence. It is happening on the streets of Newcastle.
Sue Prosser is the hospitality manager of Soul Hub. Its mission is to care for people experiencing homelessness in Newcastle who are seeking community connection and assistance. Recently, she spent a week sleeping in her car on the streets to understand better what Soul Hub guests were confronted with each night this winter.
"It was terrible," she told me. "I don't know how they do it."
Driven by the growing demand for its services, the centre has recently moved into expanded premises. It is staffed mainly by volunteers and funded solely by citizen and business donations.
The people of Newcastle have been generous because they appreciate the large gap in government services for people experiencing homelessness at federal, state, and local government levels, a gap that organisations such as Soul Hub are doing its best to fill. Soul Hub's incredible work within the Newcastle community provides those doing it tough with a hot meal, a friendly face, and essential services.
Sue Prosser told me: "While we feed a lot of guests in our cafe, we're also committed to being 'more than a meal' and deliver a wide range of help and support to everyone that comes in, such as pantry food, a medical clinic, social work, hairdressing, and Centrelink assistance."
The CEO of Homelessness NSW, Dom Rowe, wrote in the Herald ('NSW homeless crisis reaches catastrophic tipping point,' NH 8/6) that his organisation was already "forced to turn away one in every two people who need accommodation" in the Hunter. This need has been caused by domestic violence (30 per cent), the housing crisis (40 per cent), or financial difficulties (30 per cent).
Many are forced to couch surf with family or friends, stay in unsafe and overcrowded boarding houses, sleep in their cars or sleep rough. A street count in February 2024 found a 25 per cent increase in rough sleeping in NSW. The third largest increase was in the Hunter/Central Coast, with the most significant increase in the Hunter being in the City of Newcastle.
The NSW budget's allocation of half the planned 8400 new social housing places to those fleeing domestic violence is welcome. However, these will not be available for years because the land for building this housing has yet to be selected. Some state funding to help people experiencing homelessness was also included in the budget.
How does City of Newcastle (CN) serve Newcastle's homeless citizens?
Recently, Soul Hub care staff and lived-experience guests, Ben and Rod, met with CN community planning and parking officials to discuss the council's response to people sleeping in their cars and sleeping rough in public spaces.
The meeting was called so that council staff could talk with people who had experienced homelessness and listen to their concerns. Ben told them he had lived in his car for two years and was finding it tough. Rod said he had received fines for illegal parking, saying, "Please treat us like people. Don't knock me down, lift me up."
CN recently made things even more difficult for the homeless sleeping in their cars in King Edward Park. Instead of issuing 'special permits', CN has removed free parking and made it illegal between 9pm and 5am, enforced by fines.
The meeting discussed creating safe parking spaces and to trial a women's car park project in Newcastle, which could include amenities, but there is no plan yet. When the meeting concluded, CN representatives didn't suggest specific actions, just agreed to continue the conversation, which to date has not happened.
Thank heavens for Newcastle's volunteers and community organisations such as Soul Hub, which provide a lifeline of care for the city's homeless.
You can give to this life-changing service for Newcastle's homeless by contacting community@soulhub.org.au
