12 July 2023

The NSW Government has announced in a media release today that it plans to make longer-term temporary accommodation more accessible to women and children escaping domestic and family violence, disaster victim-survivors, rough sleepers, and couch surfers.

Under the reforms, people in need can now access an initial period of seven days of temporary accommodation, instead of two days.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Everyone in NSW should have access to safe and secure housing.

“The NSW Government is committed to increasing housing supply and delivering solutions to help break cycles of homelessness.

“I don’t want to see a situation where a woman fleeing domestic and family violence has to pick up and leave every 2 days. This is an important change for people in some of the most vulnerable situations.”

Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson said:

“This is about bringing humanity and dignity back to the housing system in NSW and sends a clear message that this government cares about our homeless community and people in crisis.

“Two days just isn’t enough time for someone experiencing housing insecurity to organise their next steps. We want to ease the burden on people trying to find stable accommodation, not add to it.

“Part of rebuilding our housing system includes giving people in temporary accommodation more time to find their feet, get connected with the services and access stable housing from the safety of a motel.

“Homelessness is not a personal failing. Many people are one bad job, one bad relationship, one climate disaster away from facing homelessness. We need to strengthen our safety net to ensure people don’t fall through the cracks and find themselves unable to access shelter.”

Read more on the NSW Government website: