GAWLER Council will investigate ways it can help provide housing for the town’s homeless and rough sleepers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a special meeting last week, councillor Ian Tooley moved a motion which called for council staff to find ways to work with the State Government to provide support and housing options for those doing it tough as the pandemic has a significant impact on the economy and local jobs.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Adelaide North area’s unemployment rate has risen by .2 per cent since the onset of the pandemic.
Around 700 people in the region have become unemployed since March, including around 500 people across May alone.
During debate, he said council needed to look at homelessness “at a local level”.
“Gawler does have a number of really disadvantaged, rough sleeping and homeless people,” Cr Tooley said.
“This could be a great thing if we get a report into how we can tap into this possibility that we could ensure that the homeless and rough sleepers in Gawler are cared for.
“It’s a win-win. When you address poverty and when you address disadvantage, everybody in a society wins.”
In March, the State Government announced a major overhaul of its homelessness support system, committing $71.5 million to homelessness services in the 2020/21 financial year.
It also promised $20 million to a new Homelessness Prevention Fund as part of its proposed $550 million housing and homelessness strategy “Our Housing Future 2020-30”.
Councillor Cody Davies supported the motion, adding local homelessness is more than just what is visible on Gawler’s streets.
“The COVID-19 situation has brought to mind some forms of homelessness which some people might not particularly consider,” he said.
“There’s a lot of young people who couch surf and other things like that who were particularly affected by restrictions on who could enter each other’s homes.”
Councillor Paul Koch though raised concerns over using extensive council resources to battle homelessness, saying it should be the State Government’s responsibility to house the homeless.
“There is a number of multi-faceted problems which leads to people being homeless and that’s way that network of support needs a wide range of specialists,” he said.
“I don’t think this is within councils remit to provide shelter. It’s the State Government’s remit – not ours.
“We’re a very small council, it would stretch us incredibly. If we could get into an advocacy role that would be fine as I think there are agencies out there that can provide this.”
