PAYCE Foundation Pledge $400,000 to end street sleeping

The $400,000, two-year agreement with the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration was announced at its Leaders Symposium in Sydney this week.

The End Street Sleeping Collaboration has been set up to implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the NSW State Government, the City of Sydney, leading homelessness providers and the Institute of Global Homelessness.

Under the MOU agreement the aim is to:

• reduce rough sleeping in the City of Sydney by 25 per cent by 2025
• reduce rough sleeping in the City of Sydney and NSW by 50 per cent by 2025, and
• work towards zero rough sleeping in the City of Sydney and NSW.

The industry was briefed on the homelessness program at the symposium, which was also attended by the NSW Minister for Family, Community Services and disabilities, Gareth Ward.

Mr Ward, who delivered the keynote speech, said the NSW Government was strongly committed to meeting the targets.

Sydney is the tenth city globally to commit to being a vanguard city under the Institute of Global Homelessness program, joining Adelaide and eight other cities around the world.

Signatories to the NSW agreement with the Institute of Global Homelessness are the:

NSW Government, City of Sydney, St Vincent’s de Paul, St Vincent’s Health, Mission Australia, Salvation Army, Wesley Mission, Neami National and YFoundations, who are joined in this project by the supporting partners, Homelessness NSW and CatholicCare Sydney.

PAYCE Foundation Director Dominic Sullivan said the Foundation recognised that street sleeping was a major challenge which required urgent action.

“It is reassuring to know Sydney is part of a network of ‘vanguard cities’ around the world working with the Institute of Global Homelessness to address this deeply entrenched social issue,” Mr Sullivan said.

“There is now clear evidence which shows that it is possible to not only reduce street sleeping numbers, but also implement reforms that prevent homelessness.”

“People who are facing a crisis have complex needs which must be addressed early to reduce the chances of them becoming homeless.”

Convenor of the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration, The Hon Graham West said that ending street sleeping in NSW is achievable when the whole community is engaged.

“Ending Street Sleeping in Sydney and NSW can be done. It can’t be done by Government, or by charities acting alone. It requires the whole community to work together, each bringing their experience and skills, focusing on people experiencing or at risk of homelessness”.

“This grant from the PAYCE foundation is a key part of building the collaboration to End Street Sleeping and demonstrates what can be achieved when we work together. This is an important milestone toward NSW becoming the first State in the world to End Street Sleeping.”

The PAYCE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of leading property and investment company, PAYCE, based in Sydney.