Under the NSW Government's new reform package, the church known for its extensive community outreach initiatives will be able to provide further homeless support services and accommodation to vulnerable families and young people, an approach they hope will target the problem at its source.
"The Going Home, Staying Home reforms have not only maintained services for crisis accommodation but addressed the need for prevention," the CEO of Wesley Mission the Rev Dr Keith Garner said.
"It is a sad fact that almost one third of homeless Australians who receive support are homeless families – and that number is expected to grow in the coming years unless there is greater early intervention."
Under the reform, the government will help fund homeless service providers involved in crisis response, rapid rehousing and prevention and early intervention of homelessness.
The extra funding will allow Wesley Mission to expand its services to the greater Sydney region, including Parramatta, the Hills, Fairfield and Liverpool, as well as new initiatives being set up in the Central Coast and Coffs Harbour.
"More than 70 per cent of homeless people using inner-city services come from suburban and regional areas, Dr Garner explained.
"For more than a decade, Wesley Mission has been witnessing a drift of homeless people from these areas to the inner-city and has long advocated for a more considered approach to this trend."
"We are now moving from ad hoc and piecemeal approaches to homelessness to a more strategic and cohesive model."
Wesley Mission has provided vital inner-city homeless services for over 120 years, offering accommodation and support to over 600 people each night who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
For more information, visit www.wesleymission.org.au