The City of Sydney Street Count
Registrations are now open
One of the goals outlined in the NSW Homelessness Action Plan is to reduce the number of rough sleepers by 25% by 2013. The City of Sydney is committed to reaching this goal. A key action under the City's Homelessness Strategy is the coordination of bi-annual Street Counts of rough sleepers in the City of Sydney Local Government Area (LGA) to monitor progress toward the goal.
Service and policy responses to homelessness must be based on evidence of outcomes and monitored regularly to assess the effectiveness of those approaches. The regular collection and comparison of data gives policy makers and service providers the means to measure the impact of existing responses to homelessness.
Counting the numbers of people experiencing primary homelessness is only one method of collecting data to inform policy development but it is an important one.
City of Sydney Street Count August 2011
On the morning of 21 February 2012 the City of Sydney’s Homelessness Unit will coordinate the 8th Street Count of rough sleepers between 1am – 3am. Volunteers will be required from Midnight Monday 20 February until 3:30am Tuesday 21 February 2012.
The aim of the Street Count
The aim of the count is to collect accurate and up-to-date information about the numbers of people sleeping rough and in temporary shelters and homelessness hostels across the City of Sydney local government area (LGA).
Who will be counted?
The Street Count does not aim to investigate the total number of people who are homeless in the LGA. The focus of the count will be on the number of people experiencing primary and secondary homelessness in the City of Sydney LGA. For that reason people living in boarding houses, staying with friends or living in other forms of non-secure housing will not be counted.
The count of rough sleepers will be complemented with an audit of homelessness hostel beds occupied on the night of the Street Count.
How often do counts take place?
The counts will take place every 6 months and will cover the warm and cold seasons in the city to measure changes in the number of people sleeping rough including any seasonal differences in numbers. Counts are planned for February and August every year.
How will the results be used?
The results of the Street Counts will assist the City’s Homelessness Unit to develop appropriate responses to homelessness and to monitor the effectiveness of those and other approaches to homelessness in the Local Government Area.
The results will also be used to advocate to state and federal government for the resources necessary to achieve enduring solutions to homelessness.
During the count no rough sleeper will be woken or approached. No information regarding the specific locations of rough sleepers will be released in the results of the count.
Involving Advisors with direct experience of homelessness
The City will actively seek the assistance of people who are currently homeless or who have experienced homelessness as advisors and participants.
How do I volunteer?
You can now either register online or download a printable application form and email it to kphillips@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Download
- Volunteer application form | PDF 89Kb
Results from previous Street Counts
Roughly two thirds of the City's LGA was covered in both counts.
Approximately 150 volunteers, including about 15 Advisors, participated in each Street Count.
| Aug 2008 | Feb 2009 |
Aug 2009 |
Feb 2010 |
Aug 2010 |
Feb 2011 |
Aug 2011 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Sleepers / over night shelters | 354 | 340 | 399 | 418 | 289 | 363 | 307 |
| Occupied Hostel Beds | 469 | 424 | 438 | 470 | 541 | 477 | 448 |
| Total | 823 | 764 | 837 | 888 | 830 | 840 | 755 |
More Information
For further information contact:
Katie Phillips
Homelessness Project Coordinator
Tel: 02 9265 9667
Email: kphillips@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
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