An interagency forum has discussed the devastating effects of the housing crisis on local people experiencing homelessness and domestic violence in the Blue Mountains.

The Macquarie Women’s Homelessness and DV Interagency Forum heard from representatives of services providers from across the region in Katoomba on Thursday, November 18.

Hosted by Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, the forum was also attended by Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Jason Clare, and Shadow Assistant Minister for Communities and the Prevention of Family Violence, Senator Jenny McAllister, who were in the area to get more information on how the crisis has affected the region.

“Housing costs in the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury have skyrocketed in the last 12 months. House prices in the region have jumped by up to 29.9 per cent, much more than the national average of 21.9 per cent,” Mr Clare said.

“The cost of rent has also skyrocketed. Rent in Sydney has increased 5.5 per cent in the last 12 months. In some parts of Macquarie, it has jumped by two or three times that.

“It’s harder to buy than ever before, it’s harder to rent than ever before and there are more homeless Aussies than ever before.”
 
Senator McAllister said one of the leading causes of homelessness was domestic and family violence.

“After years of neglect and underfunding by the Morrison Government, local domestic violence shelters are under-resourced and unable to tackle the scale of this crisis,” Senator McAllister said.

“Every year across the country more than 10,000 women and children fleeing violence, including woman and children in our community, are turned away from shelters because there isn’t a bed.
 
“After almost a decade in Government, housing affordability has only got worse under the Liberal-National Government.”  

Ms Templeman said the forum was an opportunity for local service providers to raise their issues directly with Shadow Ministers who will be formulating Labor’s policy to help find solutions moving forward.

“Information directly from those who are at the coalface of this enormous problem is invaluable, and I thank all those who attended for their input,” Ms Templeman said.

Ms Templeman, Mr Clare and Senator McAllister also met with Junction 142 board chair John Cox, and project managers Stephen Bradley and Mel Jones, to discuss the increase in demand for the services’ facilities during the pandemic at the group’s Katoomba facility.

“There’s a real lack of transitional housing and longer-term housing in the Blue Mountains, and things have to change if we are to have a decent society that gives people a chance to get their life back on