Homelessness, and housing affordability and availability, is a major issue of concern for the City of Coffs Harbour community. Increasing homelessness among more traditional groups, as well as the growing number of people who would once have been able to afford private rental or home purchase in recent years, means that the topic of homelessness receives consistent media attention, with the Coffs Harbour community identifying affordable housing as a top priority in the recently updated Community Strategic Plan 2032.
JSA’s recent research for the City of Coffs Harbour draft Affordable Housing Strategy has found that a ‘perfect storm’ of housing, funding, economic and environmental factors has resulted in an affordable housing crisis in Coffs Harbour LGA, and growing homelessness amongst even those who would once have been able to access private rental, including lower income working people and moderate income families, and has intensified impacts for more vulnerable people.
JSA has reviewed the City of Coffs Harbour’s current work on understanding the homelessness situation in the LGA and has documented several case studies from regional and rural areas in Australia where local government has facilitated a positive outcome in meeting the challenges of homelessness. JSA has made recommendations to the City that are place-based and take full consideration of the local environment and policy settings.
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