Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Consultation with local service providers, health organisations, and housing advocates
Input from services and people with lived experience of homelessness
Internal collaboration across Council teams
Review of regional data and best-practice strategies from across NSW and Australia.
ADVOCATING for housing and support services at the state level
LEADING by identifying our role to support ending homelessness
COLLABORATING in partnerships and initiatives
Sleeping rough or in cars (primary homelessness)
Living in emergency or transitional accommodation (secondary homelessness)
Staying in temporary or overcrowded housing with no tenure (tertiary homelessness)
Regular reporting to Council on progress and outcomes
Complete an online submission
Upload a written submission through the Have Your Say website
Attend a community pop-up information session
1. What is the Draft Homelessness Strategy?
The Draft Homelessness Strategy (the Strategy) is a plan developed by the City of Coffs Harbour to guide how we help end homelessness in our community. It sets out priority actions and defines the City’s role to advocate, lead and collaborate.
2. Why has the City developed this draft Strategy?
In recent years, Coffs Harbour has seen a significant rise in homelessness, especially people ‘sleeping rough’ in public spaces. This is caused by a lack of available social and affordable housing. This lack of suitable housing is placing increasing pressure on Specialist Homelessness Services and creating bottlenecks in temporary accommodation, keeping people in homelessness for longer periods.
Traditionally, solving homelessness has been the role of the Australian and State Governments, however more Local Governments are defining their role and doing what they can with the levers that are available to them to help solve the issue.
3. What is homelessness?
Homelessness refers to the lack of safe, secure, appropriate, and affordable housing. It includes situations like sleeping rough, staying in temporary shelters or refuges, couch surfing, or living in overcrowded or emergency accommodations.
4. Who experiences homelessness?
People experiencing homelessness come with a diverse range of histories, identities, and experiences, and therefore no one experience of homelessness will be the same.
5. What are the causes of homelessness?
The causes of homelessness are complex and varied. The City understands that homelessness is often the consequence of broad-scale structural, social and economic factors that affect housing affordability, unemployment, and the provision of social services.
6. What is the purpose of the draft Strategy?
This Draft Strategy seeks to define the role of the City of Coffs Harbour in helping to end homelessness and presents initiatives for the City to work together with our community, Specialist Homelessness Services, the housing sector, business sector, and other levels of government to help end homelessness in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area.
7. How will this Strategy work to help end homelessness?
The draft Strategy identifies 12 initiatives to encourage and support ending homelessness in the Coffs Harbour LGA by focusing on advocacy, leadership, and collaboration. This is considered the most efficient and cost-effective way for the City to work towards ending homelessness within its existing resourcing capabilities.
8. How does this draft Strategy work with Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy?
This draft Strategy aligns with Council’s Affordable Housing Strategy. It is impossible to solve homelessness without access to safe, sustainable, and affordable housing.
Together, these Strategies aim to:
- reduce the numbers of low-income households in housing stress,
- provide increased social and affordable housing opportunities,
- address both homelessness and housing insecurity, and
- advocate to the NSW Government to increase funding and supply of social and affordable housing, including an increase to 50% of all housing in developments on surplus NSW land.
9. Who was involved in developing the draft strategy?
The draft Strategy was informed by:
10. Who is responsible for solving homelessness?
Historically, solving homelessness has been the role of the Australian and State Governments, however, more and more Local Governments are defining their role and doing what they can with the levers that are available to them.
The Australian Government is responsible for providing $1.9 billion nationally to the NSW Government and other States and Territories through the National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness (NASHH).
The NSW Government is responsible for social housing provision, community housing support and regulation, as well as administering funding and managing contracts of Specialist Homelessness Services.
The Australian Government has been developing the first National Affordable Housing and Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan with consultations in 2023. The NSW Government is currently developing the Draft NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025–2035.
11. What is the City's role in addressing homelessness?
The City of Coffs Harbour is not responsible for delivering housing or homelessness services – this responsibility sits with the NSW and Australian governments. However, the City has an important role to play in:
12. Where can I find more information about homelessness in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area?
The Issues and Options Paper – Homelessness, has more information on homelessness in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area, and can be found in the ’Documents’ section on this page.
13. What types of homelessness does the Strategy address?
The Strategy takes a broad view of homelessness, in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definition. This includes:
It also recognises the growing number of people who are at risk of homelessness, particularly renters in housing stress.
14. How will the Strategy be implemented?
Once adopted, the Strategy will be implemented through:
The City will also explore opportunities to embed homelessness considerations in broader policies and strategies (e.g. housing, planning, open space, libraries).
15. How can I provide feedback on the draft Strategy?
We welcome all feedback from the community and stakeholders. You can:
Feedback closes on: Monday 8 September 2025
16. How will my feedback be used?
All feedback will be reviewed and considered in the finalisation of the Strategy. The outcomes of the consultation process will be reported back to Council for consideration when finalising the plan. The final strategy will be presented to the Council for endorsement later in 2025.