Sydney's rough sleepers and victims of domestic violence are being promised more support by the NSW government in the upcoming budget.
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Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday announced an extra $61 million over four years to help the state's homeless as part of a broader $1 billion package.
About a third of the funds will go towards helping the private and not-for-profit sector develop new programs to deal with homelessness.
Just over $10 million will be used for tenancy support and addressing issues of mental health, drugs and alcohol, plus about $9 million for additional transitional accommodation.
Another $6.2 million will go to expanding the 'staying home leaving violence' program, which helps victims of domestic violence stay in their home while the perpetrator is removed.
"Our homelessness strategy will ensure we are supporting people early to prevent homelessness, reaching out to rough sleepers proactively to get them housed and addressing complex issues such as mental health and drug and alcohol abuse," Ms Berejiklian said in a statement.
The extra money will be set aside in this year's state budget, to be delivered on June 19.
The NSW Greens' housing spokeswoman Jenny Leong branded the announcement "nothing short of spin".
Helping people with housing applications, assisting them with temporary accommodation or connecting them with services "aren't genuine solutions when these systems are already in crisis", she said.
"There are over 100,000 people currently approved for housing languishing on the decade long waiting list, and services providing crisis accommodation and support are already overstretched and unable to meet demand," she said in a statement.
Australian Associated Press
