Camden Council was proud to host the area’s first Housing Affordability and Homelessness Forum last Thursday (22 May).

The inaugural event, which sought to proactively and collectively respond to housing affordability and homelessness challenges faced across the Camden area, was attended by a number of guest speaks and expert panelists. They included:

·         Homes NSW’s Housing Strategy and Policy Director, Kim Campbell;

·         Argyle Housing’s CEO, Carolyn Doherty;

·         Link Wentworth’s Head of Access and Customer Support, Jake Chaszczewski; and

·         Macarthur Homelessness Steering Committee’s Chair, Cathy Chopping.

Mayor of Camden, Cr Ashleigh Cagney, said the forum was the first step in developing a local, shared response to housing affordability and homelessness for Camden.

“These issues certainly aren’t exclusive to our area. However, as the fastest growing local government area in the state, we are uniquely placed to help develop innovative and proactive solutions,” Cr Cagney said.

“The statics around these issues are alarming. For example, The Australian Bureau of Statistics details that, between 2020 and 2024, average earnings in NSW have increased by approximately 17 per cent, while the average sale price of houses and the median rental prices in the Camden area have increased by 46 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.

“We know this challenge is disproportionately impacting different parts of our community, with women being one of the most impacted sections of our society. We have Economic ID data showing that 42.1 per cent of women in Camden earn less than $800 per week and the median rental price in the area is sitting at $715.

“The housing affordability pressure has flowed to an increased strain on our local specialist homelessness service sector, with Camden seeing a 30 per cent increase in specialist homelessness clients between 2020 and 2024.

“Responding to this is not the sole responsibility of any single level of government or any organisation, but rather the responsibility of working collaboratively to improve the lives of the many residents of Camden who are impacted.”

For more information on these issues, visit camden.nsw.gov.au/community/support/diversity-and-inclusion/homelessness