The NSW Government has spent $2,356,044 on hotel and motel accommodation for homeless people in Wagga Wagga since January 2025, according to figures obtained by Greens MP Amanda Cohn. Homes NSW paid an average of $161 a night, with the highest rate reaching $290. Housing Minister Rose Jackson told a parliamentary hearing there was nowhere else in Wagga for people to stay. Local advocates say a serviced temporary camp at Wiradjuri Reserve was proposed, but neither the state government nor Wagga City Council has adopted it.
Rough sleepers in Geelong could receive more help to find housing if the Victorian Labor government is re-elected. It has pledged $250,000 to Neami's Towards Home Plus Assertive Outreach Program, which links people with accommodation and services. Neami National chief executive Tom Dalton said the money would help more people access support. Geelong Member Christine Couzens said the service had helped vulnerable people gain housing. Housing Minister Nick Staikos said demand for homelessness services was still rising.
Walker Corporation has joined The Big Umbrella's Feed Melbourne street service at Federation Square to help provide meals and essential supplies to people facing hardship. Volunteers from both groups served a nutritious buffet with cultural cuisines and options for different dietary needs. The team also handed out fresh produce, pantry items, kitchen essentials and clothing. Organisers stressed treating people with dignity and respect, and the event gave volunteers and community members a chance to connect over shared meals. The Big Umbrella thanked the company's team for volunteering their time.
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Australia's biggest real estate group, Ray White, is aiming to raise $50,000 this year for charities helping people made homeless by domestic and family violence. Agents and staff will sleep overnight in offices, cars and tents, and volunteer, as part of the annual A Night Without Home campaign. The industry-wide campaign aims to raise at least $1 million for A Home For All Foundation. Ray White's Natalie Hortz said the group was also raising funds through an event and charity auctions.
Noosa Council has secured support for eight motions at the 2026 Local Government Association of Queensland conference. A key motion, developed with Sunshine Coast Council, seeks changes to short-term accommodation laws so existing use rights can end when a property changes hands. Mayor Frank Wilkie said short-stay homes are reducing housing for permanent residents and key workers. Another motion calls for a statewide safe parking pilot for people living in vehicles. Further motions seek funding for UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and World Surfing Reserves.
Adelaide mother Amira lived in her car for 10 months after her relationship ended. She and her former partner took turns caring for their children, so she spent alternate weeks sleeping in car parks. She said a group of men once tried to get into her car at night. A children's school helped her get back on her feet, and she now helps people access transitional housing and mental health support. Psychiatrist Olav Nielssen says long-term housing for people with chronic mental illness is cost-effective.
All 12 factory-built social homes promised for Wagga's homeless population are now complete and tenanted, months after the NSW Government's original June deadline. Homes NSW blamed wet weather for the delay. Wilks Park is now largely clear of visible campers after council fines and move-on orders, but some rough sleepers have moved into nearby bushland. Councillor Richard Foley has criticised Homes NSW for refusing to release figures on people housed and the cost of hotel accommodation, and he backs a transitional village at Wiradjuri Reserve.
Torquay local Josh Farr has started a challenge to run 10 half-marathons in 10 days, raising money and awareness for people experiencing homelessness. He is fundraising through Ned's Uncomfortable Challenge, which is partnering with Melbourne-based charity We Are Mobilise this year. Farr said upfront costs such as bonds and bills can stop people from escaping homelessness. He hopes his runs will spark conversations and encourage donations. Farr has raised about $32,300 towards his $50,000 goal, with a final run on 28 October in Torquay.
Advocates say the discovery of a homeless man's body in Chermside bushland highlights an urgent need for action on homelessness in Brisbane. Police were investigating a dog attack in a nearby park when Andy Parker, 48, was found dead on Sunday. Beau Haywood, founder of Nourish Street Inc, says demand for his charity's help has risen sharply, citing rising living costs and scarce rental housing. He has called on state and federal governments to fund more social and affordable housing. Police continue to investigate the circumstances of Parker's death.
Real estate group Jellis Craig has donated $25,000 to A Home For All Foundation to help people experiencing homelessness due to domestic and family violence. The donation was made by the group's charity arm during its first foundation month. Jellis Craig general manager Elizabeth Morello said the group wants to raise awareness across the property industry, as no single organisation can solve the issue alone. According to 2021 Census figures, about 122,000 Australians experience homelessness on any given night.
Labor has pledged $250,000 to Neami National's outreach program for people sleeping rough in Geelong, if it wins next month's state election. The Towards Home Plus Assertive Outreach Program helps people find accommodation and connect with mental health care, physical health services and other support. Outreach workers visit people sleeping rough each day, building relationships over time. Neami National chief executive Tom Dalton welcomed the commitment. Geelong MP Chris Couzens said the organisation has given vulnerable residents support to gain housing and engage with services.
A Queensland man who has been living in his car for three months has criticised a tiny home listed for $480 a week in a suburban driveway north of Brisbane. Jadon, who posted about the listing on TikTok, said he began sleeping in his car after a $200-a-week rent rise. The listing, which includes a $1920 bond, is set to be available from October 30. A recent REA Rental Report found the national median advertised rent reached $675 a week in September, up 5.5 per cent over the year, though growth had slowed.
Police have identified a man found dead in bushland near a Chermside shopping centre. Andy Parker, 48, was found about midday on Sunday, October 18, close to where jogger Ajay Malik was mauled by two dogs at 7th Brigade Park on Friday evening. Initial post-mortem findings indicate Parker died on Friday. Detectives are examining whether the dogs were involved in his death. Police have not established whether the animals contributed to his death. Police are urging anyone who saw or heard anything unusual in the parkland between 4pm and 6pm on Friday to come forward.
Perth electrician Bill Simpson has started a 10-day stint living rough on the city's streets, with nothing but the clothes he is wearing. He aims to raise $100,000 for homeless charity We Are Mobilise through Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge. Mr Simpson said the idea came after meeting homeless people in Kalgoorlie, and he wanted to do more than buy them food. He plans to isolate for the first 24 hours, then beg for food before moving into busier city areas.
Mission Australia says it may have lost contact with some residents moved from a closed Darwin shelter to Batchelor. Only 23 people have so far taken up the offer to relocate to the new 90-bed Batchelor facility, according to the NT Children and Families Minister. Mission Australia says a longer-term solution is needed when the Batchelor site's 19-month lease ends. A domestic violence service reports increased presentations from women seeking emergency accommodation. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says she is not concerned that a new public housing policy could leave vulnerable people on the streets.
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Maribyrnong resident Shavina Hill has published her debut memoir, Why Did It Happen To Me?, on Wednesday 28 October. The book traces her childhood poverty and homelessness in India, her adoption by an Australian family at nine, and her founding of Street Born Foundation, which supports vulnerable children in India. Hill said she wrote it to help readers who ask similar questions about their own lives. She said her hope is that readers will recognise that their past does not have to define their future.
Two Canberra charities say an estimated one in seven residents is now living in poverty, the highest proportion since 2001. ACTCOSS and St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn are calling on governments to introduce an official poverty measure, raise welfare payments and invest more in public housing. The charities report that some working families are seeking emergency help and that some parents are skipping meals so their children can eat. Their report was released during Anti-Poverty Week.
Three in four Australians would have to cut back if their rent or mortgage rose by just $20 a week, according to a new Everybody's Home report. The No Room to Move survey of 1,150 people found many would struggle to afford essentials such as food, medication and bills. One in four respondents feared becoming homeless if housing costs kept rising over the next year. Everybody's Home spokesperson Maiy Azize said renters were receiving the worst deal in living memory and called for minimum standards for rental homes, limits on unfair rent increases and more public housing.
