Housing assistance through Randwick's Affordable Rental Housing Program

The affordable rental housing program is designed to assist people who are employed and earning low to moderate incomes. To be eligible, you must either live or work in Randwick City, earning low to moderate incomes. Successful tenants pay no more than 30% of their household income for their rental accommodation. Under this program, tenancy period is restricted to no more than five years because rental housing stock is limited. The Council's rental housing program is managed by St George Community Housing, telephone number (02) 95851499, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

You can download a copy of the Affordable Housing Strategy PDF, 1349.86 KB.

If you would like to inquire about unit availability, please contact St George Community Housing on 9585 1499.

• St George Affordable Housing Brochure PDF, 823.47 KB
• St George Affordable Housing Application Form PDF, 518.69 KB

Homelessness in Randwick

Homelessness affects thousands of men and women throughout Australia. There are a range of local support services and options for people who are homeless or at risk of being made homeless in Sydney.

Homelessness can be a very distressing and difficult situation both for people facing homelessness and those around them.

What to do if you or a friend are homeless

If you or a friend are homeless or likely to not have a regular place to live, contact Link2Home, a NSW Government service that provides referrals to accommodation for people in immediate need.

The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:   1800 152 152

If you are aware of somebody sleeping rough or who you suspect they may be homeless, please contact Missionbeat on 1800 306 461. (Sleeping rough in parks, street and other public places is not illegal and Council staff do not have the authority to move on rough sleepers).

If you are concerned for the immediate health, safety or wellbeing of the person or those around them please contact the police or ambulance on by dialing triple 0. If you have any other questions contact Randwick City Council switchboard on 1300 722 542

Randwick City Homelessness Protocol

The Randwick City Homelessness Protocol was developed in consultation with:

• housing and social support agencies servicing Randwick City
• relevant Council officers

It is consistent with the State Government's current Protocol for Homeless People in Public Places. As homelessness is the primary responsibility of the State Government, the Council plays a supporting role in ensuring that the welfare of rough-sleeping individuals are monitored.

Key points of the Homelessness Protocol

Key points outlined in the Randwick Homelessness Protocol are that it:

• applies only to persons sleeping rough in places such as parks, open spaces and community facilities accessible to the public, and owned or managed by Council.
• describes the role and actions to be taken by Council staff when they're aware of a person sleeping rough, have received information from a member of the community, or when the homeless person presents to Council staff for assistance.

Principles of the Homelessness Protocol

The underlying principles of the Protocol are:

• Rough sleepers have a right to be in public places, at the same time respecting the right of local community members to live in a safe and peaceful environment.
• Rough sleepers have the same rights as other members of the community to:
• • privacy
  • respect
  • use of public amenities
  • carry and store their own belongings
  • be treated as individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities
• All people, including rough sleepers, have the right to not be harassed or moved on from public spaces unless there is a threat to general safety, their personal safety or if they are causing a disturbance that constitutes a breach of peace.
• Council staff are to respond sensitively and without discrimination, whilst acknowledging that some rough sleepers may have a mental illness or disability.
• Rough sleepers,like all community members, should have access to a right of reply and appeals mechanism.

You can download a copy of the Homelessness Protocol PDF, 104.33 KB.