Councillor Richard Foley’s motion to look into 12 new transitional apartments for Wagga’s homeless population saw six of his seven fellow councillors vote in favour of a pilot program, with only Mayor Dallas Tout against. Photo: Chris Roe.
A new motion from Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) to build a 12-unit transitional housing pilot program to address homelessness has moved forward despite opposition from the Mayor.
During Monday night’s (13 October) Ordinary Council meeting, Cr Richard Foley brought forward a notice of motion (NoM) requesting that WWCC formulate a report with information regarding the types of structures, sites suitable for deployment, cost estimates, service requirements, risk management and funding streams for the transitional housing program.
According to the NoM, the program’s aim is to address homelessness in the city by building 12 transitional housing units utilising rapid-deployment, modular or retrofitted structures.
WWCC has also been instructed by councillors to write to the NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson and local MP Dr Joe McGirr about its intentions to seek ways to implement the new housing.
Of the eight WWCC councillors at the meeting, seven voted in favour of Cr Foley’s motion, with only Mayor Dallas Tout voting against.
Cr Tout expressed concerns about how WWCC would fund the pilot program, despite Cr Foley stating no expense would fall on WWCC or ratepayers.
Cr Tout said it would be unlikely WWCC would spend nothing on the program and that if the council were to reach out for federal and state funding, existing funding streams to other projects financed by the state could be cut or reduced.
“I’m not saying there’s not a homelessness issue; it’s obvious that there is a homelessness issue,” Cr Tout said.
“In our own organisation and our CSP (Community Strategic Plan), our delivery and advocacy plan, everything is about advocating to all parties, whether they’re state, federal or anyone who can do things about it. We’re always advocating.
“There’s already a state department that has responsibility for this. There are funded organisations that are funded to do work in homelessness. Some are doing it. Some aren’t, and that’s being left to others to pick up what they’re not spending from the funding they received.
“The other issue I have is, it’s not going to cost us nothing; it’s going to cost money.
“I know that there was a conversation in the debate from Cr Foley, that we can look for philanthropic ventures, we can look for other state funds, but that will maybe take it from existing funding.”
Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout was the only councillor to vote against the notice of motion on the transitional apartments. Photo: WWCC Livestream.
Cr Tout cited the recent primary prevention defunding of the Wagga Women’s Health Centre as an example of money being cut from an existing project should WWCC push for state financial support as part of the pilot housing program.
“We’ve just seen what’s happened with the Wagga Women’s Health Centre, and the response we got back from the minister on that, saying how there’s such a prevalent issue across the entire state, and that’s why there was no funding,
“There were 147 applicants for 11 successful ones, and we saw what happened there, and that was devastating. If we hit the State Government up for funding to do this, they’re going to take it. There’s no new money. They will take it off the existing community organisations, who are funded to do this anyway.
“I feel that our position is to be the advocate.”
Despite the Mayor’s opposition, Cr Foley said he was pleased to see a vast majority of his fellow councillors support the motion.
“The Mayor voted against it, but he had his reasons that he wanted to do so, as is his democratic right,” Cr Foley said.
“But the majority, the vast majority, accepted that we need to do something and do something now and try and get something done now.
“I’m going to be away for three weeks. However, what I’m hopeful about is that once I’m back, myself, other members of the council and the general manager can start speaking to the likes of Humelink and Inland Rail, who have community obligations, to start supporting the idea of these transitional homes without begging and borrowing from the government.”
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Riverina.
