Bathurst's homelessness crisis amid rising cost of living, lack of housing

One organisation that has been deeply involved with the homeless community, the Bathurst Uniting Support Services (BUSS), has seen a worrying trend.

Coordinator Julie Fry said that as the weather warms up the requests for assistance tend to decrease, but that hasn't been the case this year.

The demand, instead, has gone up.

BUSS opens up a bathroom behind the Bathurst Uniting Church each day and the number of people lining up to use it is growing.

"We certainly are seeing an increase," Ms Fry said.

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"We're seeing an increase in people who are coming and asking for other help, like hampers or vouchers or things like that.

"Often we see a decrease once the warmer weather comes, but this year in fact it has gone the other way, and I'm assuming that's because of the cost of living rises and the lack of affordable housing - or any housing - in Bathurst."

These factors are certainly contributing to the situation at Wattle Tree House, which has also been receiving a lot of calls for help from people who are homeless or on the brink.

Client service officer Sam Galliotas described the situation as "horrible", explaining that people are struggling with the rising cost of living and limited housing options.

"Everything is going up. No one can afford the rent these days, especially living off a Centrelink benefit. The real estates, I find, are getting more picky about who they're housing, so it's getting a bit hard for normal, everyday people," she said.

While Wattle Tree House does everything it can to support people experiencing these challenges, it is having a hard time accommodating everyone's needs.

"The only places we have to offer is share house accommodation. Especially for people with children, it's just not acceptable, so it's more for our younger, single people," Ms Galliotas said.

"We try to help find them accommodation, but we just don't have the accommodation to give to people."

As a result, people are sleeping in their cars or, worse, in tents under bridges and in other public places where they can shield themselves from the elements.

It's a heartbreaking situation, and one that's taking a "shocking" toll on both their physical and mental health.

"They feel like they've hit rock bottom and there's nowhere really to turn to, because we're in such a housing crisis," Ms Galliotas said.

People lucky enough to have a rental are also feeling the pinch, with some facing the possibility of losing the roof over their head because they can no longer afford the rent.

"I had a pensioner come in; his rent was going up $30 a fortnight and he just was stressing out because he couldn't afford to pay the $30 with his medical expenses and everyday living," Ms Galliotas said.

"I had to say to him, even with the rent going up that $30, there would be no where cheaper to go and you'd probably find it more harder to get a rental because everything is so much more expensive."

The homelessness crisis has reached a point where it can't be solved by individual communities.

Ms Galliotas said higher levels of government have to get involved.

"I think it's more government, that they're just going to have to put their benefits up more for people to be able to just stay in tenancies and support themselves in every day living costs," she said.

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