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THE EXAMINER - City of Launceston move motion for homeless action plan (May 6, 2022)
Launceston councillors voted to ensure homelessness advocacy and support for those doing it tough on Thursday. Following the emotional scene at last month's meeting, City of Launceston greenlit an urgent rollout of 24-hour services such as portable showers, toilets and bins.
Thursday's notice of motion for a Homelessness Action Plan brought forward by councillor Tim Walker will see the council in the next month identify council sites appropriate for homeless people to access basic facilities and camping, provide preliminary cost estimates for opportunities identified, and suggested amendments to the draft 2022-23 budget, if required.
They will also directly engage governments, service providers, police and charities, through a new council committee of council to draft an action plan. "It's something that's become more visible and an issue of more concern, not just to our community, but obviously to the people who are affected," Cr Walker said.
"It escalates our response, and brings everyone to a public platform where it's accountable and reportable to the council and the community."
Collaboration is critical, Cr Rob Soward said. "Not a siloed approach, not people going off on tangents, but having good governance wrapping around and supporting," he said. Cr Andrea Dawkins referenced statistics from Shelter Tasmania to highlight the issue of homelessness. "Right now we have 120,000 Tasmanians living below the poverty line," she said. Cr Dawkins said people might say this the council was accepting homelessness, but she argued it was listening and acting.
"We absolutely cannot solve it, we certainly can't solve it in Launceston, but what we can do is what we are doing," she said. "The provision of dignity that we've been hearing people talk about lately. So we can provide that dignity."
LINK: https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7726148/city-of-launceston-support-homeless-action-plan/