The NSW Council of Social Service works with and for people experiencing poverty and disadvantage to see positive change in our communities. On Gadigal land.
On this Invasion Day 2022 NCOSS calls on the Australian Government to truly listen to First Nations people and enshrine a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Constitution, guided by the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
#InvasionDay
#VoiceToParliament
@ulurustatement
In NSW up to 2,402 return to a violent partner because they had nowhere to live / could not afford alternative accomm. A further 2,410 women are currently homeless because they could not find secure/permanent housing after leaving a violent partner.
#APW21
#BuildSocialHousing
Richard Denniss asks why, year after year, we can find tax cuts for the highest income earners but we can’t find money for the care sector? The money is there.
@RDNS_TAI
@TheAusInstitute
#NCOSSConference
A sobering outlook at Sydney's future without jobkeeper - as a new study puts mounting pressure on the state government to boost investment in housing and community services.
@ccroucher9
#9News
MEDIA RELEASE | People in NSW should be able to access rapid antigen tests for free, particularly those on low incomes who cannot afford this vital tool. NCOSS is urging the Australian Government to make rapid antigen tests free for those on low incomes.
Rising demand across Greater Sydney for basic goods and services highlights need for Federal Government support for vulnerable families and individuals. Full media release here:
@FoodbankNSWACT
@Community
First Step
@ACOSS
People receiving unemployment benefits are three times as likely to have anxiety or depression. Raising the Rate for Good will improve mental health outcomes for people experiencing unemployment.
#RaisetheRateforGood
#StopTheXmasCut
@ACOSS
If we, as one of the richest countries in the world, wanted to invest in the care sector, we could. But we haven’t - Richard Denniss
@RDNS_TAI
Chief Economist & ED
@TheAusInstitute
#NCOSSConference
Investing in social and affordable housing will provide jobs in the residential construction industry, support local businesses and provide homes for people who need them.
@CHIA_NSW
@shelternsw
@HomelessnessNSW
@TUNSW
“NCOSS welcomes this important announcement from
@ChrisMinnsMP
which is all about providing certainty and continuity to the NGO sector.
Read the SMH article:
We welcome the NSW Gov's $36 million program for getting rough sleepers into permanent homes. Wouldn't a massive investment in
#socialhousing
and
#affordablehousing
construction to support communities and create 18,000 jobs be a great next step?
Personal stories change hearts and minds. That’s why Raise the Rate is asking you to share your personal story about struggling to get by on Newstart or Youth Allowance.
@ACOSS
will contact you before publishing or using your story.
A Voice 'to' parliament, rather than a voice 'in' parliament, will be in a position to speak out strongly about the most pressing issues for First Nations communities today.
Anti-Poverty Week 17-23 Oct - Join us to highlight the precarious housing situation for many women in NSW, urging the NSW Government to boost investment in
#socialhousing
construction, DV & specialist homelessness services.
Join our campaign!
#APW21
A well earned drink after a big APW. Thanks
@HomelessnessNSW
and
@CHIA_NSW
for partnering with NCOSS on 'A Pink Hi-Vis Recovery' to build women's economic recovery.
We need increased funding for generalist, place-based services that connect families early with culturally-appropriate wraparound support and boost their capacity to act as soft entry points to more targeted, specialised services.
@AntiPovertyWeek
#EndChildPoverty
#APW2022
Show your support for ‘A Pink Hi-Vis Recovery’ campaign by donning a neon pink hi-vis vest! Use our social media filters, share with your MP via social media, or give them a call to encourage them to take part in the campaign. Learn more:
@AntiPovertyWeek
There are nearly 900,000 people in our state living with significant economic disadvantage, with more full-time workers living below the poverty line than people who are unemployed. Our CEO Joanna Quilty outlines the shocking key findings from our report
Today, people are coming together - a National Day of Action to call on parties and candidates to commit to increasing income support and investing in social housing.
Click here to call your MP and candidates:
#Raisetherateforgood
#BuildSocialHousing
New research reveals a lift in JobSeeker paymt would not deter people from taking a job. Sydney's west will be amongst the hardest hit following the post-Christmas cut to unemployment benefits where almost 11,000 or 3% of the state’s JobSeekers live.
We have been working hard (and into long nights) with Australian civil society representatives to support the
#CSW62
negotiations and to ensure that the agreed conclusions bring tangible results to positively impact the Iives of women and girls around the world.
This morning we launched the 'Mapping Economic Disadvantage in NSW' report. To accompany this, we've created an interactive digital maps.
Head to to check it out!
#regionalneeds
Incredibly important announcement from the NSW Gov today to support women facing domestic violence. Comes as research released today shows the number of people seeking homelessness services who had experienced DV increasing by 7.1% in 2020-21:
BREAKING NEWS: the NSW government will make its single largest investment in tackling domestic violence, spending almost $500 million on extra refuges for women and children fleeing their homes:
#domesticviolence
#socialhousing
#funding
This week of action we're calling on all politicians to
#raisetherate
. Newstart hasn't seen a real increase in 25 years, while the price of food, bills and rent have all gone up. Mike's story is one of many that we hear. Read more below!
#auspol
Mike's one of a growing number of older people locked out of work, and struggling to get by on $40 a day. We need to
#raisetherate
so people on Newstart can keep a roof over their head, pay their bills, and put food on the table. Read Mike's story here:
No evictions during
#coronaaustralia
- So many in our community risk homelessness during this health and economic crisis. Call on State & Aust Govts to protect everyone vulnerable to eviction, and reduce the spread of
#COVID19
@TUNSW
#NoEvictionsCOVID19
At age 18, were you ready to be totally independent of all people?
We've signed on to
@The_HomeStretch
campaign calling to extend care of young people to age 21.
#makeit21
Join the call:
“The Federal Government is actively preventing the most vulnerable from accessing the supports they need to keep their families safe, food on the table and a roof over their heads"
@JoannaQuilty
View
@ACOSS
media release here:
Dee Madigan is an author, speaker, and panellist on ABC iview’s Gruen. She also appears on ABC's The Drum, Channel 10's Studio10, Sky's The Contrarians, and PM Live. Dee is a board member of Australians for Mental Health and Per Capita Australia.
NSW social services sector has been on the frontline keeping communities safe & supported- we need adequate, sustainable funding in place; investment in
#socialhousing
to ensure people have a safe, healthy, accessible & affordable place to call home.
#nswpol
#NSWBudget
Almost 50% of people are turned away from NSW homelessness services, even when services support 20% more clients than funded for. This is not ok. The NSW govt needs to act via large investment in social housing & increased funding of homelessness services
Gender pay gap, time out of workforce & greater likelihood of working part-time - mean women have a harder time building their super. With a higher % of single women relying on rentals, rent affordability is important for women’s economic security.
#APW21
The evidence is clear on what we need to combat the negative effects of the pandemic and natural disasters.
Increased funding for place-based services, building social housing, protection for renters & expanding provision of culturally-appropriate support services.
MEDIA RELEASE: NSW Gov must follow Victoria's lead in providing greater support to those at risk of experiencing homelessness during
#covid19australia
@HomelessnessAus
"It is those that earn the least that are going to be hardest hit and are going to have to cut back on day to day essentials in order to get by", Joanna Quilty, NCOSS CEO speaking in 10News tonight about surging power prices.
Latest update of
@ACOSS
'Living in Lockdown’ survey reveals 41.5% of respondents at risk of homelessness due to high $ of housing. Fed Gov needs to increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance and invest in social housing to address the critical shortfall of supply.
#auspol
NSW Gov just announced they will introduce affirmative consent laws. What a massive win for survivors. Thank you to all the hardworking advocates
@DV_NSW
@womenssafetynsw
@SaxonAdair
... and many more!
Well said Emma King. Health care in Australia should never be only for those with the deepest pockets. If RATs are our way out of the pandemic, they are an essential health care item that should be freely available under Medicare.
At NCOSS we are incredibly fortunate to work with and be guided by incredible young women through our NCOSS Young Women's Advisory Panel. Hear from some of these women about the importance of youth voices at
#CSW62
, and their hope for the future.
@NACLCComms
@SSI_tweets
@HESTA
Congratulations to the NSW Govt on the Women’s economic review to be undertaken in the lead up to the state budget, headed by the formidable Sam Mostyn - and to our colleague Maha Abdo from
@MuslimWomenAust
for her appointment to the committee.
Today we’re launching our new campaign 'Climate Change is a Health Emergency' -- calling on all our elected leaders to act on climate to protect our health. Can you sign the petition now?
Pleased to see the measures included in yesterday's COVID relief announcement. The eviction moratorium and extended support for rough sleepers is necessary to support vulnerable groups during this difficult time. Media release:
@TUNSW
@HomelessnessNSW
NSW Treasurer
@Matt_KeanMP
commits to 5.5% indexation for NGOs funded by NSW Dept Communities & Justice & will work through indexation for NGOs funded by other agencies
NCOSS joins
@ACOSS
and the
@ASUnion
in calling on the Australian Government to provide 5.5% indexation to the social sector organisations they fund.
NSW providers of vital frontline services are at financial breaking point.
ACOSS media release:
12.4% gender pay gap for NSW. For Health Care and Social Assistance industry it's 22.1%
NGO employers must provide equal pay and career pathways for women, esp. those from culturally diverse bgs. Govts must ensure adequate indexation and secure funding.
Social and Community services peaks came together this morning at Parliament House to ask the next NSW government to commit to building great communities across the state.
#auspol
#buildinggreatcommunities
‘Barely Hanging On' uncovers grim reality faced by low-income households. W/ rising costs, more people are in housing stress, struggling to pay bills, forced to take drastic action: skipping meals, going without health care, using up all savings. Read 1/2
Tenants' Union of NSW, Shelter NSW & NCOSS urge NSW Government to tackle unaffordable rents in private rental housing, as significant pressure is being felt by everyone –renters starting a new tenancy & those already in one. Read here –
@TUNSW
@shelternsw
We welcome the announcement from NSW Govt that it will contribute $5.5M left over from the SSTF to more than 550 orgs to help improve digital service delivery. This is a great outcome, thank you
@AlisterHenskens
for making this happen. More info to be released in coming days.
Roll the estimated $5 million in promised funding into frontline organisations in NSW. This funding was meant to support the most vulnerable in the community, and it is needed more than ever.
Economic disadvantage impacts suburbs right across NSW, particularly in regional areas. Today we are launching our new report and online mapping tool at NSW Parliament.
Young volunteer of the year, Aimee, calls for communities to stand together so that young people know what community is and means. She says that young people shouldn't have to be in crisis to access the services and supports they need.
#auspol
#buildinggreatcommunities
NSW Parliamentary Inquiry COVID-19 Response | We are urging the NSW Government to invest in more social and affordable housing to support the most vulnerable and create more residential construction jobs.
@TUNSW
@HomelessnessNSW
Read the Media Release:
Genuine accessibility needs to be built in at the very beginning of projects & properly resourced, says panellist, writer & disability advocate El Gibbs
@bluntshovels
#NCOSSConference
"There needs to be a significant boost in investment towards social and affordable housing. We certainly have a really strong economy and we're in a good position so I think there's no excuse for leaving these people behind."-says NCOSS. Read more:
#nswpol
Today the NSW Parliament passed the NSW Modern Slavery Act, which will finally come into force on 1 January 2022 after three years of advocacy from anti-slavery campaigners. Fantastic efforts from
@IJMAus
to get this over the line! NCOSS is proud to be part of this campaign.
Great to see more investment in social housing and measures to address housing stress today. This is positive first step, and we look forward to pushing for further investment to address demand for social and affordable housing throughout NSW.
#nswpol
KPMG is the latest to back raising
#Newstart
!
KPMG said raising the rate by $100 a week would still make it “financially worthwhile for an individual to accept minimum-wage employment” while easing some of the harsher realities of unemployment.
The Australian people have voted YES for equality 🌈🌈🌈
We now urge the Australian Parliament to embrace this and pass legislation before Christmas, while safeguarding anti-discrimination protections for all Australians.
#loveislove
The difference the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement has made to many lives. We can't go back to $40 a day. Our children deserve better. As a nation we all do!
#APW2020
#RaisetheRate
@AntiPovertyWeek
Read the joint statement from migrant and women’s organisations on sex selection amendments to Reproductive Healthcare Bill.
Access to safe abortion, free from any discrimination, is a right for all women in NSW.
#VoteProChoiceNSW
Closing panel talking government responsibility in future of impact investing
Sarah Davies of
@PhilanthropyAus
summarises: If you want to go far, go together
"Addressing rising rents should be a priority for all levels of government, and short and long-term solutions are needed."
Op-ed by lead economist, Dr Angela Jackson
@EconomistAnge
from Impact Economics and Policy
@ImpactEconAU
.
Affordable housing and access to secure rental properties is a key issue to create safe, strong communities and it’s amazing to see how many people are here at the
#TownHallAssembly19
at
#sydneytownhall
tonight!
#whywecare
With only 1% of private rentals affordable for people on low incomes across the greater Sydney region, urgent action is needed to address the severity of the housing crisis in NSW
Full release:
Our advocacy paid off - Indexation for DCJ-funded NGOs in NSW to be increased to 1.75% in line with health-funded NGOs AND backdated to July 2020. Thanks to
@garethjward
who heeded our calls & helped negotiate this outcome. A great result for the sector!
When are we going to start seeing social and affordable housing not as a welfare issue, but as an infrastructure issue? Great questions from the audience
#regionalneeds
Up to 85,000 jobs are at risk in the residential construction sector across NSW over the next 18 months. Our msg to the NSW Gov: constructing 5,000 additional
#socialhousing
and
#affordablehousing
units is the best way to support those jobs and communites across NSW.
To achieve a big spike in residential construction you need to concentrate Government stimulus spending on building houses that wouldn't get built otherwise.
Else it's not a stimulus, it's just an expensive waste of money.
@BrendanCoates
Opinion, The Daily Telegraph: NCOSS CEO, Joanna Quilty, talks about a new report that finds people are crumbling under cost-of-living pressures.
"It's time for all governments to get serious about dealing with cost of living..."
Read article here
Our next Aftershock report on housing security reveals that 54,000 NSW households have entered or experienced worsening housing stress since COVID, with increasing homelessness costing the NSW economy billions.
Report:
@HomelessnessNSW
@CHIA_NSW
Data released today shows a rise in the number of low-income earners experiencing housing stress in Newcastle and the Central Coast.
The report, by a peak social service body, also points to a need to ease cost of living pressures.
@WillDF95
#NBNNews
| WATCH LIVE
We will be tweeting from the
#CSWYouthDialogue
today, where we will be working through solutions to remove barriers to young rural women’s participation and include their voices in
#SDG
implementation, to ensure no young rural women or girl are left behind
Last year, we supercharged our safety net to keep the most vulnerable out of poverty. This year there’s nothing for households on the lowest incomes - a big gaping hole.
A win for NSW gov funded orgs! In response to NCOSS & other peaks, NSW Gov has agreed to 1.75% funding increase to gov funded orgs, in line with FWC wage increase, helping orgs keep their doors open & provide essential services to the people of NSW
#nswpol
Good on
@Change_Record
and
@_EverybodysHome
for raising this critical issue - appropriate housing is key to improving health outcomes and preventing family violence.
Every child should be free from violence. NCOSS is proud to take the pledge to end violence against children now and change the world forever. Take the pledge and show your support. Visit
#endviolenceagainstchildren
#pledgetoendviolence
Lack of affordable housing in south-western and western Sydney is making it easy for COVID to spread in those areas. Gov need to see affordable housing as “critical community infrastructure fundamental to the health of all.”
@HomelessnessNSW
@SydWestMS
In NSW, more than 1 in 6 children live in families whose main source of income is low Working Age Payments.
Single mothers who rely on income support report going without meals or relying on less nutritious options so that they can feed their children.
Frontline family violence support organisations are urging the NSW Government and Opposition to commit to building much-needed social housing for women fleeing family violence situations.
Read the NCOSS &
@DV_NSW
joint media release:
MEDIA RELEASE | The Fed Gov renovation announcement falls painfully short of we need to protect jobs and our most vulnerable communities. We urge the NSW Gov to do better: a
#socialhousing
#affordablehousing
package that invests in the broader social good