As households brace for more pressure following another rate rise and cost-of-living hit, leading community service organisations are warning that hundreds of thousands of people in NSW are being locked out of the help they need to avoid crisis.
The lack of timely support is turning into pathways to homelessness, increasing violence and long-term harm.
Launching the Right Help, Right Time campaign at NSW Parliament today, community service providers, peak bodies and unions called on the Minns Government to adopt a new approach to preventing harm.
Leaders of the 11 organisations signed an open letter asking Premier Chris Minns to commit to establishing a permanent Preventing Harm Framework backed by $1 billion over four years (see attached open letter).
The Right Help, Right Time coalition says a $1 billion investment in early support across mental health, domestic and family violence, child protection, youth services and treatment for alcohol and other drug use could see NSW avoid up to $2.1 billion in future costs.
With pressure on households increasing, the time to act is now.
Instead of individuals and families receiving the early support evidence shows works, increasing demand is meeting a support bottleneck. Waiting periods for critical services mean preventable problems turn into life-changing crises.
NSW waits for support
- Domestic and Family Violence: People needing assistance with domestic violence regularly wait more than 3 months for help.
- Mental Health: The scale of unmet mental health care need in NSW is only exceeded by the Northern Territory.
- Housing: Nearly 700,000 people in NSW are at risk of homelessness but almost 2 in 3 who ask for emergency housing don’t receive it.
- Child Protection: 4 in 5 NSW children who are reported as being at risk are not seen by a caseworker.
- Alcohol and other Drug Harm: More than 100,000 people in NSW can’t access treatment for alcohol and other drugs.
- Young People: 1 in 4 young people are unsure whether they have someone to turn to for support, and 2 in 3 identify cost-of-living as a major concern.
Rather than taking a siloed approach to prevention and early intervention services, the Right Help, Right Time coalition says the government needs to consider a whole-of-government approach, which has been shown to work in other jurisdictions domestically and internationally.
The NSW Preventing Harm Framework managed through NSW Treasury will make it easier for the government to invest earlier to prevent harm and could help NSW avoid up to $2.1 billion in future costs.
Uniting NSW.ACT CEO, Ben Keneally “Many households are one rent increase, an unexpected bill, or an illness away from critical need. We know the pressure this can put on families. Our frontline teams see the problems this causes every day, including increased mental health challenges and housing instability. The difficulty today is that a referral to specialist support services often turns into a long waiting list. We know NSW can do more. The Right Help, Right Time Preventing Harm Framework is an opportunity for NSW to take a whole-of-government approach to do more to ensure support is there when people need it.”
NCOSS Director, Policy and Advocacy, Ben McAlpine “We’ve built a system that too often waits for people to fall before it catches them. A third of people experiencing poverty in NSW weren’t struggling just a few years ago. They’re our neighbours, our colleagues and our kids’ classmates, and too many can’t get help when they need it. A Preventing Harm Framework would change this by backing the local community organisations people already know and trust. It means a tough month doesn’t have to end in an eviction notice. That’s what investing in people looks like.”
BEING – Mental Health Consumers CEO, Giancarlo de Vera “When life starts to fall apart, it rarely happens one piece at a time. Your mental health, housing, income and relationships are tangled together. Yet every service has its own door, its own form and its own waiting list, and people repeat their story while things get worse. A Preventing Harm Framework puts every department’s budget on the same page, so the money can follow the person and help can arrive early, in one place.”
Domestic Violence NSW CEO, Delia Donovan “Early intervention can save lives. Recognising the warning signs early means we can connect people with the right support before situations escalate. It gives victim-survivors access to safety, helps families and children get the support they need, creates opportunities to address harmful behaviours. Timely, coordinated support can make a real difference to people’s safety, wellbeing and future.”
Mission Australia State Director – Sydney Metro, Kirsten Jordan “Mission Australia urges the NSW Government to invest in the programs and services we know work to prevent harm. When it comes to homelessness, the evidence is clear; once someone loses their home, it is much harder for them to break the cycle and find secure housing. When we intervene early and give people at risk of losing their home access to the right support at the right time, we can help people stay safely housed and avoid the trauma of homelessness.”
Homelessness NSW CEO, Dom Rowe “In the past five years rents have risen by 48%, rough sleeping by 75%, and the priority wait list for social housing has doubled. Homelessness services are completely overwhelmed by the soaring demand and complexity of cases. Additional funding to address root causes of homelessness including domestic and family violence is urgently needed.”
Youth Action CEO, Lauren Stracey “Adolescence can be a time of enormous growth and possibility, but too many young people who are struggling have nowhere to turn. The cost to their lives, our communities and the economy is devastating. Numerous inquiries have called for early intervention. A sustained, significant investment would give the NSW Government the scale needed to expand trusted, community-based youth services and reach young people before problems become crises.”
ACWA CEO, Simone Czech “Children cannot wait for their families to reach crisis before help becomes available. Acting early can keep children safe, strengthen families and prevent lasting harm. ACWA stands alongside Uniting and coalition members in supporting the Right Help, Right Time campaign. We urge the NSW Government to commit to the Preventing Harm Framework, backed by sustained investment in coordinated early support.”
INTERVIEWS – Interviews are available with leaders from the Right Help, Right Time signatories, as well as with households who have experienced the harm that can be caused by wait times for mental health, housing and domestic violence support.
AUDIO – Attached 9 secs (Director of Advocacy and External Relations, Uniting NSW.ACT, Emma Maiden on urgent need for change.)
OPEN LETTER – Attached
