Right across NSW, people are facing rising pressures—housing stress, unaffordable energy bills, barriers to healthcare, entrenched loneliness and isolation as well as growing demand for alcohol and other drug support. The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW (Society NSW) is seeing this firsthand: more people are coming to us, their needs are more complex, and the supports they rely on are under strain. Last year alone, we supported 23% more people experiencing homelessness, saw a 73% rise in community inclusion program use, and assisted 5,000 more people through our member network.
The NSW Government cannot solve every driver of cost-of-living pressure, but it can make targeted, proven investments that deliver real impact. The 2026 NSW Budget is an opportunity to strengthen essential services, remove access barriers, and invest in community organisations that deliver support efficiently and compassionately. Organisations like the Society NSW provide these supports more efficiently and at lower cost than government services, therefore offering cost savings over time.
Across the Society NSW’s work there is strong evidence that comparatively modest, well-directed investments can prevent far more costly downstream interventions across health, homelessness, justice, and energy sectors.
Our recommendations do not call for new or experimental programs. They build on existing, effective NSW Government initiatives and aim to make them work better for the people who need them most. With strategic Budget investment, the NSW Government can help households stay safe and healthy, reduce crisis demand, and generate measurable savings across health, justice, energy and housing systems.
What follows are four practical, high-impact reforms:
1. Sustaining essential local health outreach on the North Coast of NSW,
2. Improving energy affordability,
3. Stabilising the homelessness and domestic and family violence sectors, and;
4. Strengthening alcohol and other drug services.
Each is achievable, cost-effective and designed to deliver immediate relief—and long-term resilience—for communities across NSW. The Society NSW calls on these recommendations because our vision is for a more just and compassionate society, which prioritises people who are vulnerable, marginalised and experiencing disadvantage.
Our Pre Budget Submission is available to read here.