For the past 50 years, the Matthew Talbot Homelessness Service has been a beacon of hope for the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie communities.

Offering invaluable support for men and men with children experiencing or at risk of homelessness, the half-century milestone was brought up last December with case workers, local MPs and people supported by the service celebrating a legacy that has changed thousands of lives for the better.

Located close to the city CBD, a short walk from the Newcastle interchange in the suburb of Wickham, the Matthew Talbot Homelessness Service provides a range of assistance to people in need, including accommodation, case management and assertive outreach.

When the service first opened its doors in the 1970s, the dominant group in need of assistance came in the form of men sleeping rough. Fast forward five decades and the circumstances people are faced with are more varied and complex.

‘We’re having a lot of people who are navigating the service system for the first time,’ says Glenn Beatty, Matthew Talbot Homelessness Service manager.

‘We’re having elderly people that we’ve never seen before – an 85-year-old man who was evicted on a no-grounds eviction who had nowhere else to go.’

More than 630 people were supported by the main Matthew Talbot Homelessness Service in the past financial year, along with an additional 200 people through the Newcastle Assertive Outreach program – working to identify and house rough sleepers – run in conjunction with Hunter New England Health and Homes NSW.

With close to 2,200 people waitlisted for social housing in Newcastle and the number of rough sleepers growing from six to 49 in the span of 12 months, one of the greatest challenges facing the service is the length of time required to secure a housing outcome for people seeking assistance. Over the past three years this duration has risen by 88 per cent from 82 days (FY 2021/22) to 154 days (FY 2023/24).

For those working on the frontline of the service each day, the most meaningful remedy that could be taken to support people amidst the current crisis is housing.

‘We really need to see a significant investment in affordable housing in this country otherwise we’re facing an even worse crisis as we go on,’ says Glenn.

‘One of the things that we’re strong believers in is what we call a Housing First model. No matter what other challenges somebody’s having in life, if you can get them into good, stable and secure housing, it’s much easier to work alongside them to address other challenges.’