The sudden closure of Dulwich Hill Lodge sent shockwaves through the community in February: 75 boarding house residents faced eviction with less than three weeks’ notice. It could have spelled disaster, particularly for those who had called the boarding house home for the last twenty years. Instead, a rapid and united intervention led by Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (NNC) helped residents avoid homelessness and secure appropriate alternative housing.
It’s hard to overstate what a remarkable achievement this was, especially given the urgency and magnitude of the eviction and the historically limited availability of affordable housing.
Through effective collaboration and community-driven action, the closure has turned into an (admittedly rare) success story: NNC and a coalition of government agencies, specialist homelessness services, and community organisations rallied together to rehome the residents of Dulwich Hill Lodge.
Karen Hunter, Homeless Services Manager at NCC, explains how the coordinated response prevented homelessness and offered essential support to the residents.
What happened to Dulwich Hill Lodge?
“I’ve worked for the service for 12 years, and it’s always been a boarding house where you could get a room,” says Hunter. “Some people have been there ten years. There was one gentleman that had been there 20 years!”
Hunter couldn’t believe the boarding house was closing until residents brought their eviction notices in. But it’s a trend across several Local Government Areas — Boarding house stock is dwindling as market conditions reward property owners for converting or redeveloping their buildings.
How did Newtown Community Centre respond?
Boarding houses seldom offer residents security of tenure and often offer accommodation that falls below minimum community standards, so residents rely on the support and expertise of small homelessness services.
Before the eviction, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre case-managed 45 of the boarding house residents. In the face of closure, they needed to find a way for the housing system to absorb 75 people in a few weeks.
“We were pretty shocked at the scale of the eviction,” said Hunter. “We needed an emergency response from the Government.”
“First, we contacted higher-level decision makers at HOMES and requested more resourcing to find housing alternatives for people. I also reached out to the NSW Housing Minister, Rose Jackson, who was very responsive. She got in contact straight away. It was a joint effort from the Housing Minister and Departments.”
NCC then created three on-site “housing hubs” with a specialist host team from HOMES and homelessness services and agencies. Haymarket Foundation, Wesley Mission, Neami National, and Vinnie’s played pivotal roles in coordinating resources and addressing the diverse needs of displaced residents.
“We had Mental Health and the Aged Care team down there,” Hunter said. “Apart from the precarious housing situation, there was a high percentage of very vulnerable people with different vulnerabilities, from mental health to people who are frail, aged and disabled. They were very stressed and disrupted by this whole thing.”
An “absolute success”
For the residents, agencies, and services involved, the rapid and comprehensive response orchestrated by NCC was a resounding success, which showcased the importance of community organisations and government bodies working together to mitigate the impacts of housing crises on vulnerable populations.
A call for more funding
The demand for services like Newtown Neighbourhood Centre will only increase as the housing crisis worsens. Its crucial role in rehoming Dulwich Hill Lodge residents underscores the vital support these centres provide. Investing in neighbourhood centres is critical. They can coordinate responses to housing emergencies and address the root causes of the crisis. Long-term, stable funding is needed to ensure they can effectively handle future crises like this, giving residents individualised support with dignity and care.