WHILE Christmas is traditionally a time for family and friends to come together, it can be a time which amplifies loneliness and exclusion in the community.
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In 2018, more than 1000 people in Tamworth spent some part of the year homeless.
This year, Tamworth Family Support Service (TFSS) helped 996 people out of homelessness.
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The number of people who experienced homelessness in Tamworth this year is almost certainly higher than TFSS’ figures, with the service having no extra funding to help more people.
The homeless figures increased significantly in the second half of the year with 579 people assisted after July 1.
The vast majority of those people helped by TFSS this year were women, who accounted for almost two-thirds of the tally (62.5 per cent) with domestic violence a common and prevailing issue behind most instances of homelessness.
More than half of the cases (51 per cent) involved people who identified as Aboriginal.
The Tamworth service provided more than 9200 nights worth of accommodation through the year.
Age was also no barrier to homelessness in the region with 81 children aged 14 and younger helped.
Figures from the Australia Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) recently found homelessness figure had decreased in NSW in the last 12 months.
Specialist homelessness services provided support to more than 71,000 people this year, down three per cent from the previous year.
Homelessness services in NSW are finding it difficult to meet the crisis accommodation needs of clients due to services being full, with 2 in 5 clients not receiving any form of crisis accommodation despite requesting it.
Almost two thirds of clients at the end of support who were homeless prior to accessing a service have no long term accommodation – they are still experiencing homelessness despite receiving support.
According to the Salvation Army, more than three million Australians contacted a charity for help with basic necessities such as food, power, or other bills this Christmas.
Its research also revealed one-in-four adults experienced anxiety, three million experienced depression and two million experienced social isolation when thinking back to last Christmas.