NSW housing support hotline buckles under demand with five-fold increase in call wait times

A NSW Government housing support hotline is struggling to cope with demand as a worsening cost-of-living and housing crisis leaves those in need waiting longer on the phone for help.

A NSW Government housing support hotline is struggling to cope with demand as a worsening cost-of-living and housing crisis leaves those in need waiting longer on the phone for help.

Figures released to NSW parliament have revealed average call waiting times to statewide homelessness information and referral telephone service Link2Home has blown out from 7 minutes and 10 seconds to 38 minutes and 48 seconds over the last 12 months.

The five-fold increase in wait times is indicative of the grim state of the state’s social and crisis housing system, according to leading housing and homeless support advocates.

Link2Home is the NSW Government’s one-stop 24-hour shop which enables those in need to seek crisis or temporary accommodation, support programs and other services.

Housing Minister Rose Jackson told parliament the increase in call waiting times was due to a “substantial increase in the number of calls” to the program over the last 12 months.

Homeless people sleep rough in Sydney’s CBD, pictured here in June this year.

Figures to parliament show the number of calls to Link2home over the last year has soared from 54,777 to 86,842 – a 59 per cent increase.

“The increase in demand and complexity has led to call wait times increasing over these periods (and) reflects the rental and cost of living crisis being felt across the state and the high demand for crisis and social housing from the community,” Ms Jackson said.

“Homes NSW is assessing this issue and taking steps to fix it.”

NSW MP Rose Jackson.

NSW Opposition Homelessness spokeswoman Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the increased waiting times risked placing further strain on individuals and families on the brink of homelessness.

“If you’re at crisis point and are having to wait nearly 40 minutes on the phone for help, the concern is that it becomes too frustrating and a lot of people are going to give up,” she said.

“To reach out for help can be hard for a lot of people and if there are barriers to access support then people may look for other at-risk housing alternatives such as sleeping rough or couch surfing.

Homeless rates are increasing in NSW.

“For people seeking rental assistance or facing family breakdown it’s important to have someone available to talk to say ‘here are your options’.”

Figures to parliament show an additional 19 staff members have been employed by Link2Home to answer calls over the last 12 months.

In the latest three month period from April to June, there were 205 staff employed during the hours of 9am to 10pm and 80 staff from 10pm to 9am.

NSW Legislative Council member Natasha Maclaren-Jones.

Homeless advocates say the increase in call waiting times is reflective of current pressures facing a growing number of individuals and families

Dom Rowe, chief executive of Homelessness NSW, said “everyone experiencing or at risk of homelessness should be able to access prompt and comprehensive support”.

“Vulnerable people – and the specialist homelessness service workers who support them – are waiting up to four hours on the phone and if people cannot get through to Link2Home, they cannot access housing and homelessness help,” she said.

John Engeler of Shelter NSW.

“Asking them to spend hours on hold puts their safety at risk and means many simply give up accessing help.

“It also means the workers waiting alongside them cannot spend that time providing specialist services.

“People who are trapped in unsafe situations and who have experienced trauma may only have a small chance to access help.”

Shelter NSW chief executive John Engeler said more people were seeking assistance with housing due to a growing shortage of rental properties available in NSW.

“Across NSW, services set up to respond to the housing crisis are very stretched. This looks to include the Government’s own service Link2Home,” he said.

The figures come as the latest NSW Street Count shows 2037 people were counted sleeping rough in 2024 – a 26 per cent increase compared to 2023

The number of people sleeping rough in regional areas has also soared including in Newcastle and the mid north coast.

Ms McLaren-Jones said community centres, food pantries and other non-profit support services were also experiencing record demand from those in need.

A spokesman for Ms Jackson said the government was undertaking a review of the Link2Home service “to make sure it meets these demands and can better support people experiencing homelessness”.

“These wait times are too long and it speaks to a system that is struggling to keep pace with the demands of NSW’s housing and rental crisis,” he said.

“After 12 long years of neglect by the former Government we have also announced a record $6.6 billion investment in homelessness services and building public homes to tackle long term homelessness.”