We can already provide shelter

TIME FOR ACTION Wilkie urges council to free up its own space

AN urgent audit of all vacant State and Local Governmentowned buildings — including Hobart’s council offices — is needed to identify where Hobart’s homeless can sleep, Clark MP Andrew Wilkie says.

Mr Wilkie said homelessness in Hobart — a situation which sees about 120 people sleep on the streets each night — was at crisis point and must be dealt with immediately by Greater Hobart councils and the State Government.

A Tasmanian resident who said he had done recent work at the council’s Davey St offices told of two floors there that were going unused.

Mr Wilkie said the council, instead of proposing new ideas reduce through homes”.

Hobart City Council general manager Nick Heath said all floors inside the council building were fully occupied except for some space on level four which was “about to be tenanted”.

“While we appreciate the seriousness of the homelessness issue, it is also not appropriate to simply pack homeless people into any space possible without due consideration,” he said.

“The June 20 council-operated forum [on the crisis] is not about the council coming up with solutions on its own but about bringing all the key service providers together to assist in finding solutions.” homelessness building was more