Chels Hood Withey, Nimbin GoodTimes

A week-long homeless camp outside Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin’s Lismore office ended after the MP refused meeting with housing advocates, and called police on constituents seeking help with the homelessness crisis.

The camp was established by community members made homeless by recent NSW Reconstruction Authority evictions, skyhigh rents, and unaffordable homes. They demanded action on housing while more than 800 empty buyback properties remain vacant across the Northern Rivers that could be relocated for public housing as a simple step towards ending the homelessness crisis on the North Coast.

“We just wanted a meeting with our local Minister about housing solutions,” said Chels Hood Withey from House You, who was recently evicted from a taxpayerowned property that never flooded.

“Instead, Janelle Saffin closed her office to the public under ‘security concerns’ and repeatedly called police on us for trying to book appointments. The only risk to safety we witnessed living on the street was for those rough sleeping, not an MP,” Chels Hood Withey said.

During the week-long peaceful homeless vigil, Minister Saffin’s staff called police multiple times on homeless constituents seeking meetings, with staff members claiming members of the public who went in (separate from the camp) were ‘intimidating’ and causing ‘PTSD.’

The camp received overwhelming community support, with locals providing food, coffee, hot water bottles, clothing, and even a sofa delivery. Supporters included Sue Higginson MLC and numerous community members, who thanked the campers for making homelessness visible.

“I found the lovely people at the camp represent me more than our state member,” said Tahila Bloom, homeless grandmother and supporter of the camp. “I am 50. I had a job, but I still lost my home. I have been suffering in silence and isolation until I found that there is a whole community of people who are also locked out of this basic human right to safe shelter.”

“Our state governments have collectively let 1.5 million people fall through the cracks. We still want to work with the government to develop more affordable housing solutions during this crisis,” she said.

“If we can organise land and funding, we can build tiny homes out of the flood zone with communal food gardens, kitchen and bathroom facilities so that people can have their dignity and feel safe. But this is such a huge problem, it needs to be repeated in every town,” she said.

Chels Hood Withey said, “we were peacefully offering our community food, care and a safe place to rest because we have nowhere to go. We were visibly homeless for all those who suffer in obscurity and feel silenced by vulnerability and a system rigged against them.”

A tradesman living in his van with his two dogs, Gabriel Pizarro said, “the police demand we follow the law, we demand to be treated like humans. We can no longer afford the greed and heartless attitudes. Hardworking Australians should not be homeless and attacked by the people that serve them.”

Homeless people and community members are seeking dialogue to begin to address the housing crisis with the NSW government. Solutions include:

• Rent caps to address affordability crisis;
• Sufficient public housing so no one sleeps rough;
• No empty homes while people are homeless;
• No demolition of livable public housing;
• Collaboration with the community on housing solutions; and
• No real estate portfolios held by politicians during a housing crisis.

The camp highlighted government hypocrisy, with campers witnessing a single mother and children denied housing by Homes NSW, despite being evicted by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.

“Other states have ended homelessness, why can’t Australia?” asks Chels Hood Withey. “Everyone is entitled to meet with their local Minister. We just want leadership, accountability and our tax dollars spent on welfare, not warfare,” she said.

After seven days, Lismore City Council ordered the camp to move to a park within 24 hours, or face a $700 fine, preferring that homeless people remain hidden from the Minister who could actually address the crisis.

“The only security concerns we saw were the insecurity, risk to safety and cold faced by people sleeping rough,” concluded Chels Hood Withey. “Janelle Saffin has the power to do better, but chose avoidance over action.”

The campers continue seeking dialogue about housing solutions while remaining homeless themselves. 

This article appeared in The Nimbin GoodTimes, September 2025.