Everybody deserves a safe place to call home. But on any given night, over 120,000 people in Australia experience homelessness, and almost 300 people are turned away by overstretched services when they seek help.

As we mark National Homelessness Week (5-11 August), these shocking statistics help paint a picture of the severity of the national housing and homelessness crisis in Australia.

Randwick City Council supports many local community organisations to assist people experiencing homelessness in our local government area.

We can all raise awareness of the crisis and call for action to create a fairer housing system for all. I encourage you to check out Homelessness Australia’s list of events and activities today.

If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, check out the Saturday Circle, a free monthly get-together at Randwick Sustainability Hub where you can learn new skills to fix and reuse everyday items, and regenerate our natural environment.

This week you can learn the basics of bike maintenance, send the kids on a guided orienteering tour, refresh your wardrobe with Nina Gabor’s Clothes Swap and Style, or learn about the best herbs to grow this spring at a Permabee workshop.

Check out these free workshops (and more!) on our website and be sure to book early to secure your spot.

Voting is also open for the 2024 Randwick City Business Excellence Awards. Council has presented the awards for well over a decade, to support our local businesses – the engine room of the Randwick City economy.

The awards are a great opportunity for Randwick residents to support their favourite café, service provider or shop, so jump online to show your local businesses some love. It only takes a few minutes to vote.

Finally, if you’re a fan of our annual Spot Festival then you’ll love Spot On, an exciting series of weekly night-time events, kicking off later this month.

We’re turning up the heat at one of our coolest dining and entertainment hubs, by closing St Pauls Street at The Spot to vehicles and opening the street up to people every Thursday night from 22 August until 24 October.

Spot On is part of the state government’s Open Streets program, and will promote our fantastic local restaurants and retailers, and incredible entertainers in Randwick City.  Stay tuned for more details soon.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Cr Philipa Veitch
Mayor or Randwick