Common Ground Sydney

This is a key partnership activity of the Mercy Foundation and it will create permanent supportive housing to help end chronic homelessness in Sydney.

Common Ground NSW Advisory Group

Currently the Common Ground NSW Advisory group is made up of representatives from:

The Mercy Foundation www.mercyfoundation.com.au
The City of Sydney  www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
BCS – Lifecare www.bcs.org.au/main.asp
KPMG www.kpmg.com.au 

In 2010 the advisory group plans to expand and will seek additional interested partners from the business, NGO and philanthropic sectors.

Common Ground Sydney - The first project is underway!

Since June 2008, the Mercy Foundation has been working closely with the CGNSW Advisory Group and government bodies to try to establish the first Common Ground project in Sydney. We were pleased that the NSW Government announced their significant support of a first project in August 2009. Housing NSW are now managing the project. Grocon have been appointd as the developer/builder and MA Housing as the community housing provider. The CG Advisory group continue to inform the project and key partners as well as liaise with the ACGA.

For more information about the first Sydney Common Ground Project click here.

About Common Ground

Common Ground is a permanent supportive housing model that originated in New York. It ends people’s chronic homelessness by making available long term independent housing with the appropriate support services to sustain people in that housing.

Roseanne Haggerty is the Founder and President of Common Ground New York. She has also written widely on the issue of ending homelessness. Links to two documents she has written for the Australian State governments are listed at the end of this page.

FAQs about Common Ground

Download summary information about the Common Ground model.
Download more information about Common Ground Sydney.  

Launch of Common Ground Sydney – Support from State, Federal and Local Government, the business sector and community based services.

On September 9, 2008 Common Ground Sydney was officially launched. This event was hosted by KPMG and guest speakers included:

  • Hon Nathan Rees, Premier of New South Wales
  • Hon Linda Burney, NSW Minister for Community Services
  • Hon David Borger, NSW Minister for Housing
  • Ms Therese Rein, Patron of the Australian Common Ground Alliance
  • Hon Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Housing and the Status of Women
  • Councillor Marcelle Hoff, City of Sydney
  • Mr Daniel Grollo, CEO Grocon
  • Mr Stephen Nash, CEO Homeground and Chair of the Australian Common Ground Alliance
  • Ms Felicity Reynolds, CEO Mercy Foundation

Commitments to Common Ground Sydney

At this landmark event to begin the active establishment of Common Ground in Sydney, the following commitments were made:

The NSW State Government confirmed its commitment to Common Ground Sydney and noted that Housing NSW would actively look for a suitable site to offer Common Ground. The Premier, the Hon Nathan Rees made it clear that he wanted his government to actively address homelessness in NSW.

Daniel Grollo, CEO of Grocon made the commitment that, should the government provide a site, then they would construct the building ‘at cost’.

The two law firms Griffith Hack and Landers and Rogers offered their pro bono legal assistance to the project.

All existing partner organizations re-iterated their support for the project. Both the Mercy Foundation and BCS committed some funds to help with establishment costs.

Since the launch, two more organisations have offered pro bono support to Common Ground Sydney. These are:

Gallagher Jeffs – Project Management Company
Minter Ellison – Law firm.

Make a real difference – contribute to Common Ground

Contact the Mercy Foundation for more information.

In thinking about contributing financially to Common Ground projects consider the costs of ‘servicing, rather than solving chronic homelessness’.

Some of these costs are:

  • Emergency department presentations
  • Hospital admissions
  • Mental Health units
  • Detoxification units
  • Intoxicated Persons units
  • Substance dependence services
  • Homelessness crisis hostels
  • Legal and court costs
  • Prisons
  • Interactions with police
  • Private security

The cost of permanent supportive housing for people who have been formerly chronically homeless involves the cost of the housing and the cost of the support. Some studies have estimated that it costs the same or less to provide permanent supportive housing.

Contact Felicity Reynolds at the Mercy Foundation if you want more information: 02 9699 8726

Common Ground websites:

Common Ground, New York: www.commonground.org

Common Ground Adelaide: www.commongroundadelaide.org.au/

Common Ground Melbourne: www.elizabethstcgsh.org.au

Read Rosanne Haggerty’s report for the South Australian Thinkers in Residence Program: www.thinkers.sa.gov.au

Also read Rosanne’s recent report for the Tasmanian Government on Ending Homelessness In Tasmania: cdd.dpac.tas.gov.au