Microsoft partners with NSW Government and the Act to End Street Sleeping

A new digital data service will record information relating to rough sleepers in real-time to better facilitate collaboration between service providers for those experiencing homelessness in NSW.  

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said global tech giant Microsoft has partnered with the NSW Government and the Act to End Street Sleeping Collaboration to bring the project to fruition. 

“Every day more than 37,000 people in NSW experience homelessness and this new initiative will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the challenges they face,” Berejiklian said.

“By using technology to collect a range of social and demographic data on rough sleepers, we can improve the way we respond to homelessness.”

Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said the launch of the initiative comes during the inaugural Connections Week, which aims to create a by-name list of people sleeping rough in Sydney’s CBD.

“The homelessness targets our Government has set require an innovative approach as well as collaboration with our non-government partners,” Ward said. 

“By compiling a database of rough sleepers, our assertive outreach teams and NGOs will be able to better collaborate towards a common goal.”

Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the data will be captured using a mobile device and include geolocation technology.

“We are using digital technology to make life easier for some of the most vulnerable people in the community.”

Act to End Street Sleeping Convener Graham West said the aim is to create a vulnerability index of rough sleepers across the state, to determine risk and help prioritise specialist services. 

Data collected this week will be used to inform potential expansion of the program across the state.