Cumberland is facing one of the most pressing and complex social challenges in New South Wales: a rising and often unseen wave of homelessness.
Across Western Sydney, thousands of individuals and families are experiencing homelessness, yet the reality is not always visible. For many, homelessness does not mean sleeping on the street. It means living in overcrowded homes, moving between couches, staying in temporary arrangements, or existing one step away from losing stability altogether.
This is what is known as hidden homelessness. It is growing quietly, affecting families, young people, and vulnerable individuals across our community.
With more than 35,000 people recorded as homeless across New South Wales in the last Census, and with increasing pressure from rising rents, housing shortages, and the broader cost of living crisis, the situation continues to intensify.
This is not an abstract issue. It is local. It is immediate. And it requires a coordinated, human-centred response.
This initiative was developed by Ahmed Ouf, elected Cumberland City Councillor, in partnership with Brothers in Need, an organisation with over 10 years of on-the-ground experience supporting people experiencing homelessness.
At the core of the Cumberland Homeless Run is a simple but powerful principle: we show up, consistently.
Through structured monthly outreach across Cumberland, the initiative focuses on direct, respectful engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness. The intention is not to impose solutions, but to understand lived realities, build relationships, and respond with care and dignity.
This approach prioritises presence over process. It is grounded in listening, in observing, and in meeting people where they are, both physically and emotionally.
Because meaningful support does not begin with services. It begins with trust.
For many individuals experiencing homelessness, engagement with systems has not always been positive. Experiences of being overlooked, dismissed, or unsupported have led to a deep erosion of trust.
As a result, traditional service pathways are often not immediately accessible, not because they do not exist, but because the relationship required to access them has not yet been established.
This initiative recognises that reality.
Time is taken to sit with people, to listen without judgment, and to demonstrate consistency. Over time, familiar faces replace uncertainty, and trust begins to form.
It is only once that trust is established that individuals are more open to support, more willing to engage, and more able to take steps toward stability.
Connection comes before coordination. Trust comes before outcomes.
Each Cumberland Homeless Run is designed to create meaningful, layered impact.
Immediate support is provided through the distribution of food and essential items, alongside direct engagement that allows individuals to feel seen and heard.
At the same time, valuable insight is gathered. Patterns begin to emerge, needs become clearer, and a more accurate understanding of homelessness within Cumberland is developed.
This understanding enables stronger, more targeted connections to services. Individuals are linked to housing support, mental health services, disability support through NDIS pathways, and opportunities for employment and reintegration.
Where possible, follow-up engagement ensures that these connections translate into real outcomes, not just referrals.
