Single photo of Sydneysiders queuing at Martin Place highlights cost-of-living and homelessness crises

Photos of residents queuing to collect clothes from a charity have highlighted the cost-of-living crisis.

Charity organization Pass it on Clothing recently shared photos and videos showing the ever-growing queues of people in need in Sydney.

They show long lines of not just individuals, but families queuing at Martin Place, waiting for something to put on to keep out the cold.

The picture is all the more poignant because the area is home to some of Australia’s wealthiest companies, with luxury clothing stores and banks nearby.

Other images show people sleeping rough on the sidewalk and even behind garbage cans in winter when temperatures drop.

The charity’s humble aim is to give homeless people in the city “the opportunity to put on a new pair of underwear every day” and the dignity that comes with it

In April, the City of Sydney estimated that homelessness in the CBD had risen by 23 percent, resulting in a rising cost of living, a shortage of affordable rental housing and low wages.

The actual number of people who cannot afford to pay for their own homes is believed to be much greater.

Mission Australia has claimed that more than 122,000 Australians are homeless every night.

If Australia’s homeless people were in one place, it would be the 18th largest city in the country, just behind Darwin in terms of population.

Escalating basic living costs, such as rent, power and groceries, are now believed to make housing more unaffordable for people on the margins.

Pass it on Apparel founders Chris Vagg and Olga Puga say demand for their charity’s services has grown 22 percent in 2023 from 2022 and is still growing.

“We know things are difficult at the moment, we are on the frontline and the reality of the situation is grim,” the charity said.

“We see more and more new faces searching for clothes every week, our data tells us that the need has already grown by 22 percent this year.

“We are now working like crazy, every day, trying to make a difference in the lives of those who need direct and immediate help.”

The charity’s modest goal is to give the city’s homeless “the opportunity to put on a new pair of underwear every day” and the dignity that comes with it.

Since its inception in 2016, Pass it on Clothing has provided over 250,000 pieces of clothing to those in need at over 1,000 outreach services across Sydney.

The charity called for $50,000 in donations in January as it struggled to keep up with increasing demand.

It has recently launched a new service in Redfern and now sees the need for a service in Manly, a suburb that people did not previously associate with homelessness.

But in nearly eight months, only $10,000 has been raised by her GoFundMe Campaign.

They show long queues of not just individuals but families in Sydney’s Martin Place, home to some of Australia’s richest companies, waiting for something to put on to keep out the cold

Pass it on Apparel founders Chris Vagg and Olga Puga say demand for their charity’s services has grown 22 percent in 2023 from 2022 and is still growing

“The more support we get, the more we can do,” said Mr. Vagg.

All this in a city recently rated as the 10th richest in the world.

Sydney has at least 15 people worth more than US$1 billion, 184 people worth US$100 million, and 126,900 high net worth individuals (worth US$1 million plus).

That’s according to wealth intelligence firm New World Health, which predicted Sydney would crack the top 5 by 2040.

The other cities expected to occupy that ultra-exclusive top five are Tokyo, New York, San Francisco’s Bay Area and California’s Silicon Valley.

Sydney was ranked as the second most expensive real estate market in the world by the Demographia International Housing Affordability Scheme in March 2023.