THE ALARM BELLS ARE STARTING TO RING

Brodie White, 29, has been living on and off Tasmania's streets for the past nine years. Mr White said he first became homeless after finishing college. Moving out of a boarding house, he could not find a home. 

A combination of mental health issues, a drug cycle and being locked up for driving offences has kept him locked in homelessness. "There's not a lot of options for an ex-convict on the street, unfortunately. It doesn't matter what kind of person you are," he said. Mr White has been on the list for social housing for years and is still waiting to secure a place. 

He has spent time in shelters like Safe Space Launceston, but said he felt safer living on the street. "It's not safe there at all. My stuff was never safe, I wasn't safe," he said. 

Picking up people along the way, he has taken those new to homelessness under his wing. "[I say] I know how it's done, I know the lingo, I'll look after you," he said. His camp of six recently relocated under the bridge by the C. H. Smith building, after being moved from their setup at the Patterson Street cenotaph as Anzac Day nears. 

 Mr White said more needs to be done to get homeless people into housing and support them in the interim by providing safe spaces for people to camp. 

 Services like Strike It Out and Vinnies Van, and the generosity of strangers offer a lifeline to Mr White. "We wouldn't be here without them. We wouldn't have clothes, we wouldn't have blankets, some of us wouldn't have tents," he said. "We had a lady drive past here the other day, knew what was going on, came back with a huge platter of food. That breaks your heart, it does. For someone to go out of their way for someone else's happiness and security, we don't know her from a bar of soap." 

"Just when you lose faith in the world, you see a bright spark in the distance. That keeps you going." Stories like Mr White's are not uncommon, with homelessness on the rise, according to the Launceston Benevolent Society chief executive Rodney Spinks. "There is a crisis out there and it seems to only be getting worse. We just don't seem to be getting any light at the end of the tunnel," Mr Spinks said.

With the housing crisis pushing people out of homes and the wait for social housing years long, it raises serious questions about how to meaningfully tackle the growing problem. 

"We've got to look at what solution we can provide them ... If we can't provide them with proper safe accommodation we've got to provide them with an alternative, and that's just not happening at the moment," Mr Spinks said.

"An inquiry or at least a conversation, we've got to get together the parties and see what's the best resolution that we can provide for those people." Strike It Out founder Kirsten Ritchie has seen an increase in people reaching out, left with "no choice but to be sleeping rough". Ms Ritchie said a hard look at the state of emergency accommodation was in need. 

 "When there is no availability to put these people are under a roof, the only option left is to be able to supply them with life's basic essentials which is minimal, which is a tent, which is a swag," she said. 

"Winter's coming up, the problem is just going to get bigger and bigger and we're going to have multitude more people popping up tents around the place." 

"We just need to have some outcomes which are positive and going to help these people." 

St Vincent de Paul Society acting chief executive Les Baxter said there needed to be a robust conversation involving all levels of government, and solutions needed to be delivered alongside other services. "No one level of government will ever fix this issue," he said. 

"We need to ensure that the wrap-around services that are so crucial to the success of many families who move into these affordable housing developments, are in place." 

City of Launceston chief executive Michael Stretton said it was not suitable or safe for people to camp in areas without access to basic facilities and infrastructure. 

"The City of Launceston will work collaboratively with assistance organisations in coming days to attempt to deliver an outcome for the people involved," he said. 

"The City of Launceston is in active discussions with a range of stakeholders about helping the group in question to access services and assistance. We already know some people do not wish to access that assistance or may be refused assistance from providers due to past behavioural issues."  

Mr Stretton said the council had received concerns and complaints from the public about people sleeping rough under the Wellington Street flyover in recent days. 

 "People in the community who have spoken with us are concerned about anti-social behaviour, the general safety of those sleeping rough, and the lack of access to basic amenities," he said. State Development, Construction and Housing Minister Michael Ferguson said the government was committed to building a sustainable housing system, and was developing a comprehensive Tasmanian Housing Strategy. 

 He said the strategy would bring together experts from government, research, community, business, and construction. "Improving our housing system means investigating potential improvements to the housing market through regulatory systems, strategic land use planning, policies, taxes, subsidies, and capital investment," he said. 

Mr Ferguson said the government was responding with a 10 year $1.5 billion housing package to build on existing reforms and take further action to provide affordable accommodation. 

 Labor housing spokesperson Ella Haddad said the state government needed to be delivering on its promises faster.  "They know as well as we do that there are people sleeping in cars, or people unable to leave unsafe relationships and unsafe housing situations because there's simply nowhere to go," she said. 

"It's a fundamental role of government to provide shelter, and they're getting it wrong." 

 Housing Connect: 1800 800 588 

 Lifeline: 13 11 14 or chat online at lifeline.org.au (7pm-12am).