CANBERRA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The largest homeless shelter in the northern Australian city of Darwin will close in October as the government of the Northern Territory (NT) was unable to negotiate a new lease agreement with the building owner.
Over 300 residents, including 130 children, have been told that they must vacate the YiSSA accommodation center by Oct. 11, and the facility has been ordered by the NT government to stop accepting new residents.
The NT government announced earlier in July that the facility would close after lease negotiations with the owner collapsed.
The NT has the highest homelessness rate of any Australian state or territory, with about 13,000 people experiencing homelessness on any night, 87 percent of whom are Aboriginal.
The government has committed to working with the Yilli Housing Aboriginal Corporation that operates the YiSSA facility to explore alternative accommodation options for current residents. ■
