CANBERRA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Darwin's largest short-stay accommodation facility closed on Sunday, with some residents asked to relocate about 100 km south of the Northern Territory capital.
The 400-bed YiSSA facility, which had been operating at capacity with a waiting list, provided temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness, residents from remote Aboriginal communities visiting Darwin for medical treatment and families escaping domestic violence, according to local media reports.
The Northern Territory government has established a smaller replacement facility in Batchelor, about 100 km south of Darwin, with capacity for around 150 people.
The closure has raised concerns over access to health, legal and other support services that are concentrated in Darwin.
Danila Dilba Health Service said about 250 of its clients had YiSSA registered as their address and warned that some could face difficulties continuing to access services after the closure.
The Northern Territory government has said medically vulnerable residents would not be relocated to Batchelor without arrangements for continued access to necessary care.
The government previously rejected a joint funding proposal from the federal government to keep the Darwin facility operating.
The government has said the Batchelor site will provide transitional accommodation as well as emergency evacuation capacity during extreme weather events. ■
