More natural disasters are affecting rough sleepers in the city and regions Tim and Brent said local services are overwhelmed during natural disaster events ( Share Print text only Increased dramatic weather events are forcing local governments to rethink their stance on homelessness. Homelessness is a state government responsibility however some regional councils with high homelessness statistics are turning their gaze toward the city to inform what might be appropriate at the regional local level. Tim is homeless in Coffs Harbour and said the extreme rain and flooding events had made life a lot harder. “There was a lot of debris, a lot of the areas where people usually sleep that wasn’t actually sleepable.