January 12, 2023
Community housing and homelessness sector peak body Shelter WA and the WA Alliance to End Homelessness congratulate the Minister for Housing on funding to transform Murray Street Hotel to supported accommodation for rough sleepers in the Perth CBD.
“We congratulate Minister Carey on this announcement and commend him on the momentum he is building in this space,” Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell said.
Successful Model
“We are thrilled the WA government is building on the successful model demonstrated by Boorloo Bidee Mia, which provides culturally appropriate, intensive wrap-around support to people sleeping rough in Perth and transition them into stable and secure long-term accommodation.
“This investment will change lives.”
“We also acknowledge this announcement today follows a number of recent initiatives by the Minister, including $24 million to deliver 100 homes and support for people sleeping rough in partnership with Housing Choices, and over $39 million in grants for the community housing sector and local governments to deliver over 158 new social housing homes.
“This investment will change lives and provides another fantastic opportunity for the community housing sector to do what they do best: provide wraparound services and transition vulnerable people into safe, secure permanent homes,” Ms Snell concluded.
The latest data on the By-Name List shows there were 842 people experiencing homelessness in the Perth CBD, including 389 sleeping rough, at November 2022.
Housing First
“We commend the government’s leadership on Housing First,” David Pearson, Executive Officer WA Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH) said.
“Strongly welcomed step towards achieving that goal.”
“The government has committed to end rough sleeping by 2025 under its All Paths Lead to a Home: Western Australia’s 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness 2020–2030. This announcement is a much needed and strongly welcomed step towards achieving that bold but achievable goal.
“Ending homelessness is possible, but it will require more leadership, and more investments like this,” Mr Pearson concluded.
Fast Facts & Links
The By-Name List (BNL) Dashboard is updated monthly and indicates the level of need. View it here.
The most recent BNL data shows there were 842 total people experiencing homeless counted, including 389 sleeping rough and 453 in temporary shelters (at November 2022).
At this point, the BNL data shows 217 people on the BNL were permanently housed in 2022.
There were 18,975 households (33,535 people) including 4,257 priority applicants (8,685 people) on the social housing waitlist at September 2022.
The WA Alliance to End Homelessness
The WA Alliance To End Homelessness is a group of individuals and organisations that have come together to end homelessness in Western Australia. Since the publication of the WA Alliance’s Ten-Year Strategy to End Homelessness in 2018, the WA Alliance has been working to implement the Strategy, acting to support people and communities who share the common vision of ending homelessness.
Shelter WA
Shelter WA is the independent peak body in Western Australia for the community housing and homelessness sectors. With 140 members, our strength is providing evidence-based policy, advice, engagement, representation and strong advocacy for an effective housing system.