The service will welcome its first residents today, with more clients to be referred by the department’s community service partners as the service builds capacity.
The name, Boorloo Bidee Mia, represents “Perth pathway to housing” in Whadjuk Noongar language, and embodies the intent of the service to provide residents with the support they need to transition out of homelessness and into stable, long-term accommodation.
Boorloo Bidee Mia has been designed in partnership with Wungening and Noongar Mia Mia to ensure it meets the needs of Aboriginal residents, who are expected to be the primary users of the service due to their overrepresentation among chronic rough sleepers.
Regional Executive Director – North Metropolitan Jacqui Herring said Boorloo Bidee Mia was “more than a shelter”.
“Boorloo Bidee Mia is focused on building a community-based, healing environment that supports residents to build their capacity, maintain their lodging and transition to long-term accommodation,” she said.
“It offers a culturally informed, responsive and tailored support service for its residents to support safe and secure pathways out of homelessness.”
All residents will have access to ongoing and responsive support from the Boorloo Bidee Mia team and partnering service providers, which may include specialist support in the areas of family and domestic violence, alcohol and other drugs, mental health, and cultural support.
The new service is operating from 300 Wellington Street in Perth, which was originally home to the St John Ambulance Association and later converted into a youth hostel.
Executive Director Asset Management Services Rob Thomson said the site offered optimal flexibility to provide residents with spaces that promote safety, wellbeing, and healing, due to its size and layout.
“It’s also ideally located in proximity to key services and amenities including Royal Perth Hospital, health and wellbeing services and transport hubs,” he said.
Communities, through its Head Maintenance Contractor, Spotless, engaged Aboriginal-owned construction company Kardan Construction to undertake building works to ready the site for service commencement.
“The Kardan team at Boorloo Bidee Mia included trainees and apprentices from the Kardan Pathway Program and two students undertaking work experience, which was great to see,” Mr Thomson said.
“The team has made great strides in a very short amount of time, exceeding 2000 labour hours in 13 days.
“They undertook a range of works including the replacement of lighting throughout the building, the creation of a triage room and the refurbishment of more than 32 rooms to bring them to a safe and liveable standard.”
The remaining accommodation areas will be progressively delivered over the coming weeks.
“With our support, Kardan has also taken great care to be as sustainable as possible, recycling furniture and mattresses that were no longer fit for use, installing energy-saving LED lighting and sorting and donating discarded clothing found in storage.
Mr Thomson said the successful delivery of Boorloo Bidee Mia was the result of an incredible team effort.
“There has been a lot of activity behind the scenes to get this service ready to welcome residents.
“I wish to commend the enormous efforts of the Boorloo Bidee Mia project team, our partners, Wungening and Noongar Mia Mia, and the Kardan team,” he said.
“I look forward to seeing the long-lasting positive impact Boorloo Bidee Mia has on its residents and the surrounding community.”
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Rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness and is considered to be one of the most acute expressions of disadvantage in our community.
Latest figures suggest more than 500 Western Australians are currently sleeping rough in the Perth metropolitan area, and of those rough sleeping, Aboriginal people are significantly overrepresented.
