All Paths Lead to a Home: Western Australia’s 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness 2020–2030

Homelessness is a complex issue faced by our community. On Census night in 2021 there were an estimated 9,700 people (up from 9,005 in 2016) who were homeless in Western Australia - sleeping rough, couch surfing or living in boarding houses, supported accommodation for the homeless or severely overcrowded accommodation, of which 2,315 were sleeping rough.

The priority of the State Government is to see as many Western Australians as possible in safe, secure and sustainable homes. The State Government has always taken pride in being committed to assisting our State's most vulnerable and is investing record amounts to assist Western Australian’s in line with this commitment.

The State Government remains committed to the evidence based, Housing First Approach (the Approach) to assist those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Guided by the All Paths Lead to a Home: Western Australia's 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness 2020- 2030 (the Strategy), the Approach seeks to ensure that people have access to appropriate accommodation as well as the support services they need to sustain their tenancy.

People experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness can face multiple difficulties and often require access to a wide range of supports and services. The complexity of the issue means that it cannot be solved by one agency or organisation working alone. The Strategy is a whole-of-community plan, setting the direction for all levels of government, business and the community sector in responding to and preventing homelessness in Western Australia.

Key achievements to date

State Government Homelessness reforms include:

• The establishment of a new Ministerial homelessness portfolio in early 2022, together with the creation of the Office of Homelessness within the department to collectively achieve better outcomes for those experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
• Djuripiny Mia - the Supportive Landlord Model (SLM) which will see 100 homes delivered in partnership with Housing Choices for rough sleepers across Perth, Peel and the South-West.
• Wandjoo Bidi - Transformation of the former Murray Hotel to provide low barrier, supported accommodation for rough sleepers, run by St Vincent de Paul. The new facility compliments current accommodation options in the Perth CBD for people who are sleeping rough. Other accommodation options include Boorloo Bidee Mia in Wellington Street and Koort Boodja in Northbridge.
• Establishment of Rough Sleeper Coordination Groups at key locations; including Fremantle, Perth CBD, Geraldton, Bunbury, and Mandurah. These groups assess individual case management for rough sleepers at each location and bring all service providers together.
• Boosting coordinated outreach services and actively seeking to add more people to the By-Name List to ensure those in need are connected to relevant support services.
• Return-to-country support services to address these issues, including establishing the $2.2 million Country-Connect service, which aims to reduce instances of rough sleeping during medical treatment, for people travelling to Perth from the regions.
• Establishing new Aboriginal short-stay accommodation services in Perth, Geraldton and Kununurra to ensure safe, culturally-considered, and affordable short-term accommodation, is available to support Aboriginal visitors from regional and remote areas.
• Boorloo Bidee Mia - the WA Government’s supported accommodation in the Perth CBD for people sleeping rough. Boorloo Bidee Mia is the first low barrier homelessness service of its kind, offering culturally supportive accommodation for some of the most complex individuals, many of whom have experienced long-term homelessness.
• Common Ground - $73.5 million for the planning and design of two Common Ground facilities in East Perth and Mandurah that will provide permanent, supported housing for people who are sleeping rough or experiencing chronic homelessness.
• A $2 million extension in funding through to September 2024 for the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH) to strengthen existing collaborative arrangements and facilitate contribution and understanding of the By-Name List data in support of prioritising evidence-based homelessness service delivery.