Media Release: Crisis accommodation critically low as demand for beds soar in WA

Demand for crisis accommodation has hit critical levels in Western Australia, placing pressure on the state government to fund more urgent support for people experiencing homelessness in its upcoming budget, according to Shelter WA.

Shelter WA analysis of the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data for 2024-25 reveals:

• On any given day in WA, around 1,500 clients seeking homelessness support report having slept rough in the past month
• The number of Western Australians who report having slept rough has more than doubled (126%) over the past five years
• On average every day in WA, 96 people do not receive assistance when they seek support – that’s increased by 68% over the past five years
• Three-quarters (74%) of these daily unassisted requests were for short-term or emergency accommodation.

As part of its pre-budget submission, Shelter WA is calling for an urgent increase in immediate accommodation options to provide urgent relief from homelessness.

“While Western Australia faces a huge shortfall of long-term social and affordable rentals, it is also grappling with a critical shortage of crisis accommodation,” Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell said.

“It’s encouraging and welcomed, that the state government is focused on building long-term housing supply but while we still have a huge shortage the reality is that there are thousands of people who need somewhere to sleep tonight and have nowhere safe to go.

“Creating immediate accommodation options is about providing relief now while the state builds the long-term homes that Western Australians need.

“In WA, rough sleeping has more than doubled in five years, and on average 96 people who approach support services are turned away daily.

“Frontline workers are doing everything they can, but resources and available homes are limited. They often face the heartbreaking task of telling people there’s nowhere for them to stay, knowing they will end up sleeping on couches, in tents and cars, and on the streets.

“Housing and homelessness support services across the state agree that WA needs to have more urgent, crisis accommodation options that provide immediate relief and shelter for people doing it tough.

“Every night, Western Australians from all walks of life are, often unexpectedly, in need of a safe place to stay. That includes women and their children escaping domestic violence, young people who don’t have a safe home, working families and older people experiencing extreme housing stress.

“The shortage of both long-term and crisis housing is forcing more Western Australians into homelessness. A rise in homelessness is not only deeply distressing and unfair, but it also has huge flow-on effects for WA’s productivity and budget costs in other areas including in hospitals,
schools and the justice system.

“Building more desperately needed social and affordable homes can take years, particularly to the scale we require, so in the meantime we need immediate, urgent options to provide safety, dignity and security for people experiencing homelessness.

“So many Western Australians need a safe place to go tonight.”

“The WA Government pledged to end rough sleeping by 2025. This budget is its opportunity to follow through by making sure that everyone in WA has a safe place to sleep at night.”

Shelter WA 2025-26 budget ask:

• Urgently increase accommodation options for immediate relief from homelessness, including:
• Safe night spaces: provide essential, basic respite for people experiencing homelessness whose safety and wellbeing are at immediate risk
• Rapid conversions: convert vacant or underutilised properties such as Wanjoo Bidi (the Murray St Hotel project) quickly and with minimal resources to provide safety and respite
• Brokerage: flexible funds that allow homelessness services to provide immediate, tailored relief to people in urgent need of assistance e.g. to stay in hotels, motels, helping clients keep up with rental payments or address problems that prevent them from accessing housing
• Granny flats program: targeted at social housing tenants who can demonstrate a need and capacity for extra room to house extended family members in need.

 

 

 

Media Inclusions:

https://thewest.com.au/politics/state-politics/older-women-seeking-homelessness-support-in-wa-skyrockets-over-past-five-years-as-housing-crisis-deepens–c-21957001  (Paywall)