On a mission to end homelessness in the west
On a mission to end homelessness in the west
10 November 2021
The Assertive Outreach Team are on a mission to bring hope to people who are sleeping rough in Perth and its surrounding suburbs. (From left) Brent, Michael, Kate, Jess, Chairmay, Rana, Rodney and Stephen.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that it’s almost impossible to find housing in Western Australia in 2021. Between an economic boom, the closure of state and international borders, and a slew of first-home buyers and builders, vacancy rates are below one per cent.
Because of this, many people have resorted to finding temporary accommodation by whatever means possible – even if it’s sleeping in a tent or a car, their only option when caravan parks and hostels are full and the market is competitive.
During this time, The Salvation Army has been doing what it does best – helping people find hope in a hopeless situation.
The state’s rental moratorium [where landlords are banned from evicting tenants] ended in March, and The Salvation Army Doorways emergency relief program has been busier than ever since.
One of the ways it has assisted people in need is by paying car registrations – more than 340 of them in the three months since March. It’s a last-ditch solution for many people when public and more temporary housing is full to the brim.
“For some very vulnerable clients with no other housing option, paying car registration is a harm-minimisation approach to provide some level of safety and shelter within their car. This is far from an ideal solution and reflects the true extent of the crisis,” explains Kate Greenway, Manager of the Army’s Outreach Support Services in Western Australia.
Jennifer Klarich, Team Leader for Doorways in northern Perth, agrees with Kate. “Caravan parks, hostels … they’re all full of working people who cannot get into the rental market because there’s just not enough stock. And so, of course, in any situation like that, the most vulnerable and the people with the lowest incomes are the most heavily impacted.
“If you’re on a Centrelink payment and you’re putting a rental application in against a working couple, there’s no way that you’re going to get that.”
Changing face of homelessness
It’s a complex situation for The Salvation Army in Western Australia when their normal pathways to housing are bottle-necked. But that doesn’t alter their determination to help transform people’s lives, no matter what or how long it takes.
“Homelessness is a constantly evolving issue, and the ‘changing face’ of homelessness has been evident for some time,” says Kate. “Emerging cohorts experiencing homelessness have become evident … women over 55, veterans, youth and families.”
For many Salvation Army corps, Doorways services, shelters and outreach teams across Western Australia, the simple act of providing someone with a tent is both a harm-minimisation measure and an act of love. And in metropolitan Perth, it is a step towards short-term crisis accommodation, medium accommodation for up to 12 months and transitional accommodation between 12-24 months.
The wait on this is long, and that’s when the outreach team members are the hands and feet of Christ, meeting people on the ground to get them through the night. This includes a family accommodation program, where between 10-15 families a year receive accommodation and intensive support for up to two years.
Complex task
Meanwhile, the Army’s Street to Home team each year supports up to 70 clients experiencing homelessness to find stable and affordable accommodation and maintain their tenancy. The Independent Community Living Program is also a vital cog in the wheel, addressing one of the prime causes of homelessness by supporting up to 30 individuals every year who live with chronic mental illness.
It’s a tough, complex job – but a necessary one, as increasingly more families and individuals ask for accommodation assistance. The Beacon Emergency Accommodation and Referral Support Service, near Perth’s CBD, has worked at the coalface of this, providing shelter and services to people who can’t access affordable rentals, are unemployed, those who would normally access boarding houses or hostels, and people unable to travel across state and country borders. And, over time, staff have seen the results of their supports. Even during a housing crisis, families are being reunified, people are entering into recovery for alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and mental health issues, and people are joining the workforce.
“My team are motivated by their desire and intrinsic motivation to support and journey with others, with the belief that everyone deserves support to be able to transform from surviving to thriving,” says Kate. “Their roles are not without their challenges, and some days more so than others; however, they come back every day, ready to provide non-judgmental, respectful and dignified support.”
The role of the Assertive Outreach Team is pivotal in extending this dignity to rough sleepers in Perth and its surrounds. Up to 1800 people every year are met by the smiling faces of these staff on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. They are provided with food, water, hygiene packs, information, accommodation referrals and transport to sober-up centres, hospitals or safe night spaces.
Ultimate goal
It’s not a permanent or perfect solution by any means, but it is a tangible one as the WA Homelessness Services Stream works towards structural and systematic change in the housing system. Their Three-Year State Agenda – developed with residential and outreach workers and the national Salvation Army Homelessness team – gives them steps to systematically change the housing crisis.
“We want to gain a greater understanding of our homelessness community, particularly emerging cohorts; families, veterans, women over 55, young people leaving care. And we want to engage individuals with lived experience in our service design, planning and delivery,” says Kate.
Ultimately, the goal is to end homelessness for rough sleepers and those who experience chronic homelessness.
“We realise this is a bold statement; however, we need to ensure that we are thinking big-picture and fighting for what our vulnerable community deserve,” says Kate. “There is not a reason why in Australia, or any other comparable nation in the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development], that homelessness should occur.”
The battle to end homelessness in Western Australia is long and complex, but while people are sleeping in their cars or in a tent in the city, you can be sure that The Salvation Army will be there, fighting alongside the most vulnerable until everyone has a home.
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Thankyou for all you do.
Thankyou for all you do.