New figures revealing Western Australia’s persistent demand for more housing and homelessness support highlights the urgent need for the next state government to build on progress, and drive further action to address the crisis, Shelter WA said.
The Productivity Commission’s latest Report on Government Services (ROGS) shows that on average, 61 people per day were unable to access accommodation when they needed it in WA in 2023-24.
These turnaway rates are the highest in the country - spiking 33% since 2019-20 - and far exceed the national average of 26 people being denied accommodation services per day.
These figures come ahead of Shelter WA’s election forum on housing and homelessness on Tuesday, bringing together candidates from across the political spectrum to outline their plans for addressing the state’s housing crisis.
Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell acknowledged the significant investments that the Cook Government has made in social housing and homelessness services, however stressed the importance of building on this momentum at scale.
“With about a month to go until the state election and this week marking the official start of the election period, we urge all parties to prioritise fixing the housing and homelessness crisis by committing to building on the progress already made,” Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell said.
“We thank the Cook government for the investments and gains they’ve made during this term, including $92.2 million for overstretched homelessness services in last year’s budget. We also commend the government’s recent announcement identifying 13 new build-to-rent projects on government land that will deliver up to 1,000 new social and affordable homes owned and operated by community housing organisations. These initiatives are life-changing and essential to driving lasting change in WA.
“We’re seeing incredible success stories like Indigo Junction - who, with state funding injections, have a new youth accommodation service under construction, have been able to increase the number of beds they can offer families at existing services, and will be making significant improvements to the Koolkuna Women' Refuge.
“This election we are calling for commitments that build on this momentum, at scale - Western Australians are relying on it.
”Unfortunately, new figures reveal that more Western Australians seeking accommodation assistance are being turned away from homelessness services each day than in any other state or territory in Australia, underscoring the urgent need for all parties to commit to Shelter WA’s election calls.”
Another recent report, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows the number of people in WA who report having slept rough in the last month has surged by 128% in the past five years, with up to 1,400 people reporting they slept rough in the past month.
The data also shows there are more working people experiencing homelessness with 15% of those accessing services in WA being employed, up from 10% five years ago. Meanwhile, children experiencing homelessness are also on the rise, with 1,400 children in families seeking assistance - a 27% increase in five years.
“It’s deeply concerning that so many people facing homelessness in Western Australia are being turned away from accommodation support - and in numbers far higher than anywhere else in the country,” Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell said.
“The homelessness crisis in WA is deepening and these figures show that the system is simply unable to keep up with the number of people needing help. Turning away 61 Western Australians needing accommodation each day is unacceptable.
“We already know what works to reduce homelessness. There are programs in WA that have proven successful, but they need to be scaled up to match the worrying level of need.”
The ROGS report also shows social housing now makes up just 3.7% of all housing stock in the state.
Shelter WA’s state election platform is calling for urgent commitments from all parties to expand proven programs that address homelessness and housing insecurity including:
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Increase the proportion of social and affordable housing in WA to 10% of all WA housing stock by 2036
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Improve the rental system to stop people falling into homelessness and establish a WA Affordable Rental Housing Scheme to deliver 20,000 urgently needed new rentals
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Establish four more Youth Foyers to alleviate youth homelessness in metro and regional areas and fund more permanent supportive accommodation like Common Ground
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Boost the capacity of the community housing and homelessness sectors to better respond to the crisis
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Rapid conversion of empty buildings and a granny flats program to provide high quality fast delivery accommodation.
“No one should be turned away from housing when they need it. We’re calling on all parties to commit to solutions that match the scale of the crisis by taking bold action, expanding the solutions that work and delivering the homes that we need to prevent homelessness from getting worse,” Ms Snell said.
“Our election platform offers a plan for the future where everyone has a safe, secure, affordable place to call home. While our housing crisis was decades in the making, it could be turned around by the decisions taken at this election.
“Ending homelessness and solving the housing crisis is possible. We are urging all parties to commit to real actions to achieve this.”
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Average daily unassisted requests for accommodation services 2023-24 by state |
|||||||||
|
WA |
NSW |
Vic |
Tas |
Qld |
NT |
SA |
ACT |
Aust total |
Aust avg. |
|
60.5 |
40.3 |
35.8 |
31.7 |
27.8 |
10.8 |
1.2 |
0.7 |
208.6 |
26.1 |
Source: Productivity Commission
Shelter WA is holding an election forum on housing and homelessness, bringing together key representatives in a moderated discussion to probe how each candidate plans to tackle the state’s housing crisis.
Journalists are invited to attend the forum which will take place on Tuesday February 4 between 4.30pm - 6.30pm at the State Library Theatre, with:
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Hon. John Carey MLA, Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; Homelessness (Labor Party)
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Hon. Steve Martin MLC (Liberal Party)
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Hon. Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC (Greens WA)
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Shane Love MLA (The Nationals WA)
Contact details:
Lauren Ferri 0422 581 506 // Sofie Wainwright 0403 920 301