Bunbury homelessness crisis: 18m old State Government report detailing ditched potential solutions revealed

An 18-month-old report detailing potential solutions for the State Government to address Bunbury’s ongoing homelessness crisis has done nothing but collect dust since it was commissioned last year. A South West Development Commission report completed in July last year, seen by the South Western Times, outlined a number of recommendations to address the age-old homelessness problem, which included turning an old fire station on Forrest Avenue into a temporary shelter. Dozens of people doing it tough in Bunbury currently set up tents and sleeping bags at the Graham Bricknell Memorial Music Shell in the CBD and are often moved on for arts events and civic ceremonies. The issue has existed in Bunbury for decades and has long been a point of contention for local and State politicians. MORE NEWS The SWDC Project to Address Homelessness in Bunbury report, which was obtained by South West-based Nationals MLC James Hayward through a Freedom of Information request, stated the old fire station could be used as a temporary hub where agencies could work with rough sleepers and move them on to “appropriate accommodation.” It also recommended appointing a lead government agency to manage the hub, investigate converting a three-bedroom house managed by Salvation Army into a home for single men’s accommodation and incorporate existing outreach projects as part of a total homelessness strategy for the city. A briefing note for Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan, seen by this newspaper, states the report was provided to Bunbury MLA Don Punch in August last year. The report outlined Bunbury police would like to see a “crisis shelter” where those sleeping rough could be “out of harm’s way” and have basic needs met. Consultation with Accordwest also showed support for the fire station to be used as a hub, with the report stating a visual on-site inspection done by Accordwest representatives gave confidence that with “some cleaning and basic furnishings” the facility could be converted to a crisis hub as there were “adequate space, bathroom and kitchen facilities to meet most of the needs of the homeless.” An email chain with a Department of Fire and Emergency Services employee, seen by the Times, states the site was listed to be sold, but only other government agencies could provide an offer due to its contamination. In the time since the report was commissioned, Bunbury’s tight-knit homeless community has been rocked after one of its own was allegedly murdered in January in an attack at the music shell. The rental crisis also pushed the issue to “catastrophic levels” according to a South West service provider, as those sleeping rough again camped out the winter in tents at the shell, before being moved on for the site to undergo repairs. Mr Hayward said the report showed the State Government had done little to address a critical issue. “The documents show that the Member for Bunbury Don Punch approached the SWDC in relation to rough sleepers in Bunbury, a report was commissioned, a solution identified and sent to the minister for approval and was then ignored,” Mr Hayward said. “Mr Punch made a show of getting the ball rolling but it seems like he has now dropped it altogether. It beggars belief that these people have been forced to live on the street during another very tough, wet winter. “If the McGowan Government cared about homeless people in Bunbury, they would have established a transitory shelter and not sat on their hands for the past 18 months.” He said if the contamination issue was that bad, the site would not have been recommended as a safe location to develop a hub. Mr Punch said the report was not ignored and the recommendation to investigate the potential of the old fire station as a hub was followed. “The old fire station is a contaminated site and is not suitable for the purpose described in the report,” he said. Community Services Minister Simone McGurk said the old fire station’s contamination made it a “highly unsuitable” location to accommodate and provide services to people experiencing homelessness. Ms McGurk said since the report was commissioned, several strategies had been implemented to respond to homelessness in Bunbury. “The majority of its recommendations are being addressed through the Housing First Homelessness Initiative that was rolled out in Bunbury earlier this year,” she said. The Housing First project is five-year initiative aimed at helping those in need find and maintain stable housing and provide wraparound services. Support services involved in the rollout such as Anglicare WA previously told the Times the main obstacle was a lack of available social housing. Doors Wide Open chair Tyril Houghton said addressing homelessness in the community was a “huge issue” that would not be fixed overnight, but the Housing First program was one step forward. Mrs Houghton said if contamination at the fire station was fixed, she believed it would make an ideal temporary shelter. “We’ve got so many people who were displaced from where they had their temporary shelter at the Graham Bricknell Music Shell,” she said. “The fire station is close to Doors Wide Open — which means there are support services and peer support workers there who could be helping — it has showers and toilets, it’s close to the shops and there’s a bus route nearby.”