Hi All,

Efforts to hold the Government to account on rising rates of homelessness are progressing:

# Tim Clifford, MLC, managed to unify the cross bench and opposition to push Government to show progress on homelessness recommendations.

# Jess Beckerling MLC and Rod Caddies  MLC also gave mention in Parliament to Ingrid and our group’s advocacy efforts. Brian Walker MLC gave additional implicit support.

# On Tuesday, July 1, the City of Bunbury councillors voted unanimously to receive our petition for a homeless shelter.

# On Thursday, July 3, 7NEWS gave media attention to the need for a homeless shelter in Bunbury.

However, we are yet to have our petition presented to Parliament. 

This morning’s impetus to keep striving was seeing a homeless man sleeping under a tree 200 metres from my home. That tree was adjacent to a public footpath where high numbers of residents take their morning walk. 

Several stopped to talk to me. What to do? It is a question that more people are asking.

Meantime, the decommissioned fire station, 800 metres from that homeless man, remains vacant: a facility that with government will, could supply shelter for 20-30 people.

Politics of Denial  On reading Hansard and regarding rebuttal to Tim Clifford’s successful motion, I recognised a governmental strategy for dismissing our community’s efforts to establish a shelter. 

Essentially, the government seeks to discount the legitimacy and importance of community suggestions or criticisms by referring to them as "particular ideas of individuals" rather than recognising them as the wider voice of the community.

In this way, they can justify the ignoring of multiple voices of multiple stakeholders across the years and disregarding two thousand plus signatures.

So, it is not surprising that the Minister for Homelessness has said, “The individuals whom the member referred to have a particular idea about what needs to happen and have been advocating for that, but the government has not chosen to take that particular pathway”. 

 The Minister’s use of “individuals” highlights the quashing of the voice of the community. 

 Nevertheless, such political strategies cannot erase the urgent need for homeless shelters – an action that is reinforced by two reports:

# Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. Housing Affordability in Western Australia 2025: Given the magnitude of the housing crisis, the report recommends the reinstating and scaling up crisis and transitional accommodation

# AHURI Final Report No. 407, Crisis accommodation in Australia. More capacity [for crisis accommodation] is clearly needed in regional and remote areas.

Homeless Week  We are currently planning to hold a vigil and rally in Homeless Week, AUGUST Monday 4th (2-4pm) and Sunday 10th (1-3pm). 

Details to follow soon. Meantime, put these dates in your diary. Make them known to family, friends, neighbours (including those that are homeless).

You can also keep updated on what’s happening about homelessness. See our fb page here.

You are also welcome to join the weekly vigil for homeless awareness: Monday 2-4pm, 31 Victoria Street, Bunbury.

Together we are Community; together we are stronger.

Jane