Hi All

Roger Cook has opened the door for a homeless shelter in Bunbury – see below. 

There is still more work to be done but this is progress.

Keep up to date with developments by following our fb page: Bunbury Addressing Homelessness Working Group.

Let’s keep working towards addressing the immediate need for a homeless shelter in Bunbury.

ABC South West - https://www.facebook.com/abcsouthwest

The state government says it may look into a shelter in Bunbury as part of a solution to widespread homelessness in the city.

Last week, the City of Bunbury announced a masterplan to revitalise Bicentennial Square, which includes moving the Graham Bricknell Music Shell, a refuge for many people sleeping rough.

This sparked fresh calls from many residents for a permanent homeless shelter in the city.

Premier Roger Cook thanked advocates for continuing to speak out on the homelessness issue in the region.

“It’s an important issue and is one which is in front of my government,” he said.

Mr Cook said his government will invest a further $3.1 million into Anglicare's Housing First Service in Bunbury, which links homeless people with health, financial, social and employment services.

He didn’t rule out investing in a homeless shelter as part of their long-term plan.

“We’ll continue to make sure we put in place long term policies to address homelessness in Western Australia," he said.

“Many people call for a shelter and that may be part of the longer term solution, but the key is actually to work with the individuals — rather than putting them in an institution, putting them in a home … not just sending them out into a shelter, but actually working with them across the range of complex issues that impact their lives.”

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