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Homelessness and Hardship Support

Homelesness support

Financial Counselling

Financial counselling is a free service that assists people in financial difficulty.  

Financial counsellors provide information, support and advocacy and offer sound advice and support to anyone struggling to make ends meet. They have extensive knowledge of law and policy, including consumer credit law, debt enforcement practices, the bankruptcy regime, industry hardship policies and government concession frameworks.

Anyone can contact the Financial Counselling Helpline, 1800 007 007. This is a free confidential service for all Western Australians with financial issues. It provides information, strategies and guidance to assist those experiencing financial difficulties

More information can be found on the Financial Counsellors website.

The Moneysmart website also offers helpful advice, tools and information to assist in making sensible financial decisions.

Christians against poverty (CAP) is a charity that offers free, face-to-face debt counselling to anyone in need. CAP empowers people to get out of debt and learn valuable budgeting skills.

Free financial advice

The City of Wanneroo is now working in partnership with a local financial counsellor to deliver free financial advice.

Sessions are available every Tuesday at Clarkson and Wanneroo libraries and will gave you an introduction to budgeting and managing expenses.

To register for one of these sessions please click below:

Book now for Clarkson Library sessions

Book now for Wanneroo Library sessions

Getting help

Should you find yourself homeless or at risk of becoming homeless the following organisations can help you in your time of need.man sleeping on street

Crisis Care

Contact Crisis Care if:

  • You are homeless and need urgent help in finding accommodation.
  • You need counselling, information or other support.
  • You are escaping domestic violence and need help.
  • You need someone to help sort out a serious problem.
  • You are alone or afraid and urgently need to talk to someone. You are concerned about the wellbeing of a child.
  • Arguments are causing unhappiness and problems in your family.

Phone: 1800 199 008
Website: https://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/CrisisAndEmergency/Pages/CrisisCare.aspx

Entry Point 

For individuals and families based in Perth, Entry Point can:

  • Assess individual circumstances on the phone or in person.
  • Provide individuals with information on accommodation and support options to increase their chances of securing accommodation.
  • If eligible, provide formal referrals to specialist homelessness services and other accommodation or support options.
  • Set up a time for an assessment and then refer to the most eligible appropriate services.
  • Assess individual circumstances of people and families experiencing domestic violence and, if eligible, provide formal referrals to crisis accommodation and support options.

For individuals and families based in regional Western Australia, Entry Point can:

  • Provide information on accommodation and support options to assist people to seek their own accommodation.
  • Assess individual circumstances of people and families experiencing domestic violence and, if eligible, provide formal referrals to crisis accommodation and support options.

Phone: 1800 124 684 - Mon-Fri 9:00am - 7:00pm, Sat 9:00am - 5:00pm
Website: http://www.entrypointperth.com.au/

Youth Futuresworried looking teenage girl

Youth Futures provides a variety of homelessness, education and support programs that empower young people to reach their potential such as

  • TINOCA -   crisis accommodation service in Perth's northern suburbs for young people aged 15-19 who are experiencing homelessness or are unable to stay in their family home
  • TAP - Transitional Accommodation Program. It offers housing to young people aged 16 to 21, and unlike TINOCA there is not
    a youth worker onsite
  • The NEST  -designed to help teenage parents who are homeless or who are living in unsuitable conditions, and are consequently at risk of losing custody of their child to the government. To be eligible for the NEST a young person must be aged 16-19 and be in the late stages of pregnancy or have an infant under the age of two
  • Youth Place - provides supported housing to young people aged 15 to 25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They are able to stay for up to a year after which time they are referred to longer-term housing provided they can demonstrate adequate independent living skills.
  • Housing Support Workers - support young people at risk of homelessness to maintain stable accommodation and also assist by linking them in with mainstream and community services , including assistance with accessing education, training, medical care and recreational activities.

Phone: 9307 4520 for TINOCA (crisis accommodation) or 9300 2677 for all other referrals
Website: http://youthfutureswa.org.au

Domestic Violence Support and Advice

In the event of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call the police now on 000. 

If it is not an emergency and you need support, you can get information from the below 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

1800RESPECT National Sexual Assault, Domestive Family Violence Counselling Service
A national telephone and online counselling and referral service.

Men's Domestic Violence Helpline
Provides counselling and referrals for male perpetrators, as well as male victims of family and domestic violence. 

Women's Domestic Violence Helpline
Provides support and counselling for women experiencing family and domestic violence (including referrals to women’s refuges). 

Support Services

Download an updated list of support services available during the current restrictions by clicking below.:

A guide to support services for those experiencing homelessness or hardship

There is also a combined 'regional' guide available below:

City of Wanneroo and City of Joondalup Hardship and Homelessness services

WAConnect

WAConnect is a West Australian online directory to help you and your family find extra help to get you through these challenging times. Search WAConnect for local food relief, emergency accommodation, assistance with overdue bills and referrals to other services and support. 

Mental Health & Counselling Support

  • Lifeline - 12 11 14.
  • Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636.
  • Headspace - 1800 650 890.

What can I do if I see someone experiencing homelessness?

The City has a procedure in place to respond to reports of homelessness and rough sleeping in the community.

To ensure people experiencing homelessness are treated with dignity and respect, the City works with external outreach providers to help support positive outcomes for our vulnerable community members.

If you see someone sleeping rough and in need of assistance, contact the City on 08 9405 5000.

Woman providing emotional supportHow can we help as a community? 

Educate - Learn about the various reasons behind homelessness and understand the face of homelessness changes every day. Every story is different.  When you understand it share your knowledge with others. 

Respect - Always treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. A homeless person is someone's son, someone's sister, someone's father. 

Donate - there are many things that can help a homeless person to live a more comfortable life,  clothes, food, toys just to name a few. Something that may mean nothing to you may mean the world to somebody else

Volunteer - Time is precious, spend it wisely. Volunteering your time and sharing your skills and knowledge can have a great impact on someone's life.

More information on where to find help or where you can offer to help:

What the City of Wanneroo is doing

The City of Wanneroo adopted a Regional Homelessness Plan in December 2018. The Plan has been developed in partnership with the City of Joondalup and is the result of thorough collaboration between the two Cities. The Regional Homelessness Plan includes input from stakeholders in the community who have an interest in the optimum wellbeing of people at-risk of, or experiencing homelessness.

The Regional Homelessness Plan seeks to provide a framework that will inform how the Cities respond to homelessness and provides milestones for action.

Regional Homelessness Plan

Further information regarding the Regional Homelessness Plan, contact the City's Community Development team on 9405 5000.

Facts & Figures on homelessness in WA

To learn more about what is happening to support people experiencing homelessness in Western Australia, please visit Shelter WA.