Advocacy - Homelessness Support and Accommodation Services
What do we need?
People in the City of Wanneroo (the City) who are experiencing homelessness have access to immediate support services in place, and access to local crisis and short-medium term accommodation with culturally appropriate wrap-around support services to enable transition to a safe and secure home. Specifically, what is required is State and/or Federal funding to establish, operate and maintain within the City of Wanneroo:
- A fully funded, ongoing assertive outreach service that meets the level of demand.
- Crisis and short-medium term supported accommodation for people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness.
- Place-based culturally appropriate wrap-around support services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Key Issues
Population, housing and increasing homelessness
The City is a large growth Council with a rapidly increasing population. The estimated 2024 population of 235,994 is forecast to grow by over 85% to 437,016 by 20461. This growth is placing pressure on housing availability and the provision of affordable housing.
The City has fewer unoccupied private dwellings (6%) compared to the WA average (10.9%) and significantly lower levels of housing diversity2. Higher house prices and rising inflation are adding to existing high levels of mortgage and rental stress in the City. The demand for homelessness services in the City is expected to grow in the near future due to this combination of population growth and the cost-of-living and housing pressures.
In 2023/24, the City received 246 homelessness reports involving about 157 cases. This rose to 465 reports and roughly 314 cases in 2024/25.
High levels of housing stress
There are lower levels of outright home ownership and more households in the City paying a mortgage (52.5% compared to 40% across Greater Perth). Of these, 14.4% are under housing stress with mortgage repayments greater than 30% of household income3. The City has a lower than average median weekly income for individuals and families4.
High levels of rental stress are also evident; 33.2% of renter households in the City have rental payments greater than 30% of household income compared to 28.3% across WA5. About 10% of families in the City are low income or welfare dependent and nearly 15% of households receive rent assistance6. Rental costs in the City increased by 35% between 2019 and 20227 - amongst the highest increases in the Perth metropolitan area. Housing shortages across Perth have continued to push up rental costs significantly in the years since then. The suburbs of Butler and Girrawheen have the 5th and 7th highest rental stress in the Perth metropolitan area8. In 2025, the percentage of affordable rentals for a couple both on minimum wage with two children and receiving family tax benefits in the Federal Electorate of Pearce is 3.5% and Cowna 3.4%9.
Services unable to meet demand
Service providers are reporting high levels of service demand and challenges in finding accommodation and accessing culturally appropriate wrap-around support services for clients with many at maximum capacity and not taking referrals. Providers have reported that many clients are reluctant to engage with CBD-based services due to distance and accessibility issues.
While two assertive outreach services are currently provided in the City, there is no guarantee of continuation beyond June 2026. The Wanneroo Engagement and Assessment Team (WEAT) commenced services in August 2023 and is operated by The Salvation Army through philanthropic funding ending in July 2026. The WEAT assertive outreach team has been operating at full capacity since launching in August 2023, with a steady rise in people seeking support as shown in the able below10.
| Number of engagements | Number of clients | |
| August 2023 to January 2024 | 256 | 73 |
| February 2024 to July 2024 | 481 | 119 |
| August 2025 to January 2025 | 773 | 169 |
| February 2025 to July 2025 | 1862 | 182 |
In February 2023, the Homeless Engagement Assessment Response Team (HEART), delivered by Uniting WA, commenced services in the City; this service is contracted until 30 June 2026.
There are four youth accommodation services in the City, delivered by various organisations, offering crisis-to-medium-term support for young people aged 15 to 25 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Within the City, there is no crisis, short-term or transitional, or medium-term homelessness accommodation services that cater for people not in these age brackets.
Strategic alignment
The City plays a key supporting role in the Joondalup Wanneroo Ending Homelessness Group (JWEHG). The JWEHG comprises of government, community members with lived experience of homelessness, not-for-profit, corporate, faith-based organisations and people working in the homelessness sector, in and around the Joondalup and Wanneroo region. In partnership with the City of Joondalup, the City has a Regional Homelessness Plan focusing on building capacity, understanding and engagement; prevention and early intervention; and responding to homelessness. The City has seen a significant rise in reports of homelessness over the last year.
The WA Government’s 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness, All Paths Lead to a Home, is guided by a housing-first approach, a ‘no wrong door’ philosophy, whole-of-community collaboration, and place-based responses. While priority actions aim to ensure people sleeping rough receive immediate shelter and support, this is currently not occurring in a timely or consistent manner within the City due to limited access to local services and homelessness accommodation.
What is required
There is a critical opportunity to strengthen and realign homelessness support in the City to reflect the housing-first and place-based priorities of the WA Government’s strategy. Establishing locally delivered accommodation, culturally appropriate support services, and sustained assertive outreach would ensure individuals remain connected to their community and receive timely, consistent care.
Urgent investment is needed to secure funding for short-to-medium-term accommodation with integrated culturally appropriate wrap-around support, alongside a permanent assertive outreach service. Without guaranteed continuation beyond mid-2026, current outreach efforts remain vulnerable. These essential services would deliver meaningful impact for residents of all ages across the Cities of Wanneroo and Joondalup.
Role
The City of Wanneroo’s role is to provide localised data and other relevant information, act as a connector for local organisations and stakeholders and advocate in partnership with others.
The State Government’s role is to provide land and/or facilities, fund and maintain suitable facilities, fund ongoing operations and appoint provider/s to deliver the required services.
Alliances
- City of Joondalup
- WA Department of Communities Joondalup District
- Patricia Giles Centre for Non-Violence
- Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS)
- Joondalup Wanneroo Ending Homelessness Group (JWEHG)
Expected Costs
An estimated $15 million to provide land and funding for construction and establishment costs to deliver a short-medium term supported accommodation along with funding for ongoing operational costs including provision of culturally appropriate wrap-around support services11.
Ongoing annual funding is required for continued operation of the existing assertive outreach program in the City; in addition, an expansion of this service to meet demand is estimated at 4 FTE plus associated operational costs.
Current Status
There is currently no commitment by State Government to provide additional local crisis accommodation with sufficient wrap-around support for people in the City. There is significant need for accommodation services to cater for individuals and families of all ages. There is no identified City-managed Crown land of the size and location required for the facility.
Uniting WA is currently contracted by the Office of Homelessness to deliver the HEART outreach service in the City of Wanneroo until 30 June 2026. The Office of Homelessness is undertaking a homelessness commissioning process to redesign how services are delivered across the state12. While this presents an opportunity for improvement, there is a serious concern that any new outreach model may be under-resourced and unable to meet the rising demand from people experiencing homelessness in the City of Wanneroo.
This concern is intensified by the scheduled end of philanthropic funding for the WEAT program in July 2026. Without guaranteed and sustained investment from the State Government, the City is at risk of having no outreach services beyond mid-2026. Given the scale of need and the geographic size of the City of Wanneroo, it is critical that outreach services are not only maintained but expanded to ensure vulnerable members of the community receive the support they need.
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