State Government to be asked to offer holiday park homes to homeless

A stretch of land in Point Peron has become the focus of the homelessness crisis in the City of Rockingham.

The population of campers living on Memorial Drive has exploded in recent months, with cars and tents lining the road.

Rough sleepers say officials have threatened them with eviction, an accusation the Minister for Homelessness Matthew Swinbourn has denied.

He says officials were merely there to check on things as they had a duty of care.

But Rockingham councillor Peter Hudson says it is time to hold the government to account, saying housing is a State issue.

At its May 26 meeting, the council unanimously backed his call for more action from the State Government.

It wants the city CEO to ask it to engage with the leaseholders of four State-owned campsites on Memorial Drive to open them up for emergency accommodation.

City staff have also been asked to prepare a discussion paper on strategies the city could use to help the homeless, which included identifying any land or buildings that could be used for temporary accommodation.

Under current local laws the city can issue move-on notices on its land, but it has no jurisdiction over Memorial Drive.

Cr Hudson said he had spent considerable time with the people living on Memorial Drive in recent months.

“They are disappointed with our collective performance, but most remarkable to me in my conversations with them was just how normal these people are,” he said.

“These are parents, grandparents, ADF veterans, some working full-time.

“Many are pensioners priced out of the rental market, most in the later stages of their lives.

“There are some whose doctors say they won’t last the winter sleeping in their cars.

“This is life and death for some of these people.”

Rockingham local Peter told 7News in April he used to rent across the road but a sharp rent increase forced the former tradie onto the street.

“You’re just living day by day, your running back and forth from the supermarket because you can’t keep the food for long. You’ve got to be careful where you spend your money,” he said.

Former disability support worker Mia said she had been living out the back of her car for more than nine months.

“I was absolutely petrified coming into being homeless,” she said.

Cr Hudson said his proposal was not about turning the recreation camps into permanent homeless shelters overnight but asking if there was capacity.

“We aren’t talking about shacks at the camps that are privately owned or occupied, we are talking about shacks rented out by these community organisations which are rarely used or full even on school holidays,” he said.

“This motion costs the city very little: it demands the State Government do its job.

“For the people sleeping rough in Rockingham tonight, the least we can do is ask the question loudly enough that the politicians have to answer it.”

Cr Leigh Liley agreed that there was a lot of property out there that could be put to use.

“I often wonder if the State Government would open their eyes a bit more if vulnerable people were camped out in Kings Park, or the city foreshore on the Esplanade or down at Cottesloe Beach,” she said.

Cr Mike Crichton, who used to volunteer with homeless support service The Crew in Rockingham, said any accommodation response needed to be supported by services and case management to provide a pathway out of homelessness.

“I’ve sat with elderly people and had to call an ambulance; they’ve walked in off the street and been severely injured, they’ve got abused at night, not safe where they’re camping,” he said.

“They stay awake at night and then they sort of sleep during the day. They’re not safe.

“I don’t actually believe the government’s got the solution. I think the solution will come from community groups with support from government.”

A council report said homelessness in the city was not a new issue.

“It is important to recognise that homelessness is not confined to the area of Memorial Drive, Point Peron alone,” it read.

“It is noted that a concentrated focus on an individual location may lead to unintended consequences.

“This could include the marginalisation of individuals in other areas who may feel overlooked despite facing similar circumstances and a possible further increase to the number of people relocating to the Point Peron area.”