Young homeless people avoid 'unwelcoming' Perth CBD, putting strain on suburban services
By James Carmody
Posted Mon 29 Nov 2021 at 9:39pm Monday 29 Nov 2021 at 9:39pm Mon 29 Nov 2021 at 9:39pm , updated Tue 30 Nov 2021 at 2:17am Tuesday 30 Nov 2021 at 2:17am Tue 30 Nov 2021 at 2:17am
Anglicare WA's John Thomson says the number of young people accessing CBD services has halved. (ABC News: James Carmody)
abc.net.au/news/youth-homelessness-support-challenge-as-people-leave-perth-cbd/100658106
The challenge of supporting vulnerable people on Perth's streets is becoming more complex, as one care agency reports an exodus of younger homeless people out of the CBD.
Service providers report homeless young people are avoiding Perth CBD
A majority of vital services for vulnerable youth are based in the city
Outer suburbs youth service providers are struggling with rising demand
Social services provider Anglicare WA said vulnerable young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have reportedly been relocating to Perth's outer suburbs like Midland and Armadale.
Anglicare WA youth housing manager John Thomson said that was putting a strain on the smaller local service providers and making it more difficult for them to access support.
"Ultimately what young people tell us now is that they don't feel welcome in the city," he said.
Mr Thomson said a majority of the important services vulnerable young people need could be found in the inner city, mostly around Northbridge.
A few years ago, the outreach programs he is involved with would encounter 50 to 60 young people a day in Perth's CBD who could be referred to these services.
He said now they were lucky to come across half that number of people, despite the number of street-present young people growing.
According to Anglicare, street-present young people are still visiting the CBD but only once it is dark and less crowded. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr Thomson said Anglicare WA was increasingly needing to travel further distances and provide what services it could from the road.
"It means young people aren't engaging with the services there to support them," he said.
"We've been contacted by quite a few different local government areas outside of the CBD, particularly places like Midland and Armadale, where local services are really struggling to cope with the increase in demand for their services.
"As a team we can't be everywhere, and that means we need to make a choice between being in the city – where it is really important that we're there regularly so that young people know where to find us – and also responding to this increased demand in other areas as well."
Mr Thomson says while Anglicare's Street Connect service helps a lot, there is only so much it can do from the back of a bus. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr Thomson said some local governments were responding well to the uptick in young people needing assistance, which began about 18 months ago, but resources were limited across the sector.
He said having services concentrated in a central hub, like Perth, was cost-effective, and when it came to clinical services and healthcare it was the only practical solution.
'Cultural shift' sees homeless feel unwelcome
Anglicare WA said it had heard anecdotally young people were being increasingly "moved on" from Perth's CBD by police and other security staff.
Police are often the only service which street-present young people interact with in Perth's CBD after dark. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Mr Thomson said there were also wider cultural changes which had seen young people feel unwelcome, even in traditional meeting places in Perth.
He said he feared things were made worse when Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas came into office following negative commentary he had made about homeless people.
"Certainly, what we've seen over the last couple of years is a definite shift in the culture in the city in terms of who is welcome there and who is welcome in public spaces," he said.
"We've seen things reflected in statements at a leadership level from the city about how we deal with the 'problem of homelessness' in the city, and I think some of that has lacked compassion at times."
In 2020, Basil Zempilas apologised over comments in which he described homeless people as "a blight" on the city and suggested they be "forcibly removed". (ABC News: James Carmody)
The City of Perth had been involved in a number of recent initiatives, including gender-specific "safe spaces" where homeless adults could spend the night in crisis accommodation.
Raymond Tamielu from the Swan City Youth Service, based in Midland, said many young people who once would have been on the streets in Perth were returning to Midland.
Mr Tamielu said young people visiting the centre had spoken of the culture changing in Perth and regularly being "moved on", but also of an increase in violence.
"Some guys don't feel safe there anymore, even though they used to feel safe in the city," he said.
People wait for buses on William Street in Perth's CBD. (ABC News: James Carmody)
In a statement the Perth Lord Mayor, Basil Zempilas, said he was proud of the city's achievements in the area of homelessness, something he said was "essentially a state government responsibility".
Mr Zempilas said a 'Safe Night Space' for women, opened in East Perth five months ago, had been accessed more than 2,000 times.
"That's 2,000 times someone has come in from the cold and out of danger and sheltered in a warm, safe, protected environment," he said.
"Our two-month winter trial of a Safe Night Shelter for men saw the state government fast track a facility on Wellington Street. We showed it can work."
"But for whatever reason, it appears that particular state government facility is operating at well below the 100-bed capacity the government promised when it opened in August."
Mr Zempilas also said he was supportive of the current WA parliamentary inquiry into the financial administration of homelessness services in WA.
"This inquiry is not just about people who are homeless, it is about people who are homeless dying," he said.
"As a community we must do better."
Perth needs 'youth strategy' as homelessness rises
Mr Thomson said there was gap in services provided for youth and the city was in need of a "youth strategy" which had proved effective in other local government areas.
According to Anglicare WA, there had been a massive increase in the number of young people experiencing homelessness since the COVID-19 pandemic, and their needs were becoming more complex.
The agency was reporting a 30 per cent increase in the number of young people experiencing homelessness due to family and domestic violence.
A woman walks on Hay Street in Perth's CBD near to a group of rough-sleepers. (ABC News: James Carmody)
Meanwhile, 87 per cent of young people engaged in Anglicare's services reported mental health was a current challenge for them, compared with 40 per cent last year.
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Posted 29 Nov 2021 29 Nov 2021 Mon 29 Nov 2021 at 9:39pm , updated 30 Nov 2021 30 Nov 2021 Tue 30 Nov 2021 at 2:17am
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