Minister John Carey’s latest homelessness announcement is nothing more than a band-aid on a gaping wound says, Shadow Minister for Housing Steve Martin.
“This Labor Government have continually overpromised and underdelivered when it comes to fixing the homelessness problem in Western Australia,” said Mr Martin.
“First, they have failed to deliver the Common Ground project, the much talked about signature policy in their homelessness strategy. Then they took well over a year to fill Boorloo Bidee Mia with 61 occupants, despite a promised capacity of 100 people.
“There is no social housing available, people are waiting on the waitlist for years and the private rental market is the tightest it has been for at least a decade.”
In December the Government admitted there are less social housing properties than there were four years ago.
“Why have the McGowan Government been waiting six years to buy some housing? This is exactly what the sector have been urging them to do,” said Mr Martin.
“This Government have been tearing down housing and failing to maintain properties faster than they have been replacing them.
“If they are serious about housing people experiencing homelessness, they need to drastically increase the number of public housing placements to ensure the wait time is reduced,” said Mr Martin.
