Group photo (left to right): Members of our Rough Sleeper Coordination Group in Geraldton.
Gerald Westerik - Mission Australia, Milton Miloy - Mission Australia, Erica James - Regional Alliance West, Wayne Hoskins - Centacare Housing First Support Service, Jo Drummond - Mission Australia, Annette Allison - Regional Alliance West, Alicia Roche - RUAH, Joanne Peet - Horizon House, Sonya Murphy - STAY, Carly Ullrich - Department of Communities.
Our work to end homelessness in Geraldton has been nationally recognised through the Advance to Zero project. Thanks to strong relationships formed with the sector and ongoing collaborations with service providers, the region has achieved a measurable reduction in homelessness.
Kathy Cokis, Acting Executive Director, Office of Homelessness, commended these achievements, led by the Rough Sleeper Coordination Group (RSCG) in Geraldton.
The RSCG facilitates collaboration across agencies to address support, accommodation and housing needs for people experiencing homelessness, specifically rough sleeping or chronic homelessness.
The RSCG meets fortnightly and is made up of local, placed based service providers that collaboratively coordinate supports based on each person’s needs. The WA Alliance to End Homelessness chair these meetings, with Centracare playing a pivotal role providing Housing First Support Services.
“Working together they’ve achieved incredible results, and I congratulate and thank everyone involved for their vital work and unwavering commitment to improving the lives our most vulnerable Western Australians.
“In May 2023, Geraldton hit their first milestone, recording zero people over 55 rough sleeping.
“By December 2023, Geraldton became the third Australian community to achieve a measurable reduction in street homelessness as part of the Advance to Zero campaign, a national initiative of more than 30 communities working to address homelessness.
“Geraldton was also the second Western Australian community to achieve the measurable reduction in 2023, with the Mandurah Zero Project also reaching the milestone in August of 2023,” Kathy said.
Our regional manager for the Mid West Gascoyne region, Miranda Rounsevell, also shared her thoughts, below:
“Department of Communities in Geraldton welcome the opportunity to be part of the Rough Sleeper Coordination Group and wholly support the importance of a placed-based approach.
“This involvement attributes to the building of strong relationships with local service providers that collaboratively coordinate supports based on each person’s needs. The Region is dedicated to continuing to achieve a measurable reduction in rough sleeping homelessness in Geraldton,” Miranda said.
Michala McMahon, Director Practice and Improvement at WA Alliance to End Homelessness welcomed the State Government’s recent $5.2 million announcement of funding to boost the number of social homes in Geraldton and supporting people who are sleeping rough. This builds on the success of the Department of Communities Supportive Landlord Model, Djuripiny Mia.
"We're thrilled about Geraldton being named as one of the communities to receive funding for the Supportive Landlord Model.
“We wholeheartedly support this initiative, and we are confident that the strong collaboration between services and the partnership with the Department of Communities will have a lasting impact on people experiencing street sleeping and homelessness in Geraldton," Michala said.
Melissa Wharekawa, Centrecare Housing First Support Services Coordinator also welcomed the new funding.
“The announcement of the Geraldton Regional Supportive Landlord model will play an integral role in our communities’ goal to end rough sleeping, and support our most at risk community members.”
The new social homes for Geraldton will be managed by a Community Housing Organisation through a Supportive Landlord Model (SLM) approach.
The model is being successfully piloted under a landmark partnership with a community housing provider to deliver 100 social homes across Perth, Peel, and Bunbury. Since its inception, the program has delivered 77 social homes, and is accommodating more than 115 people who were experiencing chronic rough sleeping.
The model aligns with the Housing First approach, which prioritises getting vulnerable people into permanent housing and then focusing on the necessary support services.
Find out more about the work of our Office of Homelessness.
