The City of Mandurah is calling on the State Government to help fund communal housing for some of the town's most vulnerable residents.
Mayor Rhys Williams said it was devastating to see more than 80 people living rough in Mandurah.
“There is so much amazing work happening to support these people who have found themselves in an extremely vulnerable point in their lives, and yet a very clear missing piece is housing,” Mayor Williams said.
“As the State Government has pointed out in its homelessness strategy, we should not accept that some people in our community are homeless and need support, instead we need to be bold and strive to end homelessness. All paths should lead to a home.”
At last month’s Council meeting, councillors agreed to work with the State Government in an effort to bring a building that would provide homes, financial empowerment and on-site support to help our longer-term unemployed and homeless get back on their feet.
“We have some great things underway in regards to support for homelessness, but a Common Ground facility will further address the housing issue and really give people a leg up to help break the cycle,” Mayor Williams said.
“This is not temporary shelter, instead Common Ground provides people with the opportunity of home ownership, giving them the support they need to put a long-term roof over their head and get back that sense of security and comfort that so many of us are fortunate enough to take for granted.
“This is an issue we can’t tackle alone, and while all those people working across Mandurah to support our most vulnerable community members have made some major progress, we need to keep working with our government counterparts for funding for essential projects."
The City is also working to relocate the Peel Community Kitchen from its current location at Sutton Hall to the City’s facility on Tuart Avenue.
This move will allow the kitchen service to grow with future demand, and will be co-located with other services and assistance for people in need.
The new custom-built kitchen is set to be operational by the end of the year.
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