Consultation Questions

The State Homelessness Taskforce was interested in hearing the views of all Western Australians about homelessness. They included the following questions on the web site and asked people to respond by 30 September 2001. All submissions were placed on the Taskforce web site unless a specific request was made that it remain confidential to the Taskforce. The questions are listed below. Please note that the work of the Taskforce is complete and submissions are not longer being received.

The Taskforce adopted a working definition of homelessness that identifies people as being homeless if they are:

• Sleeping rough - in parks, on streets, in squats, in cars etc
• In stop gap accommodation — in shelters, refuges, staying with friends or family and without any place of their own.
• With insecure tenure or marginally housed — nightly or weekly arrangements in caravans, rooming houses or where the accommodation is unsafe or may damage a person's health.

1. Is the above definition an appropriate one for homelessness? If not, what would you consider as a better definition?

Using the above definition of homelessness, the Taskforce is keen to develop a community understanding and response. Answers to the following questions will help to develop an understanding of the impact of homelessness as an issue.

2. Do you live in the metropolitan area, regional centre or some other area?

3. Do you think there are different issues for people who are homeless in cities or in country areas? If yes, can you please identify the differences?

4. Do you think that homelessness is different for people from different cultural backgrounds? If yes, please identify these differences?

The State Government has asked the Taskforce to develop practical responses to prevent homelessness. Answers to the following questions will assist the Taskforce.

5. What do you think causes homelessness?

6. How do people become homeless?

7. How can we stop people from becoming homeless?

8. What types of services or approaches that stop people becoming homeless are working well at the moment? Describe these service and approaches.

9. What are some practical suggestions to increase the supply of affordable housing for low-income households?

The State Government has asked the Taskforce to develop practical responses to assist people who are homeless. Remembering that homelessness includes sleeping rough, stop gap accommodation and insecure tenure or marginally housed, your responses to the questions below will assist the Taskforce.

10. How do people who need emergency accommodation and other services know where to find these services?

11. What stops people from using these services?

12. What types of services and responses are working well for people who are homeless, and why do they work well?

13. What services other than accommodation need to be provided for people who are sleeping rough?

14. How can we meet the growing demand for services to assist people with high needs and experiencing complex issues in their lives?

15. Are the services currently assisting homeless people adequately resourced? If your answer is no, what additional resources are required?

16. Are there any new services or ways of working that would help people who are homeless?

The State Government has asked the Taskforce to develop practical solutions to assist people in maintaining their accommodation. Your answers to the following questions will help the Taskforce.

17. What is needed to enable people to move into their own place, after they have been homeless?

18. What stops people from moving into their own place after they have been homeless?

19. What stops people being able to keep their own place?

20. What do people need to enable them to keep a place of their own?

21. Can you provide any examples of services or initiatives to enable people to keep their accommodation, that are working well and describe why they are working well?

22. Are there any new services or ways of working that would help people who have been homeless to keep their own place?

23. How do we develop and fund the range of housing options required to meet the diverse needs of people who are homeless?

The Taskforce has identified that there will need to be a real working together across the whole community if we are to address homelessness.

24. How could communication and coordination between government, non-government and community services be improved to meet the needs of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless?

25. What role can business and industry play in addressing homelessness?

26. Which organisations/agencies should be involved in addressing homelessness in Western Australia?

27. Who should take the lead role in this process?

28. What are your priorities to address homelessness for the next 5 years?

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