HOUSING FIRST
HOMELESSNESS INITIATIVE — BUNBURY
412. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Community Services:
I refer to the Housing First
Homelessness Initiative.
(1) How many families in Bunbury have applied to
participate in the Housing First initiative since August 2020?
(2) How many
families in Bunbury have been accepted to join the Housing First initiative
since August 2020?
(3) Has the Housing First initiative resulted in a reduction
in homelessness in Bunbury; and, if so, by what amount?
(4) What has been the cost of the
Housing First initiative in Bunbury to date?
Hon SAMANTHA
ROWE replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. I provide the following answer on behalf of the Minister for
Community Services.
(1) There is no official application process
associated with the Housing First Homelessness Initiative. Outreach
workers engage with people directly in the community to refer them to the
Housing First support service. In addition, existing homelessness services in
Bunbury are able to refer people to the program.
(2) The Housing First support
service is currently supporting 21 individuals and one family of two.
(3) The Housing
First initiative in Bunbury commenced in June 2021. Further time is required to
assess the impact of the Housing First initiative on homelessness in Bunbury.
(4) The actual
cost of the Housing First support service in Bunbury to date is $270 744 as at
4 August 2021.