HOMELESSNESS —
GERALDTON
914. Mr I.C. BLAYNEY to the Minister for Community Services:
I
have a supplementary question. Under the government's watch, Cameliers
Guest House closed after three decades of providing crisis accommodation
to people who find themselves in this situation. When will the minister make
replacing this service a priority?
Ms S.F.
McGURK replied:
Cameliers Guest House was not a government-run
centre. We provided some funding for a small number of beds. When Cameliers was
not sustainable as an organisation, it was not able to continue and it wound
up. That was not a funding decision by
government. It was not our call for it to be wound up; in fact, we made sure
that there was still money available in
the system for those crisis beds. I was just reminded of another announcement
that has been made in the budget, and that is for Aboriginal short-stay
accommodation in Geraldton. When I was in Broome recently, a number of people
who work in the community sector told me how well the Broome short-stay
accommodation is going. It is run by an Aboriginal provider and has been very
successful. The money is there. The procurement is on its way to being done for
Geraldton. In fact, I saw the site where the Geraldton short-stay accommodation
will take place. Again, this will lay the foundation for some very good work to
make sure that vulnerable people will be assisted not only in an emergency but
also to have a solid, safe and secure future.