“It’s becoming increasingly evident, but it’s so hidden as well in this state. There are so many sleeping in cars and other places.” The state government was developing a 10-year strategy on homelessness, and it was time to act to ensure services providing help for people currently without a safe home could continue, according to Ms Giolitto. “Contracts for many service providers in the community services sector funded by the State Government have been extended year-to-year, since 2013 without any increase in funding to accommodate changes in legislation,” she said. “Services are facing their eighth short term extension in June 2019, and while the legislated award for employee costs have increased by up to 45 per cent, funding has remained the same. It’s simply unsustainable. “This will impact homelessness services particularly hard, as the nature of the service provided is intensive, seven days a week, 24 hours a day to those most vulnerable in our communities.”

Other state governments had compensated for that wage increase by incorporating the costs into contracts, and providing supplementary payments, she said. It’s completely contradictory to work on a strategy to end homelessness and to end family domestic violence while at the same time not making a commitment to maintain the funding for the services in the sector Amanda Hunt, UnitingCare West chief executive WA homelessness services expect they’ll be notified about another contract extension by the end of March but were speaking out to highlight the need for real funding increases to match demand and the increased costs of operating. In real terms the funding had been cut, considering the complexity of the people’s needs coming into services, and the increase in the number of people had not been catered for, Ms Giolitto said. UnitingCare West chief executive Amanda Hunt said every morning about 200 people stood in the carpark outside the Tranby Centre waiting for breakfast.

They would come from where they’d been hiding overnight to have something to eat and a shower at the drop-in centre, she said. Tranby Centre welcomes people in for a cuppa, wash, food and safe resting place. Credit:UnitingCare West “There’s a whole lot more women coming through the service at the moment and we think that’s only going to increase,” Ms Hunt said. “Which is why both the Minister’s strategies on ending homelessness and domestic violence are going to be so important." Tranby Centre runs as a day facility for people to come and get their basic needs met. A cuppa, somewhere to rest, a shower. People curl up on the floor and couches for a sleep, because they know they’re safe there.

“We would have to cut our services right back,” Ms Hunt said, if funding didn’t increase to match demand and the increased costs of providing the service. Despite fundraising, the organisation was $275,000 in deficit. “The impact for people on the street is that there would be less support for them to access their basic needs, and that’s just our service,” Ms Hunt said. Loading Community Services Minister Simone McGurk said homelessness service contracts would be extended in accordance with an agreed, cross-government response to enable sustainability of services impacted by the Equal

Remuneration Order. "Effective implementation of the 10-Year Strategy on Homelessness will require consideration of new and collaborative approaches to the commissioning and

procurement of homelessness services," she said.

"The strategy is scheduled to be finalised by the middle of the year and homelessness

services providers will be offered a contract extension for a term that enables the co-

design and procurement activities to be undertaken." The Minister said the Department of Communities provided approximately $89.1 million in 2018-19 to deliver a range of homelessness services which included crisis accommodation, housing

support and outreach for those sleeping rough. The National Housing and Homelessness Agreement signed with the Commonwealth

last year aimed to provide greater certainty to services dealing with homelessness and

family and domestic violence issues. On Sunday mornings Amanda Hudson volunteers to run a mobile shower bus that heads to Wellington Square to offer homeless people a chance to freshen up, receive new underwear and toiletries. She said volunteers from the Perth Homeless Support Group fed about 180 people in that one Perth park. The One Voice mobile shower had been operating in WA for about six months and it went out into the community almost every day of the week.