Homelessness affects people across Western Australia (WA), including right here in the City of Cockburn. Homelessness can involve sleeping rough, couch surfing, living in a vehicle, living in overcrowded conditions, or staying in temporary or unsafe accommodation. On Census night in 2021, around 9,700 Western Australians were experiencing homelessness, with 2,315 sleeping rough.
Aboriginal people are significantly over‑represented among those accessing homelessness services, making up 50 per cent of Specialist Homelessness Service clients, despite being only four per cent of the WA population (source: Shelter WA). The Specialist Homelessness Service is the Department of Communities service that specifically addresses homelessness.
People in Cockburn may experience homelessness due to:
- Rising rental and housing costs
- Financial stress and cost‑of‑living pressures
- Family and domestic violence (the most common factor - 42 per cent)
- Mental health challenges
- Substance dependence
- Family or relationship breakdown
- Limited access to safe, stable and affordable housing options.
The Department of Communities is the State Government’s lead agency for homelessness. It coordinates planning, funding, and partnerships across government and the community sector.
Statewide initiatives that support people in Cockburn are led by the
Office of Homelessness Initiatives include developing strategy, planning and system stewardship. These include:
The
Imagined Futures partnership consists of members who live or work in the local government areas of Cockburn, Fremantle and Melville. Members come from a variety of sectors, including government and non-government human services, business and philanthropy, as well as the community.
The Imagined Futures Housing and Homelessness Working Group developed the
South Metropolitan Regional Homelessness and Housing Plan in 2023, which guides a whole-of-community approach toward improving outcomes for people experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing homelessness in the south metropolitan region.
Across WA, local governments play a critical role in bringing people, services and local knowledge together to prevent and reduce homelessness. They are often the first point of contact for community and work closely with the State Government and service providers.
What the City of Cockburn does
The City of Cockburn contributes to local homelessness responses by:
While the City is not responsible for providing housing, it plays a vital coordination and advocacy role to ensure people in Cockburn receive appropriate support.
Cockburn community members play an important role in supporting people doing it tough:
- Donate essential goods (clothing, blankets, toiletries) to local charities
- Volunteer with services that assist people experiencing homelessness
- Support local food relief centres and community organisations
- Be kind and respectful in interactions with people who are doing it tough
- Report concerns sensitively, seeking support for the person rather than displacement.
What services are available?
Where is the door? is a one stop shop for an up-to-date list of community services in the Cockburn, Fremantle and Melville areas. Services including accommodation, food, social support, mental health, emergency relief, alcohol and other drug services, family and domestic violence and support for youth.
City of Cockburn free Parenting and Support Services is a free service for families with children aged 0-18 years in the City of Cockburn. The service provides practical advice on children’s development, parent education and information, emotional support and strategies to assist those in a parenting role. Contact 08 9411 3855 or email us at
[email protected]
City of Cockburn Support Service is a free service that is available for people dealing with depression, stress, relationship issues, self-esteem, anger management and grief. Contact Cockburn Support Service on 9411 3859 or 9411 3851 or email
[email protected]
City of Cockburn Financial Counselling is a free, confidential, and non-judgmental financial counselling service that provides information, support, and advocacy to individuals and families who are experiencing financial difficulties.
City of Cockburn Youth Services can be contacted on 08 9411 3888 or at
[email protected]. The
Youth Centre is open six days a week.
Success Library offers free support to individuals and families. The Community Support program with social work students can help people to access relevant support services for mental health and financial hardship along with help finding refuges and housing. Times of sessions can be viewed on the Success Library
website.
Outside of hours – if you have concerns about homeless person(s) and cannot get hold of any of the agencies featured on the
Where is the Door website outside of office hours, you may call CoSafe on
1300 26 72 33. They will engage sympathetically, check on their safety and ascertain if they need assistance or direction as well as checking that they are not comprising community safety.