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An overnight respite accommodation centre could be on the cards for Fremantle to help curb the “acutely visible” homelessness crisis across the city centre.
The City of Fremantle is proposing a lease agreement with St Patrick’s Community Support Centre for the building at 14 Parry Street to provide a safe space for men and women to sleep – seven nights a week.
In the first step of what will be a multi-stage project, the council will vote on Wednesday night to execute the lease and request five years of operating funding from the state government.
A report to council ahead of the strategic and general services committee meeting on July 8 reveals there were between 110 and 260 people experiencing homelessness in Fremantle each month from January 2023 to August 2023.
Each month there were also between 60 and 115 people who were experiencing rough sleeping situations.
“The impacts of homelessness and rough sleeping are acutely visible in the city centre every day,” the report said.
“Despite ongoing outreach and service coordination efforts by specialist providers, the absence of a local overnight respite accommodation option means that people sleeping rough in Fremantle have no safe destination within the city at night.”
Engagement for the city’s community safety and crime prevention plan showed locals considered homelessness to be a top three concern in the Port City.
Results from the engagement ranked antisocial or disorderly behaviour, people affected by drugs or alcohol and homelessness as the biggest community safety issue in Fremantle.
The topic was also a top priority for Mayor Ben Lawver, who said during his early days at the helm of the council that he wanted to open a rest centre to help those facing tough times.
“To give rough sleepers a safe place to sleep and come down in peace, if they are struggling with drugs or exhaustion,” he told WAtoday last year.
“People should be respectful to people, no matter whether you have a house or not.
“When they wake up they might feel a little more human again.”
The proposal
Inspired by Tom Fisher House in Perth – which is operated by St Vincent de Paul Society – the centre would act as short-term respite accommodation only.
The proposal – estimated to cost around $2.1 million – would see 28 beds provided per night; 12 male dormitories, eight female dormitories, a family room with four beds and an accessible family room with four beds.
Occupants would be allowed to stay for 10 nights at a time and must come from Fremantle.
The centre would operate seven nights a week from 6pm to 7am and have a minimum of two to three trained staff on site at all times, as well as a security officer.
The building would be arranged around three zones with separate entries, fenced separation, and dedicated courtyards. The male zone would comprise a 12-bed dormitory, lounge and kitchenette, shower facilities, and private male courtyard.
Similarly, the female zone would comprise an eight-bed dormitory, living area, kitchenette, shower facilities, and private female courtyard.
External areas include a staff private courtyard, drying line, ambulance/doctors’ bay, loading bay, and secure external storage for bulky client belongings.
The report says that dedicated support will be provided on site with additional support provided through St Pats broader daytime services.
The building proposed for the centre is currently owned by the city and being temporarily used for city parking and waste administration services.
Prior to that, it was occupied by St John Ambulance.
As the property is currently on the city’s heritage list, planning approval will be required for works and any changes of use to the building.
Around $1.6 million of the funding needed for the project is proposed to come through grant funding, with the remaining $500,000 to come from the city’s capital contribution – subject to the 2026/27 budget approval process.
The lease agreement between the city and St Pats will be provided on a peppercorn basis, which means St Pats will only have to pay $1 a year for five years with the option to extend the lease for a further five years.
“Homelessness is not a problem created by any single sector, and it cannot be solved by any one organisation acting alone. It is a national and global challenge, which Fremantle and the state is also experiencing,” a city officer said in the report to council.
“The demand for crisis accommodation in Fremantle outstrips supply at every level, and the evidence from the City’s planning and engagement processes confirms that the community is calling for action.”
“14 Parry Street presents a genuine opportunity for the City to make a meaningful contribution to addressing visible rough sleeping in the inner Fremantle area.”
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