Men sleep rough as shelter crisis deepens

Men in Katanning are being forced to sleep rough in the bush as the number of males requiring emergency accommodation continues to rise.

Katanning Regional Emergency Accommodation Centre manager Karen Moore said the number of men seeking assistance from the emergency accommodation provider had risen significantly over the past three years.

“We have men sleeping out in the bush,” she said.

“They come in now and again for a couple of nights to give them a break, or people get off at the wrong bus stop or their car breaks down; we have all-sorts here. And it’s not always women who are the victims of domestic violence; we have a couple of men too.”

The recent completion of a self-contained unit at KREAC will provide a separate area for men to seek short term refuge.

Previously, any men staying within the emergency accommodation would have to make way for women and children escaping domestic violence, often to a motel at KREAC’s expense, but sometimes the men would have nowhere else to go.

A $108,000 grant from Lottery West has meant KREAC were able to install a donga-style unit separate from the main refuge which would provide a bed for up to two men at all times.

Ms Moore said while the new donga would reduce the instances of KREAC paying out the up to $400 motel costs for men, the lack of long term housing options in Katanning limited locals looking for a solution. “Housing is terrible in Katanning,” she said.

“The waiting list for Homeswest (Housing Authority) is a couple of years and with private real estate they need two references and police clearances; a lot of our clients don’t have that or they have debts with previous homes so they’re black-listed and that makes it hard for them.”

Speaking at the official opening of the new men’s accommodation unit Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson said it was sad people needed to access KREAC’s services.

“It’s a tragedy,” he said.

“But it is great that this does exist and KREAC does a great job.”