With the City of Mandurah shortlisted as a site for the second Common Ground facility, Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams has renewed his calls to secure the permanent housing.
Minister for community services Simone McGurk recently announced the areas shortlisted for the second Common Ground project, which included the Cities of Mandurah, Fremantle and Stirling.
This housing would provide a person experiencing chronic homelessness with access to permanent housing that is linked with relevant support services to overcome complex histories.
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In an interview with the Mandurah Mail, Mr Williams welcomed the City being shortlisted but said this was only the first step in securing the facility.
"We've been shortlisted for the Common Ground facility, which is great news but our goal is to not be one of three but one of one," he said.
"The Common Ground facility is about providing housing to those who are homeless but also about ensuring that there's a process for empowering people economically to change their circumstances."
With the first Common Ground project set to be built in the Perth CBD, Mr Williams said Stirling and Fremantle would benefit from that facility unlike Mandurah.
"Fremantle and Stirling are both in quite close proximity to the Perth CBD and that's where the first Common Ground facility has been announced so both of those communities will benefit from that facility," he said.
"But for places like Pinjarra, Mandurah, Rockingham, and Kwinana there is nothing really in this southern corridor.
"There needs to be and we are putting our hand up."
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A Department of Communities spokesperson told the Mail the three Cities were shortlisted based on data from the 2016 census.
"Analysis to determine a second Common Ground location has looked at - among other factors - where people are rough sleeping and experiencing homelessness in significant numbers," the spokesperson said.
"2016 ABS census data found Stirling, Fremantle and Mandurah to be the top three local government areas for people experiencing homelessness at that time.
"However, it is acknowledged that this data may be outdated, so the Department of Communities is engaging with each of those three local government areas to gather the latest information and better understand homelessness support requirements within their respective localities."
Other critical factors in selecting a location include - but are not limited to - available land suitable for a Common Ground development, existing services to support the model, and the local government's level of support for a facility in the area.
What do you think about the Common Ground facility? Email editor@mandurahmail.com.au
