Bunbury housing crisis worsening, say welfare agencies

Thursday, 6 October 2005. 08:37 (AWST)

Bunbury's welfare agencies say the city's affordable housing crisis is worsening and the situation can no longer be ignored by the wider community.

Centrelink has organised a forum to discuss the issue to be held at Edith Cowan University tomorrow.

The forum will include representatives from government departments, non-government agencies, businesses and community groups.

Melissa Carter, from Centrelink in Bunbury, says it is becoming increasingly difficult to find accommodation for low-income earners or people who are fleeing domestic violence.

She says a clear strategy must be developed to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

"They're not the people that you generally see on the street. They're couch-hopping or they're bed surfing," she said.

"And what we're finding with a lot of other community agencies as well is that there's this huge need that we're just having difficulty trying to find accommodation for, whether or not there's a service out there who can pick them up.

"And the services that are already out there, they're actually really stretched to the limit."