Experts call for nuanced approach to tackle complex social housing issues in WA

Australia Broadcast Center

26-05-2025

Social housing has been thrust into the spotlight after a spate of antisocial and violent incidents at a complex in the Perth suburb of Inglewood, but there is one statement which helps put the entire situation into perspective.
"Anyone can be that short gap from a relationship break-up, a cancer diagnosis or a job loss when, in one circumstance their lives are comfortable and they have a home, and in the next they need social housing," Housing Minister John Carey told parliament on Wednesday.
"Our social housing system caters to a large number of people with different vulnerabilities, such as women fleeing from domestic violence.
"We have the elderly who have retired and desperately need a home.
"We have people with disabilities who have no other option and we obviously have people with mental health issues.
"These people need housing."
That's the fundamental problem of public housing — it has to cater to everyone who needs it. Only in limited circumstances can someone be turned away.
It means issues like those reported at a social housing complex in Inglewood — which nearby residents say they've been trying to get addressed for nearly six months — are to be expected to some extent.
But a well-functioning system should be able to deal with them well before they reach crisis point.
Police generally only get involved after something serious has happened meaning, in all likelihood, opportunities to avert the crisis earlier had been missed.
And while law and order responses or evictions might be the first port of call for some, those on the frontline say a more nuanced response, which is better in the long-term, is needed.
The director of Centrecare, Tony Pietropiccolo, who has worked in social services for more than 40 years, says providing people with meaningful support was essential — both when issues arise and before, to avoid situations escalating to the point of eviction.
The director of UWA's Centre for Social Impact, Paul Flatau, said that support can come in many forms.
"It may require a different kind of housing arrangement, for example," he said.
"It often has structural root causes in terms of high rates of poverty and the like.
"And that's where we see that drug and alcohol issues are a significant health problem that needs to be addressed through very significant health responses."
The other part of the puzzle, Mr Pietropiccolo said, was having enough housing.
While in the past governments might have struggled with either support or housing, he said the current government was up against it on both fronts.
Many in the public housing sector have called out years of underinvestment in the construction of social housing, which meant those problems worsened when housing market pressures escalated rapidly during COVID.
"It's exactly the same problem that happens with support systems," Mr Pietropiccolo said.
"If you create situations where they're not adequate enough or they're not implemented quickly enough and sustained over time, then you are likely to develop significant issues within your social housing systems."
The government is making some progress on construction, last week announcing the addition of 3,000 social homes to the system since 2021.
But with 22,066 applications on the waitlist and 7,125 identified as priority cases as of the end of April, those problems are far from resolved.
More homes in the system could help people get a roof over their heads before mental health or drug abuse issues linked to rough sleeping escalate, and allow more opportunities for people to be moved to other properties if they have an issue with their current neighbour.
According to Professor Flatau, at the other end of the spectrum, there are some tenants who are ready to move back into work, or get a higher paying job, but risk falling into "the poverty trap".
"When they do engage in the labour market … they have their income support payments reduced and their rental subsidy reduced, and they may face the prospect of losing their public housing tenancy," he said.
"But it my be the case that their labour market engagement is not secure or permanent going forward."
In the current market, social services have reported cases of people earning too much to qualify for social support or housing but don't have enough to afford the private market.
Removing the poverty trap could help both free up more social housing properties for those lingering on the waitlist and increase productivity to benefit the whole economy.
Fundamentally, the government needs to clarify what kind of social housing system Western Australia should, and can realistically have, for all tenants.
To put it very simply, should it be one which simply catches people when they fall, then leaves them to find their own way out?
Or should it be one where every support is provided to help people overcome the reasons they've fallen into that social safety net in the hopes of moving them into the private market.
The Department of Communities said it was the latter for the vast majority of those in the state's roughly 40,000 social housing properties.
"Tenants are linked with support services to assist them in addressing problems including rental arrears, housing conditions, cleanliness, and anti-social behaviour," it said in a statement.
"Additionally, [the] Thrive tenancy support program is a program that supports tenants with tenancy concerns to navigate and access support services and programs.
"Communities works with a range of services and supports including mental health services, community legal centres, Aboriginal medical services, disability support providers, and domestic violence support services to support tenants."
While that might be a good start, social services say a lot more needs to be done to deliver those supports to the level many complex tenants need.
And even though that might not eliminate cases like Inglewood altogether, it should mean everyone involved gets the outcome they want much more quickly.