Latest news with #MarkGlasson
West Australian
5 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
New wardrobe service opens in Karratha for locals doing it tough
A permanent wardrobe service has launched in Karratha, providing free new clothing to people experiencing hardship. Through Anglicare WA's Thread Together initiative, the service allows people to choose clothes that suit their needs and personal style, helping restore a sense of dignity and confidence during challenging times. The initiative is part of a broader rollout across the North West, with mobile wardrobes due to launch in Port Hedland, Broome, and Kununurra. Funded by a $20,000 Horizon Power Community Partnership grant, the program has also received support from Horizon Power volunteers, who assisted with transport and assembly of the wardrobe. Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said while the service had been growing in demand and delivery in Perth, the partnership would allow it to expand into the Pilbara and Kimberley, supporting more West Australians doing it tough. 'More people than ever before are going without suitable clothes, prescription medicines and other essential items, as they have no income left after paying for accommodation, bills and food,' he said. 'An increasing number of women and children have also needed the support of services like Thread Together to start over after escaping family and domestic violence. 'The housing crisis and cost-of-living continues to affect people right across the State, but we know these issues are exacerbated in WA's regions, particularly in the Pilbara and Kimberley. 'People in need deserve the dignity and choice of new clothing, without judgment.' Referrals for the program can be made through a range of local community and social services, including Anglicare WA and headspace.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- ABC News
Inglewood social housing residents need support despite anti-social behaviour, advocates say
Western Australia's leading social services organisation is calling for more support for social housing residents amid an outcry over the antisocial behaviour of a small group of people living in public housing in inner-city Inglewood. Inglewood residents have told ABC News they feel unsafe in their own homes, citing assaults and intimidatory behaviour in and around a social housing complex, which saw an influx of residents last year. Far from being considered a dangerous suburb, Inglewood, about four kilometres from the CBD, boasts a number of popular cafes and other local businesses, as well as some sought-after real estate. But the community has been speaking out after a number of recent incidents, including an alleged attack on a man in a car park over the weekend, the smashing of a unit window on Ninth Avenue, and numerous reports of aggressive behaviour and loud noises during the night. A number of people within the social housing complex spoke of their fear of living alongside what they say is a small minority who have been causing trouble and threatening retribution on those who contact authorities about their behaviour. But the WA Council of Social Service says demonising social housing residents is dangerous and counterproductive, and has urged authorities to focus on a solutions-based approach, focused on providing better support for those within social housing, as well as other nearby residents. WACOSS president and Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said blaming residents won't solve anything. "What we need to do is understand who are the people that are involved in this, and what do they need?" Mr Glasson said. "It might be that there are some supports that are available that can be put into that location to support those people so that they don't need to commit crime. "It might be that we need a police response. "But we can't say that the incidents of crime can only be resolved by closing social housing." He said housing was a basic need. "Everyone needs a place to live, everyone needs a place to call home, and some people do it really tough, and we need to recognise that for them, they need extra help," he said. Shelter WA chief executive Kath Snell backed calls for a stronger focus on support services for social housing residents and said everyone in the community would benefit. "We really want to make sure that people are safe in their homes, everyone is safe in their own communities and neighbourhoods, and that's including people who live in social housing and their neighbours," Ms Snell said. "And we think that a real way to support that is to be able to provide the right services that they need. "That might be mental health services, it might be services that help people retain their tenancy, or it might be anything around drug and alcohol support, it's not always those things, it just depends on the individual."
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Business
- ABC News
WA rentals out of reach for households on income support, Anglicare report finds
Western Australia's rental crisis has reached new depths, with data from one of the state's charities showing there's not a single property or room that is affordable for people on Jobseeker, Youth Allowance or the Disability Support Pension. Anglicare WA's 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot shows that despite a significant increase in private rentals listed across WA, affordability is languishing with the state's median rent hitting $680 per week, up five per cent from last year and 21 per cent from 2023. The charity defines an affordable property as one requiring less than 30 per cent of a household's income, and it says rooms across the state are well out of reach for households on income support or the minimum wage. Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson said the report needed to serve as a wake-up call for governments at all levels to do more, and to have a bold vision to come up with long-term solutions. Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson says affordability has tanked for those on low incomes. ( ABC News: Blake Kagi ) "What this survey tells us that no other one has, is that there is absolutely nothing across the whole state if you're on Jobseeker, Youth Allowance or the Disability Pension. We have never had that experience before," Mr Glasson said. "Supply has increased, so there has been a growth in the number of housing that's available … but affordability has tanked. "We've got havoc, we're there now, we actually need to be bold, and have that vision, we need a vision that says we're going to have so much social and affordable housing. Photo shows Gold Coast renters Jazlyn, Melanie and Nahla Misuraca smiling at the camera These are the nation's worst postcodes for renters, as well as the places hit with the biggest rent hikes since the pandemic. "We need a broader vision that says everyone is entitled to a house that they can afford, that's fit and safe and sustainable." A CommSec report this week crowned WA as the nation's best performing economy, but Mr Glasson said countless West Australians aren't seeing any benefit. "Yes we have a bustling economy that's really kicking ahead of the rest of the country, but the question that I would have to our leaders is 'what is that for if we can't house and feed our people'?" he said. Priced out Caitlin Beresford-Ord never imagined she and her family would find herself without a place to rent and reaching out to charities, friends and family members for assistance. Caitlin and her son Darcy could not afford an extra $190 a week for their rental. ( ABC News: Blake Kagi ) But when faced with a $190 per week increase in her long-term rental in the Perth suburb of East Victoria Park, she was left with little choice. She has been forced to move into her parents' house, with her 20-year-old son Darcy Stokes staying in a caravan provided by a friend, which is parked in the driveway of the home. "It's catastrophic, $190 a week, it's huge," Ms Beresford-Ord said. "We stopped private health insurance for quite some time, I had to make all sorts of decisions in order to accommodate that rental hike until we were able to move in here. "I can no longer afford to rent a place and keep my family together and I regularly work seven days a week." Darcy Stokes is living in a caravan parked outside his grandparent's house. ( ABC News: Blake Kagi ) Her son is balancing his studies with work at a fast food restaurant and says his biggest fear is never being able to move out and find a place of his own. "Probably just not being able to move out ever, unless I'm like living with 10 other people or something like that," Mr Stokes said. Exclusive new data shows skyrocketing rents have outpaced income growth in every regional area in Australia and all but one capital city. "None of my friends have moved out yet because it's basically impossible at this point anyway." Mr Glasson said despite so much focus on the cost of living in this year's state and federal election campaigns, the major political parties have failed to come up with long-term solutions to the rental crisis. "What we're seeing is lots of announcements … which are really welcome, they will put more houses on the ground," he said. "But we're talking about proportionality here and the scale of growth that's being projected is nowhere near enough. "The level of social and affordable housing in Western Australia is 3.7 per cent, it's dropped over the last 10 years, we need a bold government that says that's going to get to 6 per cent in this term." Loading
