Protesters today claimed they’re not against social housing, insisting they’ve been totally blindsided by the state government and haven’t had community consultation.
But homelessness advocates say the crisis is becoming so desperate, we need to put an end to NIMBYism, a term referring to a “Not In My Backyard” mentality.
The majority of people protesting the plans to turn Fraser Suites into a social and affordable housing complex live a stones throw from the building.
They claim they were blindsided by the state government’s $100 million purchase last month, saying their biggest concerns are density, shared spaced and parking.
“We want to make sure from here on in consultation, planning and doing the right thing by the complex, not just by this building,” one protester said.
The group denies it’s a case of “not in my backyard”.
“We support social housing, we just want it to be done in the right way and we feel that in Australia we have the resources and the money to do this better,” another local said.
Homelessness advocates say we can’t afford to wait, with 22,000 West Aussies currently on a two-year waitlist for social housing.
They say the hotel’s 236 rooms barely scratches the surface.
“We know people sleeping in cars, sleeping under bridges, staying with family,” Kath Snell from Shelter WA said.
The Housing Minister is pushing a similar sentiment.
“The growing cohort is women over 55 who are at risk of homelessness, they’re the type of people that I’m trying to provide housing for,” John Carey said.
Carey met with opponents airing their concerns for the second time in two weeks but resident says it’s not enough.
With an overflowing waitlist, the state government hasn’t ruled out plans to repurpose more WA buildings and turn them into social and affordable housing.
Like Fraser Suites, there’s no guarantee community consultation will take place beforehand.
“To mess with people’s house and them not know anything about it, leaves a really sour taste in my mouth,” one local said.
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