Homeless people in Rockingham leave camp after order to vacate — ABC News Australia
In Australia, dozens of homeless people began packing their belongings and leaving an informal camp on Memorial Drive in the city of Rockingham, about 50 kilometres south of central Perth. They were ordered to vacate the area by the end of the day, ABC News Australia reports.
Order to vacate the area
Western Australia Police officers and wildlife service staff arrived at the camp in the morning. They urged people to pack up their belongings and leave. The previous day, about 45 camp residents were given letters requiring them to vacate the site. According to the outlet, they had received a similar order a week earlier, which they did not comply with.
Tents, vehicles and residents' personal belongings still remained along Memorial Drive, although some people had already left. One resident, Gemma Jones, had lived in a van at the camp site for just over a month. She began packing before the officials arrived but did not have time to finish.
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Assistance and the government's position
Jones said she had been offered temporary accommodation in Fremantle, but it was too far away for her. She planned to stay in someone's backyard and said she was scared and did not know what to do next.
Shelter WA chief executive Kat Snell said the situation on Memorial Drive demonstrated the broader shortage of housing in Western Australia. Homelessness Minister Matthew Swinbourn said outreach workers had visited the camp for several months, trying to connect its residents with social services.
According to the minister, more than 30 people were placed in crisis accommodation or added to the waiting list for public housing. He said the area needed to be vacated due to risks to the safety of camp residents and neighbours, antisocial behaviour, rubbish accumulation and the approaching bushfire season. Swinbourn warned that if people remained there after the deadline, police would become involved and formal directions to leave could be issued.
