How Lotterywest grants are helping tackle homelessness in WA

While plenty of West Aussies have hit the Lotto jackpot, Lotterywest’s impact on the broader Western Australian community is where you’ll find the real winners.

We’re looking at how Lotterywest grants are helping the people of our State through a variety of different avenues, and this week we’re looking at St Patrick’s Community Support Centre (St Pat’s) and the “My Home” Australasia project.

Even before the cost-of-living crisis became an ongoing topic of conversation for many of us, rates of homelessness for everyday Western Australians were already on the rise.

Enter St Pat’s and the “My Home” project, working on an innovative response to the housing crisis in WA, and in particular older women who are one of the fastest rising homeless cohorts in the country.
This year as part of the project, 18 pre-fabricated homes delivering sustainable, affordable housing for older women were built, and a big part of their success was a $2.2 million Lotterywest grant.

With wraparound support services provided by St Pat’s and a residential location close to public transportation, retail services and further support services, the homes are appointed with a raft of features, including:

• Lightweight for transport;
• Energy-efficient design that’s thermally comfortable with bedroom, kitchen, living and bathroom space;
• Shared storeroom facilities, communal parking bays and landscaped vegetable gardens, fruit trees and outdoor living spaces;
• Can be erected in a day, making them cost efficient;
• Solar panels are integrated and act as the verandah roof

Homelessness can happen to anyone, at any time, and as it continues to become one of Western Australia’s most pressing issues, innovative projects like this are going to become increasingly important.

You can learn more about the St Patrick’s Community Support Centre and My Home Australasia project via the Lotterywest website.