Dozens of homeless people at Perth camp given less than a week to move

In short:

Dozens of homeless people are given less than a week to move from a makeshift camp at Memorial Drive in Perth's south.

The state government has ordered "unauthorised campers", some of whom have been staying for months, to move by September 22.

Campers told the ABC they had nowhere to go amid the "unrealistic" cost of rent, and many in the camp were vulnerable.

People experiencing homelessness at an encampment in Perth's south say they are scared and have nowhere to go after being given less than a week to find another place to shelter.

Around 50 people have been camped out in makeshift conditions along Memorial Drive in Safety Bay for months, some sleeping in their cars and others in tents.

The state government said yesterday it had been aware of the situation since April.

The Department of Biodiversity and Conservation said it had provided "unauthorised campers" at Memorial Drive with Notice of Intention letters that required them to leave the area by September 22.

Full-time job to homeless

A woman living at the site, roughly 50 kilometres south of the Perth CBD, said she had been there for the past month.

"I don't know where I'm going to be next week," said the woman, who spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity.

"As human beings we need basic things like feeling like we belong and security … your mental health suffers when you don't have those two things."

Six months ago, the woman said she lost her job while her husband was experiencing a back injury.

"When I lost my job we could no longer afford the $700-a-week rent," she said.

"We had no choice but to come here.

"I had a full-time job in March and it's now September and I am homeless."

The woman said those at Memorial Drive were "very vulnerable."

"We're not safe here and people think that this is a choice," she said.

Gemma Jones had lived at Memorial Drive in her van since the start of the year and said she had few options.

"Going to a caravan park is going to be nearly $800 a fortnight, moving to a house is $900 a week — it's so unrealistic," she said.

"Just to afford that, you've got to be working nearly three jobs just to come close to that."

Ms Jones said many people at Memorial Drive were facing mental health challenges.

"I've seen more people coming in, I've seen people leaving because they're scared that they're going to get moved along, so they move themselves along before that happens," she said.

"They should have had at least somewhere for us to move on to.

"Being a park, a big bit of land, doesn't matter if it's a powered site or toilets we'll sort that out ourselves, we did here."

Government 'not abandoning' homeless

WA Minister for Homelessness Matthew Swinbourn said people had been given seven days to move.

He said the government wanted to connect people to crisis, transitional or permanent accommodation.

"We're not abandoning them and we're continuing to support them," he said.

"Post that time we will continue to support, to help them to find a more permanent home to get them onto a pathway to a home."

However, he said there had been safety concerns and an increase in anti-social behaviour, with some people "refusing to engage with our outreach services"

The minister said there had been "over a thousand" points of contact with people on Memorial Drive, with concern for their safety and an increase in anti-social behaviour.

Nowhere else to go

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said he had visited the site and people told him they were sheltering there because they had nowhere else to go.

"I'm not sure what an eviction notice does, if it doesn't come with somewhere to go and take shelter," he said.

Mr Zempilas said while he welcomed a night space facility opened by the government in Rockingham this week, it was not a long-lasting solution.

"So ultimately if you have people living on the side of the road for a year or two years, the drop in spaces can work for a short term but they are not a permanent solution," he said.