‘Up to 13 or 14 in a house’, Homelessness Week shines a light on Hedland’s severe overcrowding problem

An overcrowded home is the most common type of homelessness in Port Hedland with industry workers claiming up to 14 people often live in the same house. On Wednesday, August 9, the Youth Involvement Council held a fete where donated clothes, bedding, toys, and other household items were provided to the community for free. The event was held as part of Homelessness Week and YIC team leader Nathan Swayne said the donations were there to help those in need. “There are families around town which are struggling with homelessness or addictions, so we put all this here and let them help themselves to what they need,” he said. Homelessness Australia hosts Homelessness Week annually to raise awareness about the impacts of homelessness and help find solutions. During the week, education events and support services are held throughout the country. And while rough sleeping is the most visual type of homelessness, Mr Swayne said in Hedland overcrowded homes were the main issue. “A lot of what is called homelessness in Hedland is overcrowding really,” he said. “Some of our kids come from homes that are overcrowded, you can have up to 13 to 14 people in a house. “A lot of our youth come from those places so we support them as much as we can, especially with things like blankets given how cold it has been in Hedland.” The Youth Involvement Council works with at-risk youth to provide them with positive programs and role models. Its services include a drop-in centre, aversion therapy, crisis accommodation and education support. Mission Australia supported and promoted events throughout Homelessness Week in the Pilbara. Meggie Geutjes, who manages Mission Australia’s THRIVE Pilbara program, said the region’s homelessness problem differed from metropolitan areas. Because of household crowding, she said the Pilbara was gripped by the issue of “hidden homelessness”. “The housing crisis and economic challenges really push things to the limits in terms of overcrowding and hidden homelessness,” she said “The Pilbara doesn’t host the street presence like Perth does for example, and there are certainly cultural considerations because people won’t leave family sleeping out and roughing it. “Homes are open and this can put pressure on households when you’ve got multiple family groups all living in one home.” Ms Geutjes said more attention needed to be given to the issue of hidden homelessness. “We need to stop mislabelling it, we call it couch surfing or we call it this and that,” she said. “We need to call it what it is, it’s homelessness.” Ms Geutjes also said combatting the issue was difficult given the Pilbara’s size. “As services, we are challenged by economics and geography,” she said. Homelessness Australia estimates that on any given night 122,500 Australians are without a home.