Perth Could Soon Trial A Program That Turns Carparks Into Homeless Shelters At Night

The City of Perth has agreed to look into a program that could see carparks transformed into homeless shelters at night.

BedDown has successfully housed dozens of rough sleepers since its launch in Brisbane.

The charity has a simple aim: take spaces that are commonly used and busy during the day but left vacant or empty at night, repurposing them into 'pop-up accommodation' to ensure the homeless are able to get into a bed at night.

During a council meeting last week, the City of Perth voted in favour of investigating the scheme and will report later this month on whether the BedDown initiative could work.

Introducing the program was a big promise during Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas' election campaign and he wanted to make sure there were options for homeless people in his jurisdiction.

In the Brisbane model, there are around 20 queen-sized beds that are pumped up each night at 6pm and they're offered to people with nowhere to go.

The charity also partners with other organisations that can provide complementary services such as laundry facilities, showers, food and drink, health and well-being services, clothing and more.

There are also support services and health checks available to those who get a bed.

In September last year, the Lord Mayor said: "If there are no beds there, people end up on our streets.

"I aim to adopt the approach or partner with BedDown, from Brisbane, to turn our carparks into safe places for people who are homeless to take refuge from the cold and the danger of sleeping rough.

"It works in Brisbane, it can work here."

Beddown explains that many homeless people suffer from sleep deprivation due to the conditions of living on the street, which can lead to everything from depression and hypertension through to impaired cognitive function and alcohol or drug use.

The website states: "By providing a safe, secure and comfortable place to get a good night's rest, we help restore health, dignity and respect for our guests."

According to 7News, it's estimated that 8,000 people are sleeping rough in Australia each night - while around 200,000 car spaces will go empty.

Mirage News claims there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of homeless people in the City of Perth in the last six months, showing there's a big need for this type of project.

Featured Image Credit: BedDown

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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