Homelessness Week 2024 - Understanding Homelessness

Join us for the Opening Day of Homelessness Week 2024, a day dedicated to extending the conversation about homelessness, sharing updates, and fostering collaboration in our ongoing efforts to address homelessness in Western Australia.

Everybody is welcome at our Homelessness Week Events. A dedicated chill out space and wellness support are available. Dietary requirements will be catered to with vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free food available if you are attending in person. When you register, please let us know of any other ways we can support your attendance and participation.

Location: The Platform, Level 3, John Septimus Roe Building, 256 Adelaide Terrace Perth 6000, or online

A copy of the complete Accessibility Guide for the venue is available here.

Seating Format: Theatre style

Cost: Free to register

Morning tea and lunch will be provided. Please ensure you add any dietary requirements to your registration.

The program will include the following sessions:

• 8:30 am: Registration opens, with tea and coffee available on arrival
• 9:00 am: Opening of Homelessness Week from by Shelter WA Board Chair, Kieran Wong and a Welcome to Country. Opening address from the Minister for Planning, Lands, Housing and Homelessness, the Hon John Carey
• 9:40 am: Overview of Homelessness Week, Kath Snell, CEO Shelter WA
• 10:15 am: Office of Homelessness update
• 11:00 am: Morning tea
• 11:20 am: Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH) update
• 1:00 pm: Lunch
• 2:00 pm: Homelessness in the Media education session
• 3:45 pm: Homelessness Week 2024 Opening day ends

Read more about what each session includes and meet the speakers and panellists for the sessions here.

Session overviews

Office of Homelessness update

"Older People – What is Homeless Enough for Help?", will explore the future landscape of Australia's ageing population. It will address age discrimination and biases, examining how these factors affect older people's access to support services. The discussion will also delve into the risks and experiences of harm, abuse, and housing instability faced by older individuals. The session aims to identify these risks and highlight the importance of early intervention and prevention to safeguard this vulnerable demographic.

Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH) update

You're invited to an engaging and informative presentation where the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (WAAEH) will provide an update of their latest initiatives and future plans. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Strategy Update: Learn about Strategy 2.0, featuring our key strategic initiatives, sector improvement cycles, and the impact accountability framework.
• New Website Launch: Learn about the new and enhanced WAAEH website, now integrated with the Zero Project. This digital upgrade boosts engagement and will offer a deeper insight into the Alliance’s efforts. Check out the interactive Charter, designed to attract new partners and document ongoing community actions.
• Insightful Data Presentation: Paul Flatau will reveal the updated CSI Homelessness Dashboard, showcasing critical data and insights into the state of homelessness in Western Australia.
• Local Success Stories: The Advance to Zero Team will spotlight a specific region, demonstrating a place-based effort's success and impact.
• Supportive Housing Needs Assessment Framework: Get an overview of this critical work, its objectives, and potential application for promoting supportive housing.

Join us to learn, engage, and be part of the movement to end homelessness in Western Australia. This presentation promises to be informative, providing you with the latest developments and opportunities to make a difference.

Demystifying the Media - A very special Meet the Media event

We’re excited to bring you a one-of-a-kind session that is not only practical and inspiring, but also aims to demystify the media and help you learn more about the people and processes behind the screens and newspapers, whilst empowering you to consider sharing your own stories, and how to do this safely. 

In an exciting role reversal, CEO Kath Snell and Shelter WA Chair Kieran Wong - who are normally on the receiving end of the tv cameras and microphones - will be asking three of WA’s most prolific and high profile reporters in the homelessness space the tough questions!  They’ll be uncovering what makes them tick, what a typical day or week in the life looks like on the job, and most importantly, the hints and tips behind approaching journalists with a great issue or pitch! 

We’ll also be joined by a very special guest, Holly Rose Rolfe, who will take us behind the scenes on the journey of sharing her story in the media whilst also being a working professional in the housing and homelessness sector.  Holly has been a professional in the sector since 2018, and will offer us a unique perspective on navigating story sharing by offering practical advice, and expertise on how to ensure the process of sharing stories in the media is a Trauma-Informed (or, ‘safe’), impactful, and most importantly, positive experience

Meet the speakers and panellists for each of the sessions here.

A photographer will be present at the event but will check with you before taking a photo. You are welcome to say you would prefer not to be included and this will be respected. Photos may be used in our social media, on the Shelter WA website and in our marketing, e-newsletters and annual reports. There may be some whole of event photos taken from behind that will not identify individuals.

You are welcome to attend with a support worker. Please ask them to register separately so that we provide enough seating and catering for everyone attending the event in person. When registering your support worker you can use Support Worker in place of their name for registration purposes.

If you plan to attend more than one Shelter WA event, please note that registrations are required for each individual event hosted across Homelessness Week.

We look forward to welcoming you soon,

The Shelter WA Homelessness Week event team