The Nationals WA will invest $10 million to combat homelessness and rough sleeping, expanding real-time data collection and developing targeted housing and homelessness blueprints for regional WA.
Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, made the announcement during this week’s Shelter WA Election Forum, reinforcing the Party’s commitment to real, targeted solutions for homelessness.
“Homelessness is rising across Western Australia, particularly in regional areas,” Mr Love said.
“The Nationals WA will expand the By-Name List to ensure we have accurate, real-time data to drive better investment and service delivery. We will also develop Regional Housing and Homelessness Blueprints to identify service gaps and ensure communities get the support they need.”
The By-Name List, run under the Advance to Zero initiative, is a proven, data-driven model that collects realtime data on rough sleepers, helping frontline services connect them with housing and support.
“Under WA Labor, the By-Name List is only funded in Perth, Bunbury and Geraldton, leaving many regional communities completely in the dark when it comes to understanding and addressing homelessness.”
The Nationals WA will double the current funding for the Advance to Zero project over the next four years, allowing for the By-Name List to be expanded to Albany, Broome, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Karratha.
“We know homelessness has worsened in WA, rising from 1,200 people in 2021 to over 1,600 in 2024 in the areas monitored by the By-Name List. The real figure is likely even higher because WA Labor has failed to expand the program beyond a handful of locations,” Mr Love said.
“Without real data, we can’t measure progress or ensure services are targeted to the right areas.”
The Nationals WA Housing spokesperson Rob Horstman said funding will also be put towards developing Regional Housing and Homelessness Blueprints to map out critical service gaps and infrastructure needs.
“These region-specific blueprints will identify available services, including social housing, crisis accommodation, and frontline support providers, highlight funding and service gaps, and ensure regional WA is not left behind when it comes to investment in housing and homelessness,” Mr Horstman said.
“Shelter WA has reported homelessness rates in regional WA are up to 10 times higher than Perth. Despite this, WA Labor continues to funnel all its resources into the metro area, while people in regional towns and communities are left behind.
“That’s why The Nationals WA will make sure housing and homelessness funding is driven by real data, local needs, and community input – not just Perth-centric decision making,” Mr Horstman said.
The Nationals WA have also made several commitments to address the cost of living including $160 million to abolish stamp duty for 20,000 first home buyers, and $100 million boost to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme to help 50,000 regional families.
