SOME homeless people living on Perth’s streets are spending more than $1000 a day, say homeless service providers.
The money is acquired through theft and sex to feed their drug habits, they say.
Colin Medling, a network director of Genesis, a Northbridge-based drop-in centre, said he was aware of some homeless people spending up to $1100 a day on heroin and pharmaceutical drugs.
Mr Medling said homelessness was not on the decrease and people were being forced on to the streets for “myriad reasons”.
“Sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, gambling, mental illness – these are just some of the reasons people find themselves out on the streets,” he said.
“The basis, however, for all of these problems would be dysfunctional families from the very start.
“Many homeless people are addicted to all sorts of drugs, some of them pharmaceutical, but there are reasons why they are addicted. This is what has to be looked at.”
Networking with other groups, such as employment agencies, was one of the prime services provided by Genesis, Mr Medling said.
The Salvation Army fears that with the prospect of a new boom in WA, more people will be forced out of their homes and on to the streets as rental prices rocket and more people flock to the State.
The Salvos’ Warren Palmer said this was of “great concern”.
“Our fear is that as we come into a new boom, there will be extreme pressure on crisis services,” he said.
“More people will come to WA as the boom takes off and the first group of |people to get pushed off the system will be those who are on the cusp of being disadvantaged already.
“Rental demand and prices will go up, so there is a chance in the near future that this problem will get worse.”
The Salvos are in negotiations with the State Government to redevelop a men’s crisis centre, Lentara House, in East Perth.
Mr Palmer said it was hoped this facility, which had 55 beds, would be increased to 104 beds once completed.