By providing immediate and safe accommodation, we avoid the serious social problems associated with sleeping rough.
Our vision is for the First Step ‘on the street’ model to be positioned in and around communities experiencing friends and family sleeping rough in their communities.
First Step’s unique model collaborates with local communities to create a self-sustaining community enterprise that provides mobile crisis accommodation and outreach services to help people make the ‘first step’ on their journey out of homelessness.
On any given night of the year in Western Australia – over 9,000 people are experiencing homelessness. In addition to this number, a further 7,000 people are living in insecure accommodation – one step from homelessness.
Every day in Western Australia, crisis accommodation providers receive over 100 requests for short term accommodation and every night two thirds of these requests are unmet leaving people sleeping on the streets.
Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department Physician Dr Amanda Stafford has estimated that 3% of Emergency admissions are attributable to the city’s homeless population and that 70% of the system’s frequent patients are drawn from this population.
Leading Criminologist Professor Elaine Baldry has highlighted the significant costs borne by society to support this homeless population. Its effects are felt through health, justice, social care and law enforcement systems.
Local Government is integral. Any advocacy that you could provide helps make local council more aware of homelessness strategies available.
There are three distinct partners required to deliver the First Step model.
If you would like to hear more about becoming a partner with First Step or are interested in our corporate social responsibility sponsorship and recognition model, please register your interest here.