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Speaker 1: Elsie Blair is General manager of Services at Ruer Community Services,

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Speaker 1: which operates a women's safe Nights space across the road

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Speaker 1: from us here in East Perth. It's been it's in

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Speaker 1: the rod Evans Community Center, but that space is closing

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Speaker 1: this week and Elsie's joining us now.

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Speaker 2: Good morning morning, Elsie.

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Speaker 3: Welcome, good morning, Thank you for having me.

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Speaker 1: Elsie. This space was set up in twenty twenty one.

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Speaker 1: Can you just say, you know, for those who don't

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Speaker 1: realize what specifically the place was set up for to begin.

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Speaker 4: With, absolutely, this is Perth Only no barrier crisis service

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Speaker 4: for women. We support one hundred and fifty women each

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Speaker 4: month who have nowhere else to go, So women who

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Speaker 4: are escaping sexual assault, violence on the streets, domestic violence

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Speaker 4: and sleeping russ Elsie.

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Speaker 2: We have a window onto this and literally because it's

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Speaker 2: right across from our building here at ninety six FM,

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Speaker 2: and we do see that. We often feel so much

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Speaker 2: for these women because it's a chance for them to

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Speaker 2: have someone to sleep at night. But I'm confused. There

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Speaker 2: was funding offered by the government and I noticed that

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Speaker 2: John Kerry, the Housing Homelessness Minister, is there off at

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Speaker 2: three point one million to continue the funding. Why is

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Speaker 2: it shutting down? What's going on?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well that's right.

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Speaker 4: I mean tonight we'll be the last night of service.

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Speaker 4: And as you say, this is for women, this is

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Speaker 4: the worst day of their life. They're coming in scared, exhausted,

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Speaker 4: and they just need safety. We do have a funding

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Speaker 4: committed and we've been working with all levels of governments

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Speaker 4: that over twelve months.

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Speaker 3: It is just a terrible state.

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Speaker 4: Tonight that will be the last night of service for

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Speaker 4: these women who will have nowhere.

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Speaker 3: Else to go.

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Speaker 4: We know that refugees are full ambulance to the ramping.

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Speaker 4: We've got bed blocks. These women don't need treatment, they

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Speaker 4: just need a safe place because home's not safe right now?

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Speaker 1: Is what are you hearing from these women about the

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Speaker 1: fact that it's not going to be there.

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Speaker 3: Oh, they're absolutely devastated. They're scared, you know, the last

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Speaker 3: few weeks being their most nights. It's just terrible.

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Speaker 4: People are wondering if they're you know, some of the

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Speaker 4: women are wondering whether they'll survive until Christmas.

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Speaker 3: Like, it is just terrible. These women are sick, they're scared.

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Speaker 4: There's a lot of elderly women, women with disabilities, we've

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Speaker 4: got women who are pregnant. It's just absolutely crisis point.

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Speaker 4: We've had a ninety percent increase for the service since

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Speaker 4: this time last year. Yeah, we mind is just skyrocketing.

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Speaker 1: We keep hearing statistics about, you know, the people that

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Speaker 1: are sleeping rough and how many of them are women

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Speaker 1: of a certain age right now, So it feels like

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Speaker 1: this couldn't be at a worse time. Are there other

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Speaker 1: alternatives around, you know, the CBD area where people can

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Speaker 1: go or was this it?

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Speaker 3: This is it?

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Speaker 4: There are no alternatives for women who was no barrier service,

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Speaker 4: which means that you can walk in any minute of

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Speaker 4: the night as you are no referral need, as you

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Speaker 4: can walk in. The only other option is the police

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Speaker 4: or the ambulance. But we know these women don't need

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Speaker 4: to be in a hospital bed. The only other option

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Speaker 4: is life on the streets or in their car.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we know police resources of you know, they're understrained

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Speaker 2: as well. We understand and if people.

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Speaker 1: Want to go to these women want to go somewhere

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Speaker 1: where there's no judgment.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right.

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Speaker 1: You know they're going to be able to get in

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Speaker 1: and be with someone who understands.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, they do want to be safe. They want to

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Speaker 3: be safe.

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Speaker 1: I mean, is that so much to ask?

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Speaker 3: No, I don't think so, I think, and these are

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Speaker 3: women like you and me. This is the thing. It's

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Speaker 3: just outrageous.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, this is also Elsie a very frustrating

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Speaker 2: situation too, because the facility is there, the funding has

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Speaker 2: been thrown up, but the city purpose saying it's too late.

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Speaker 2: Their funding came too late.

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Speaker 4: All right, Well, I mean we're hearing that the funding

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Speaker 4: came too late, and we're also hearing that the community.

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Speaker 3: Don't want this service. I mean, we've seen that eighty percent.

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Speaker 4: Of people in the city are supportive for this service

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Speaker 4: from an independent survey.

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Speaker 3: So I find it.

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Speaker 4: Really hard to believe we have the phone absolutely hot

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Speaker 4: day and night, with everyone supportive and outrage of this.

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Speaker 4: So my view is that the community do want this

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Speaker 4: service and do want to look after vulnerable women. I think,

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Speaker 4: you know, in the middle of sixteen days, it is

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Speaker 4: just ironic to be shutting a service like this which

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Speaker 4: is so desperately needed and supported. We'd be happy to

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Speaker 4: work with a community service to run during the night.

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Speaker 4: We can run during the night, they can run during

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Speaker 4: the day. We are open to anything.

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Speaker 1: Is there anything last minute that you're hoping might be

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Speaker 1: able to be done, they'lsie.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I would just urge, you know, the community

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Speaker 4: of the city that we are hearing all this support

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Speaker 4: for the service. I would really just make sure we're

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Speaker 4: hearing what the community want and what the voters are saying.

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Speaker 4: I mean, I really disagree that the city of Perth

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Speaker 4: don't want this service. I'm hearing loud and clear that

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Speaker 4: the community really want this service, and there's an outpour

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Speaker 4: of support and social media, you know, everywhere, everybody is saying.

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Speaker 3: Yes, we need to look after women in crisis. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: And you know what, I'll be honest, if it wasn't

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Speaker 1: for the fact that I get to work here across

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Speaker 1: the road from ULC at quarter plus four in the morning,

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Speaker 1: so I know that you're there and what's happening, I

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Speaker 1: probably wouldn't be aware of the place if it wasn't

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Speaker 1: for that. So I think there's a lot of people

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Speaker 1: that don't even realize what it is that's happening, why

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Speaker 1: it's there, and the good work that it's doing. So

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Speaker 1: we need to have a discussion about if not this place,

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Speaker 1: then something somewhere really needs to be a permanent setup.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and the risk is that this problem will be

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Speaker 4: far worse for the community if if we're not there

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Speaker 4: as you say, we're there, we're tucked away. We've got

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Speaker 4: heat stroke, pregnant women, we've got you know, people who

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Speaker 4: are really unwell who will otherwise be in the city streets.

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Speaker 4: We really make sure these people are safe and looked

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Speaker 4: after and.

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Speaker 3: Somewhere that really is out of the way. You know,

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Speaker 3: the problem is going to be much worse when we're

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Speaker 3: not there next week.

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Speaker 1: They haven't done something anything wrong, as you said, they

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Speaker 1: just want to be safe.

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Speaker 4: A lot of these women are working and they come

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Speaker 4: in from their day's.

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Speaker 3: Work and there's just no affordable rental.

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Speaker 4: It's unprecedented times with the rental market. It's just incredible

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Speaker 4: that we're shutting.

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Speaker 2: And especially those words you said, Elsie, that people wondering

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Speaker 2: if they'll survived or Christmas. We're losing far too many

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Speaker 2: women in our community already. Yeah, absolutely we are.

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Speaker 4: And the sexual assault, you know, on the weekend, people

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Speaker 4: coming in in crisis, the numbers are just soaring.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, Elsie, we thank you for the work that

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Speaker 1: you do and let's hope that this is not the

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Speaker 1: end of a safe space in this.

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Speaker 4: Area and so much and I think, yeah, appreciate everyone support, listening.

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Speaker 4: We need everything we can to come together and show

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Speaker 4: these women that we care about them.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks Elsie for your time.

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Speaker 3: Thank you Bye,