Geraldton Pre-budget submission 2027/28 Engagement Hub

Since 2020, the Geraldton Zero Project has united community services, housing providers, and government agencies to build a coordinated, housing-led response to homelessness. 

The Geraldton Zero Project proposes the establishment of an Engagement Hub to align with local need and provide a lowbarrier, culturally safe space where people can access essential amenities and multiple services at once. By bringing together multidisciplinary services, the hub would reduce fragmentation, strengthen early intervention, and create a central point of assistance.

A one-day Pilot Engagement Hub, delivered through the Geraldton Zero Project in August 2026, demonstrated the impact of a coordinated, low-barrier model. 25 people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness accessed support in a single, accessible space where multiple agencies collaborated in real time. People received housing assistance, legal support, showers, haircuts, essential items, and meals while staff were able to jointly resolve complex issues that would otherwise require multiple appointments across different locations.

Most VI-SPDAT participants reported not having enough money for basic needs other than housing (65.0%), and more than half reported having no reliable people who cared about them (57.5%).

Safety and violence were also major concerns, with 47.5% reporting that they did not feel safe where they slept and 60.0% reporting violence in the previous year.

Health needs were substantial, with 75.6% reporting an ongoing serious health condition and 65.9% reporting a diagnosed mental health condition. An engagement hub in Geraldton would provide an accessible point of contact for people in the Midwest supporting health, dignity and recovery.

Without a low-barrier entry point, people must navigate multiple services during periods of trauma and exhaustion, increasing disengagement and extending homelessness. Crisis services are already operating at or beyond capacity. Women’s refuges are accommodating people who are not seeking FDV support simply because no other safe options exist. Mobile outreach provides essential amenities but demand far exceeds what outreach alone can sustain. The lack of coordinated entry points also strains service providers, leading to duplication, isolated case management, and reactive responses. For the broader community, inaction means rising homelessness, reduced safety, and ongoing pressures on already stretched systems. Housing will remain inaccessible, waitlists long, and crisis services overwhelmed. Failing to invest now will entrench crisis responses, escalate human and financial costs, and leave Geraldton without the coordinated, trauma-informed infrastructure needed to reduce homelessness.

“Geraldton needs a safe, welcoming, low-barrier hub where people can have their immediate needs met and be connected to the right housing, health and community supports before they reach crisis.” — Community Member, Geraldton

22/10/2026 Advance to ZeroMediaNewsNews and EventsPublicationWAAEH