St Bart’s announces closure of essential service leaving dozens of vulnerable women worried and fearful

St Bartholomew’s much-needed women’s service in East Perth is set for closure as Department of Communities declines extending their funding needed for it to continue. The service has been providing transitional accommodation and support facilities for vulnerable women since 2014 and has an impending closure date at the end of June. Originally funded through grants and philanthropic support, government funding for the service was secured three years ago. The contract between St Bart’s and the Department of Communities will officially finish on July 1 after St Bart’s informed the department of their intentions to redevelop the Kensington Street site. According to a Department of Communities spokesperson, St Bart’s advised Communities that demolition of the property is planned for July 2025 and that the Women’s Service was not included in the future development plans for the site. The current site is earmarked for a new redevelopment, which St Bart’s says will support greater capacity across their services, however this means that they require a new property to home the women’s service. In an announcement made on April 30, St Bart’s chief operating officer Lena Hopkinson said that the Government gave them a notice that they were not going to renew the funding for the program past June 30. “We managed to find some buildings, but we did not manage to secure the funding for purchase. So unfortunately, what that means is that we will have to close the service,” she said. It is understood that a site within the vicinity of the City of Vincent was identified as an appropriate location but was declined for funding. When asked for the reason the Department of Communities declined to fund this option, PerthNow was not provided with a clear response. A Department of Communities spokesperson said that St Bart’s offered a very important service as a shelter for women experiencing homelessness. “Communities is actively engaging with the sector to transition the Women’s Service to an alternate provider by 1 July 2025.” they said. Carla Ormsby, who has volunteered at the Perth Homeless Support Group for six years, said she engaged with many people who live at St Bart’s or use its services. “Two of them came to me in tears about what’s happening, they’re shocked, upset, and fearful because they don’t know where they’ll end up,” she said. Ms Ormsby said that a lot of these women were fleeing domestic violence and faced significant issues in finding safe and supportive environments. “The women don’t want to leave because they feel safe and supported at St Bart’s. It’s not just a roof over their heads—they get wrap-around care, caseworkers, and extra support. The fear is that once they’re moved, they’ll lose that,” she said. The Communities said that every women currently supported at the facility would continue to have access to safe and suitable accommodation and support services. Ms Ormsby said that although these women may be offered accommodation elsewhere it won’t be the same for them. “These women have forged friendships with each other and are most likely going to be separated,” she said. St Bart’s chief executive Samantha Drury said that St Bart’s Reconnecting Lives Program would be made available to the women as they move on from the women’s services. “Whatever accommodation they have at the time they will need to travel to East Perth to access this service, as some are escaping DV situations so it’s not a safe and comfortable option for them,” Ms Ormsby said. According to new data from the Productivity Commission, the amount of people experiencing homelessness has surged by more than 25 per cent. Ms Ormsby said that there was a significant increase in people attending the outreach program, which had sparked concerns especially with essential services beginning to shut down. St Bart’s relies on community support such as volunteers and financial donations to continue its services. Learn more about how to get involved.