The encampment on Memorial Drive has become a flashpoint in Perth’s housing crisis, at one point hosting hundreds of people on the grassy verge after they said they had nowhere else to go.
Last week, DBCA officers told the camp it had until 22 September to clear the site, prompting dozens of residents to leave, but as of Tuesday night between 45 and 50 people remained, according to Homelessness Minister Matthew Swinbourn.
Swinbourn said about half of those still on the site indicated they would move on, while roughly 16 people have flatly refused to engage with services or declined offers of accommodation and support.
The department’s officers delivered the final notices on Wednesday morning, also offering to store belongings for anyone who had nowhere to take them, and reported no aggression on the ground despite frustrated campers reiterating they have no alternative housing.
Outreach workers have increased contact with the camp, logging more than 1,000 engagements and helping over 30 individuals secure accommodation, join the housing waitlist, or return to their country of origin, the minister said.
Officials cited rising antisocial behaviour, repeated police incidents and the approach of fire season as reasons the site can no longer remain, describing the situation as “no longer tenable or sustainable.”
Long‑time resident Gemma Jones, who has lived at the encampment for up to nine months, called the police presence “intimidating” and “disgusting,” saying the force used to move homeless people contrasts with the lack of effort to address criminal activity.
Another resident, Sarah Allum, questioned why authorities were “shoving” people out instead of providing more concrete solutions, suggesting the use of containers or other land for temporary housing.
The state government says ongoing support will continue through the Salvos Centre of Hope and The Crew, which will soon expand to provide daytime case‑management services for those willing to engage.
Louise Giolitto, chief executive of the WA Council of Social Services, described the Memorial Drive camp as a visible and distressing illustration of Western Australia’s broader homelessness problem.