WA's major parties have made significant pledges to address the state's housing crisis ahead of Saturday's poll, committing hundreds of millions of dollars if elected. But in Perth's south east, where suburbs are bursting at the seams and homelessness is rising, many are pleading for help right now
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00:00This has been Stuart McClellan's daily routine for the past two years, packing food and essentials
00:11and driving across the shire of Serpentine Jarradale in search of people in need.
00:15But he doesn't have to look far.
00:23The shire is one of the fastest growing communities in the country, but with a lack of affordable
00:28housing and services struggling to keep up, more people are doing it tough.
00:49It's that hand up rough sleepers like Neil depend on.
00:54The 50-year-old lost everything when his relationship ended a year ago.
00:58This has been his home since.
01:10Nearby in the city of Armadale, community organisations are also under pressure.
01:14It's now professionals who just simply cannot afford to stay in housing, to continue to
01:20meet their commitments in terms of rent, payments and mortgage.
01:25Both Labor and the Liberals have made significant housing commitments ahead of the state election.
01:30But in Perth's South East, the crisis is immediate.
01:32If I go on a scale of one to ten, with one being very good and ten being the worst, I'd
01:40put my finger in the ten.
01:42I think it's not got as bad as it's going to get, but everywhere is a capacity.
01:48It's so important.
01:50The government needs to know that their people are hurt, you know, and that needs to change.
01:58A change these communities are desperately relying on.