- Cook Government steps in with a $400,000 lifeline to keep Doors Wide Open operating through to June 2027
- Two-year extension will sustain peer-led, wraparound supports for people experiencing homelessness, addiction, and financial hardship
- Delivers the Cook Government priority of building safer, more inclusive communities and builds on record $6.3 billion invested in housing and homelessness since 2021
The Cook Government has secured the future of Bunbury homelessness support service Doors Wide Open, by providing a funding boost of $400,000 to keep the service running at a critical time for the community, including through the Christmas and New Year's period.
The funding will keep Doors Wide Open operating until June 2027, providing certainty for the service and the people in WA's South West who rely on it.
Starting life as a Facebook group before establishing its drop-in centre in 2017, Doors Wide Open has provided a warm, non-judgmental place for people experiencing homelessness and addiction to seek support for almost a decade.
The new funding will help Doors Wide Open continue to play its role as part of the South West's network of support, working alongside other local providers to help people stabilise, reconnect with services, and take steps towards secure housing.
This grant builds on the Cook Government's record $6.3 billion investment in housing and homelessness measures since 2021.
As stated by Homelessness Minister Matthew Swinbourn:
"Doors Wide Open is exactly the kind of service that makes a real difference, because it meets people where they are with dignity, practical help, and peer-led support.
"This funding boost will mean that people dealing with homelessness, addiction, and financial hardship in the South West will have the supports they need to get back on their feet.
"The Cook Government remains committed to helping Western Australians experiencing homelessness find stable accommodation, with this grant building upon our record $5.1 billion investment into housing and homelessness measures."
As stated by Bunbury MLA Don Punch:
"Doors Wide Open is one of those services that people only truly notice when it is at risk of disappearing, and I'm pleased the Cook Government has stepped in to keep this Bunbury service operating through to June 2027.
"This $400,000 boost will help ensure people doing it tough over this festive period have somewhere local to turn for practical, peer-led support, and a pathway into the wider network of services across the South West."
