WA government accused of offering 'disgusting' house littered with needles

Having experienced homelessness for years, single mother of two Amelia Johnson says she was relieved when she secured a house in Western Australia's far north.

But the relief quickly vanished when she visited the Forrest Street home assigned to her in October by the state's Department of Housing and Works in Broome, 2,000 kilometres north of Perth.

"It was just shocking," Ms Johnson said.

"The further I walked, the more disgusted I became."

Photos provided to the ABC showed discarded needles and rubbish littered around the property, with inside surfaces caked in dirt. 

Ms Johnson also claims the property was not secure, with large gaps between the screens and windows. 

"That area they put me in is extremely dangerous [and] the security screens aren't even secure," she said.

Ms Johnson deemed the house too unsafe to live in with her children, aged 11 and 12, so she returned to Kununurra, 1,000 kilometres away, to "couch surf" with family instead.

"I'm in a homeless situation … that unit isn't even safe for me and the kids to move into," she said.

She said she complained to the department's office in Broome, but claimed her concerns were dismissed and several other queries were ignored.

"Shouldn't the Department of Housing be responsible for making sure my children and I have safe and secure housing, since what was allocated to us is so disgusting?" Ms Johnson said.

Property vandalised 

In a statement, a Department of Housing and Works spokesperson said the property was not in that condition when it was offered to Ms Johnson.

"The Department of Housing and Works strives to ensure tenants are provided with housing that is clean, safe and suitable to their needs," they said. 

"Unfortunately, in this case, in between an inspection and when Ms Johnson moved in, people have broken into and significantly vandalised the property." 

They did not respond to queries on when the property was last cleaned. 

The spokesperson said Ms Johnson had been offered another three-bedroom family home in Broome and they were in regular contact.

"Maintenance works will commence soon to restore the Forrest Street home," they said. 

'Housing is a human right'

WA Council of Social Services chief executive Louise Giolitto said it was "never acceptable to present a house if it's unliveable". 

"You have GROH [Government Regional Officer Housing] housing, which is for public servants, which has minimum standards, including thermal controls, but they don't apply the same minimum standards for public housing," she said. 

"We firmly believe they should be the same. Housing is a human right and minimum standards are important."

Ms Giolitto said the Department of Housing and Works received more than 200,000 work orders for repair and maintenance a year.

She said in the Kimberley and Pilbara, the problem was often "getting the workforce to actually do those repairs". 

"They're making value judgements about allowing tenants to go in, because there's such high demand, as we know there's over 20,000 people on the wait list," Ms Giolitto said. 

"So they're in a bind at the moment … it's time to become proactive and actually have a planned maintenance for all their properties."

Broome's population is about 19,000, and renting a home privately or through a real estate agent has been unachievable for many.

Over the past five years, Broome rents have increased by about 120 per cent, with the current median weekly rental price set at $1,200.