At a small cafe in Perth's south-east, Indonesian migrant Yayah Scaf is preparing chicken, rice and noodle dishes. The meals are not for her customers; they're given out for free to those in need.
"We are going to Perth city, where we will hand out the free food today," said Scaf, 63. "We have a total of 200 packs of hot meals."
It may sound like a lot, but Scaf said that, in the current housing crisis, all the food will be gone in less than one hour.
"When we arrive there, many people will be waiting," she said. "When they are hungry and you offer them food from the heart it helps their [problems] disappear. They say: 'Oh, thank you.'"
Scaf is known affectionately as 'Ibu Ade'. Ibu is an Indonesian word for mother or married woman. Ade comes from the name of her business.
She told SBS that she's proud to serve those struggling.
Among the recipients is 51-year-old Brendon Benell.
Brendon Benell, 51, is among hundreds who are grateful for a weekly hot meal provided by Yayah Scaf. Source: SBS / Christopher Tan
"We like that we get fed here, and we can get together to talk and even see a street doctor as well," he said.
Demand for housing support services is soaring in Western Australia, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The institute reports that 5,100 people every day are being helped by specialist homelessness services across the state.
That figure is up by 27 per cent in the past five years.
"We are seeing more and more people who have never presented to homelessness services before," said Kath Snell, CEO of Shelter WA.
Kath Snell, CEO of Shelter WA, says homelessness services in the state are stretched. Source: Supplied / Shannon Dunn / Shelter WA
The Productivity Commission's latest Report on Government Services (ROGS) shows that, during 2023-24, an average of 61 people per day were unable to access accommodation when they needed it in Western Australia.
"While turning up to a service is a brave thing to do, we would prefer people have somewhere safe to call home and enough money to put food on the table and pay their own medical expenses," Snell said.
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Hard choices for homelessness services as demand continues to grow
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It is not just Perth; the housing crisis is a national problem and , with both sides of politics , plus measures to boost construction and increase supply.
"We've seen an extraordinary period across Australia's housing market over the past five years," said property market expert Nicola Powell, chief of economics and research at Domain Insight.
"As well as an escalation in house prices, we have also seen a growth in rent that we really have never experienced before.
"Perth and Adelaide remain top performers in terms of price growth and the most competitive capital cities for renters as well," she said.
Nicola Powell is chief of research and economics at Domain Insight. Source: Supplied / Domain
"We're talking about thousands of people who might be earning in employment, but they still can't afford the average rental," Snell said.
"So many people earning a median income can not afford to pay a median rent, and that's where that affordability gap comes in," she said.
The number of people in WA who have reported sleeping rough in the last month has surged by 128 per cent in the past five years, according to an AIHW report.
The report's most recent figures state that up to 1,400 people reported sleeping rough in the past month.
This is one reason Scaf runs her free food service, but it's not the only one.
She knows something about hardship herself, having suffered abuse as a child in rural Indonesia.
"I had a very bad experience, and no justice [was] given to me. Unfortunately, I'm an abuse victim.
"So, at that time, being a village girl, nobody asked me anything. So, I had to go through that for years and years and years," she said.
"It is why I have time for other people who are struggling. The more I help people, the more peace I find in my heart."
The meals Scaf and her team distribute are provided free of charge, through her business, KwikFud Cafe by Warung Ade. And the service is growing steadily, thanks to donations and a small army of volunteers.
"We have roughly 40 volunteers," Scaf said. "They cook the rice and then different people will come to do the packing.
"By four o'clock every Friday afternoon, I'll be driving the van to the city with more volunteers there to do the serving as well."
Ade Scaf with her Australian husband Johannes, at the KwikFud Cafe. Source: SBS / Christopher Tan
And she remains determined not to let prejudice — or wet weather — slow her down.
"Hunger does not disappear when it rains," she said.
"So, even in storms we just continue our work."
Ade Scaf with her team of volunteers setting up the free food handout. Source: SBS / Christopher Tan
"And I say: 'When the world is a better place for everybody to live.'"
Scaf's tireless efforts connect her with faith and culture — both of which she is proud to share in her adopted home.
"My heart feels very much Indonesian inside, and I'm happy to contribute to Australia with an Indonesian heart," she said.
