A NON-PROFIT organisation helping youths experiencing homelessness is facing a legal battle with the Town of Cambridge.
Perth Inner City Youth Services (PICYS) has appealed to the State Administrative Tribunal thanks to a lawyer taking their case pro bono after Cambridge Council refused its change of use application at its December meeting.
Council claimed the organisation ran as an office rather than community purpose site, which it had sought approval for, and was incompatible with the R30 zoned residential area.
PICYS has operated from a West Leederville property since 1983 and previously provided accommodation for young people who had nowhere else to go but stopped this about 10 years ago.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW
Executive officer Andrew Hall said in line with industry best practice, it now linked youths with several community housing groups, with the Blencowe Street house offering a “calming” and “homely” place for them to meet and access support during the day.
Mr Hall disputed the classification of PICYS as an office and said it showed a lack of understanding of the “nuances of doing youth work”.