Doctors warned Andrea could die without safe housing, then discharged her to sleep on the streets | Homelessness

The family of a homeless First Nations woman with septicemia fears she will die without a safe home, but lawyers warn it could be years before she gets to the top of the public housing waiting list.

Andrea Woodley has been in and out of hospital for weeks with sepsis, triggered by infected blisters that formed on her feet after being sleep deprived in Perth. Noongar, Budimaya and Nyikina women and their loved ones fear that they will be at risk of death without a home.

Her mother, Heather Taylor, who lives 2000 kilometers away in Derby in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, said she was told her daughter’s sepsis, which had spread to her heart and lungs, could be fatal without proper treatment. Doctors also told Taylor that her daughter would need proper shelter to recover.

“The doctor called me and said Andrea had bacterial pneumonia and the bacteria had gone into her heart, into her left chamber, into the left side of her heart,” Taylor said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And he had septicemia.”

Woodley was discharged from Armadale hospital and returned to the streets. Taylor said she was concerned her daughter wouldn’t be able to continue taking antibiotics and receiving outpatient treatment. She also worries that she won’t have access to appropriate clothing, socks and shoes to protect her feet.

“I said, ‘You have to be very, very careful. The doctor said you could die. So I’m telling you to be very careful,'” Taylor said. He told Guardian Australia he feared every phone call would be bad news.

Woodley has been sleepless since 2023 after his Broome home was bombed by a violent stalker. He later left the Kimberley altogether due to ongoing fears for his safety. Andrea allowed her mother and lawyers to speak on her behalf because she was unwell. After he was discharged from the hospital, his phone was stolen and he could not be reached.

Taylor said that her daughter, a mother of five children, was exposed to trauma and violence on the street, and that she was worried that she would become even more vulnerable due to her illness.

“He can’t walk on his feet. He’s more at risk. That puts him at risk of being attacked,” Taylor said. “He can’t run away or anything, so he’s scared. He sleeps in the city where there are cameras, bright lights; he’ll try to get to the shelters early enough.”

“I’m really scared something might happen to him. Next time he gets sick it might be too late.”

The family suffered intergenerational trauma and violence, including the forced removal of children, the loss of a sibling, and chronic housing instability.

Lawyer and housing advocate Dr. of Daydawn, a Catholic advocacy organization supporting First Nations people. Betsy Buchanan has known Woodley and her family for years. He said he has been concerned for Woodley’s safety and welfare since the 39-year-old was released from prison earlier this year for homelessness.

Buchanan wrote to the WA housing department and the housing minister’s office on Woodley’s behalf.

“I called them and told them Andrea was very sick and almost died from lack of sleep,” he said. “And even though he had very strong medical letters from his doctors, they still said he had to wait another two years.

“They got the casual response that ‘everyone on the priority list is the same,’ and they don’t ignore the fact that a First Nation person could die.”

The WA government is under increasing pressure over public housing waiting lists. Last week, it announced it was banning “unwarranted” evictions, a policy that has so far disproportionately affected First Nations families.

Jesse Noakes, campaigner for End Wrongful Evictions, said it was a welcome move.

“In recent years the state government has evicted hundreds of families from public housing without justification at the end of fixed-term tenancies,” Noakes said.

Last month Guardian Australia reported that a Noongar woman had died of sepsis just weeks after giving birth and two months after being evacuated from public housing.

A spokesperson for the WA Department of Housing and Works said waiting lists for priority housing in the state were long and it was difficult to determine how long it would take for a suitable property to become available. People experiencing domestic or family violence are referred to services for additional support, they said.

“The Ministry of Housing and Public Works is trying to meet the housing needs of all applicants on the waiting list as quickly as possible,” they said.

Woodley was a public housing tenant between 2008 and 2023 until a fire broke out at his home in Broome, the department said. He said the house was inspected and deemed habitable, but Woodley moved out in November 2023 after his transfer to Perth was approved. Confirming the transfer does not mean that he has been offered a property, it just means that he is on the waiting list in a different location.

“All applicants on the priority waiting list demonstrated an urgent need for housing,” the ministry said. “[The department] “He is committed to working with Ms Woodley and his solicitor has been provided with details of support services that may assist him.”

Taylor said having access to a safe and secure home could have saved her daughter’s life.

“He just says, ‘All I want is a room of my own with my little TV,'” Taylor said. “I know he’ll be better if he has this. That’s all he wants.”