Inspired by Auckland City Mission’s Family 100 project, the 100 Families WA project sought to gain a deep understanding of the lived experience of entrenched disadvantage in Perth, Western Australia. This report outlines the research findings.

Key findings:

• Entrenched disadvantage is complex—each pathway into, through, and out of disadvantage is unique. However, for everyone, the effects of disadvantage compound to make everyday life more difficult. For example, a broken washing machine can mean having to decide between a replacement washing machine, buying groceries, and/or public transport to get to a laundromat or to services because you can no longer buy groceries.
• People need support, at different levels including in policy settings and within general society, from government and non-government services, from informal supports such as friends, from their families and from within. The types of support needed also vary, and include basics for survival, social and emotional needs, and support for health and mental wellbeing.
• Families want to feel seen, heard, and appreciated, but often do not due to negative rhetoric about people experiencing hardship, strict eligibility criteria for services and often overburdened workers, difficult social and familial relationships, and the experience of trauma, among many other factors.