A First Nations woman suffering from sepsis has been discharged from hospital to sleep on the streets of Perth, despite doctors warning she could die without safe housing. Andrea Woodley, 39, has been in and out of hospital for weeks with septicemia triggered by infected blisters on her feet from sleeping rough.
Her mother, Heather Taylor, who lives 2,000km away in Derby, Western Australia, said doctors told her the infection had spread to her daughter's heart and lungs and could be fatal without proper treatment and housing. Woodley was discharged from Armadale Hospital back to the streets, where she struggles to take antibiotics and attend outpatient care.
Woodley has been homeless since 2023 after her Broome home was firebombed by a stalker. She has been on the priority public housing list since then but faces a two-year wait, according to the WA Department of Housing and Works. Advocate Dr Betsy Buchanan said the department gave a 'stock answer' that everyone on the list is the same, despite strong medical letters.
Taylor fears her daughter is at increased risk of attack because she cannot walk properly. 'She can't run or anything, and that's why she's afraid,' Taylor said. 'I'm really frightened that something's gonna happen to her. The next time she gets sick, it might be too late.'
The WA government recently banned 'no ground' evictions, which disproportionately affect First Nations families. Campaigner Jesse Noakes welcomed the move, noting hundreds of families had been evicted without grounds. Last month, a Noongar woman died of sepsis weeks after being evicted from public housing.
