'Distressing': Homeless campers forced to pack up as authorities move in

Gemma Jones is one of those forced to pack up and leave the homeless camp on Memorial Drive.  (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)

Dozens of homeless people have been ordered to leave a makeshift camp on Memorial Drive near Rockingham in Perth's south by the end of today. 

WA Police and wildlife officers visited the site this morning to encourage people to pack up their belongings. 

The government says many of the campers have been put in touch with support services and crisis accommodation. 

Homeless people living in a makeshift camp in Perth's south have started packing up their belongings after being ordered to leave the area by the end of today. 

WA Police and wildlife officers arrived at the camp on Memorial Drive in the City of Rockingham, about 50 kilometres south of Perth's CBD, just after 10am.

Gemma Jones had been living in her van at the camp. (ABC News: Nicholas Perpitch)

That was the deadline given in a letter handed out to about 45 of the campers yesterday, ordering them to vacate the area today after failing to comply with a similar demand a week ago. 

Officers could be seen gently encouraging people to pack up and leave, with some referring to the campers by their first name. 

The unauthorised campers staying along Memorial Drive have been ordered to leave the area. (ABC News: Lauren Smith)

Gemma Jones had started packing this morning but was a long way from being finished when authorities arrived. 

Ms Jones said she had been offered a place to stay for one week in a Fremantle caravan park but it was too far, so she was planning to stay in someone's yard or find another spot that was quiet and secluded.

Gemma Jones says she is going to stay in someone's yard.  (ABC News: Lauren Smith)

"I am a bit scared and unsure of what is next," she said.

Memorial Drive was still lined with tents, cars and people's belongings this morning, but many people had already left. 

A woman drags a large couch out of a tent.  (ABC News)

Owen Farmer said campers had called him to help them pack up, describing himself as the "homeless advocate" for the area. 

Among those he was helping was a mother and child, who were being sent to respite accommodation for a week. 

Shelter WA chief executive officer Kath Snell said Memorial Drive had highlighted the lack of housing in WA, and the issue was much bigger than one homeless camp. 

"Memorial Drive is ... a very visible and distressing example of what we are seeing across WA," she said.

Minister for Homelessness Matthew Swinbourn said outreach officers had been visiting the site for months in an attempt to link the campers up with support services.

He said more than 30 people had been set up with crisis accommodation, or were being added to the public housing wait list.

But Richard, who had also been helping campers pack up, said access to those support services was limited.

Richard came to help friends pack up and leave. (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)

“There’s a sheet of paper and there’s about 10 lists of groups of services, which regularly come here over the past year, and no one’s gotten in anywhere because there’s nothing,” he said.

Mr Swinbourn said the area needed to be vacated to protect the safety of campers and nearby residents amid antisocial behaviour, a build-up of waste and the fast-approaching bushfire season.

Rubbish was left piled up at the camp this morning. (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)

While there were mostly peaceful scenes today, police were seen bundling a 35-year-old man into the back of a paddy wagon.

He has been charged with trespass. 

Rockingham Police arrested a man at the camp this morning and later charged him with trespassing.  (ABC News: Nicolas Perpitch)

Mr Swinbourn urged people to leave the area as soon as possible. 

"If they remain on that site past [today], the police will become involved and formal move on-notices will be issued," he said yesterday.