By Emma Young
Perth construction boss Gerry Hanssen has thrown his weight behind Perth's rapidly expanding, privately run drug rehabilitation facility Shalom House.
The not-for-profit, long-term residential facility in Henley Brook houses addicts who volunteer for intensive counselling and community reintegration supervised by founder Peter Lyndon-James, himself a former addict, and his team of staff.
Perth developer Gerry Hanssen with Shalom House founder Peter Lyndon-James.
Addicts inspired by its success stories keep turning up for help and Mr Lyndon-James' reluctance to turn anyone away has meant exponential expansion across multiple facilities in the area.
As its popularity has grown so has the controversy accompanying it, including problems with the City of Swan over planning permissions, a battle that has now reached the Supreme Court.
The original Henley Brook Facility.
Mr Hanssen has cast his vote by allowing Mr Lyndon-James to take over his Oasis Resort in the Swan Valley at less than market rent while he builds a new resort at the back of the existing chalets.
"Shalom House is working at changing the lives of men and families in our community and I will support anyone who will help others get their lives back on track. The sheer volume of calls and the overflowing properties of Shalom House demonstrate just how big the issue of drug use is in our State and in the country," Mr Hanssen said.
Mr Lyndon-James said the demand was only growing.
The ABC's Australian Story Breaking Good, featuring Shalom House, aired on April 10.
"Just yesterday I took in a fellow who after seeing the Australian Story hopped on the plane from Melbourne and rocked up at my doorstep," he said.
"What do I do? I can't turn someone away when they come to me ready for change, begging me to help them.
"Ice is a drug like no other that that our society has seen before, people are smoking it like they did cannabis not realising that the effects don't just affect them but the whole family and in turn its structure. By the time they realise, it is too hard to turn back.
"No-one is listening to me, and in the meantime every rehabilitation centre is full with a three to six month waiting list, people are committing suicide and families are being torn apart. We are 100 per cent fully self-funded, we don't cost anyone anything and we make our community a better place to live."