national homelessness strategy · of homelessness. this framework will inform and shape future...

National Homelessness Strategy

A Discussion Paper

working together • social coalitio n • families • support • prevention • communities • early intervention •

communities • early intervention • working together • social coalition • families • support • prevention • c

support • prevention • communit ies • early intervention • working together • social coalition • familie

support • prevention • communit ies • early intervention • working together • social coalition • families

T H E N A T I O N A L H O M E L E S S N E S S S T R A T E G Y

1

FOREWORDHomeless people are amongst the mostmarginalised people in Australia. ThisGovernment is committed to assistinghomeless people to participate as fully aspossible in our Australian community.

Homelessness is a complex and growingproblem, with devastating consequences forindividuals, families and communitiesaffected by it. It requires a flexible range ofcoordinated responses across the breadthof the family and community service deliverysystem and across government jurisdictions.

While the Government remains fullycommitted to strengthening assistance atthe crisis end, our ultimate goal is to work towards the prevention of homelessness.

The National Homelessness Strategy presents a framework around which todesign programs and policies that will lead to the prevention and ameliorationof homelessness. This framework will inform and shape future policies andprograms and will enable a holistic, strategic approach to be taken.

The four themes of the National Homelessness Strategy—Working Together in a SocialCoalition, Prevention, Early Intervention, and Crisis Transition and Support—reflectthe Commonwealth’s approach to ensuring that a strong modern social safety netexists for all Australians. It is consistent with the direction of welfare reform: meetingneed at a point in time but also working together as a social coalition to preventpoverty and disadvantage by promoting social and economic participation.

This Government has already made a significant commitment to the preventionand reduction of homelessness. One of our first undertakings when cominginto office was to set up a Prime Ministerial Youth Homelessness Taskforce.Through the work of the Taskforce, the Reconnect program was established, withan additional $60 million in funding to help reconnect young people who arehomeless or at risk of homelessness back with their families and the community.

In November 1997 a National Domestic Violence Summit was convened by the PrimeMinister, where Partnerships Against Domestic Violence—a $50 million program aimedat preventing domestic violence—was launched. Domestic violence is a majorcause of homelessness. This was the first time an Australian Prime Minister had playedsuch a strong leadership role in taking action against domestic violence.

The Government has also increased funding to the Supported AccommodationAssistance Program, Australia’s main response program to the crisis of homelessness.The Commonwealth will spend $800 million over the next five years on theprogram, which represents an 18 per cent real increase in funding. The Government


2

is also ensuring that funding to the states through the Commonwealth–StateHousing Agreement is directed towards more appropriate housing options forpeople at risk of homelessness, such as community housing.

Family breakdown and isolation from community support are also major causesof homelessness. Through the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, theHoward Government has committed to spending an additional $240 million to strengthen networks of support in families and communities. Initiatives of the Strategy include parenting and relationship education, community leadershiptraining, the development of volunteering, and support for local solutions tolocal problems.

Psychiatric disabilities can be a factor in homelessness for many people. TheGovernment has also committed to spending an additional $150 million toaddress unmet need for disability services, and is seeking a similar contributionfrom the states. The Commonwealth funding is targeted to provide in-homeand respite care for people with disabilities whose carers are ageing. State fundswill be directed to other priority areas of need including accommodation for peoplewith severe and profound disabilities.

It is important that the National Homelessness Strategy also address the issue ofstereotypical notions of homelessness. For many Australians, the image of ahomeless person is of the older homeless man or street kids. These stereotypesare misleading and have in the past influenced our responses to homelessness.

This discussion paper sets out some ideas for ways that, as a society, we can improveoutcomes for homeless people and better prevent homelessness. I encourage youto think about areas for improvement—we are looking for practical suggestionsthat really work. It is your information and knowledge that will provide thefuel for further development and delivery of the Strategy.

As we enter a new century, I am optimistic that we can work together to bringabout a real change for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness.

Senator the Hon Jocelyn NewmanMinister for Family and Community Services May 2000


3

COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONThis discussion paper aims to provide the platform for community consultation.A series of community forums will soon be held across Australia on specifictopics. We intend for these forums to focus on practical solutions that can deliverresults for homeless people and people at risk of homelessness. We seek toidentify a number of action research projects to be funded under the Strategy.These projects will inform further policy development.

The Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness (CACH) will beclosely involved in the development of the Strategy. Members will provide a leadingrole in the consultation forums, and will have a key role in an ongoing communi-cation strategy that will report to all stakeholders on the progress of the Strategy.

Feedback on this paper can be provided directly to the National Homelessness Strategyteam, or through members of the CACH. Contact details are provided below.

Following the consultation process, the Commonwealth will further develop itsstrategic framework around the various responses to homelessness, with theaim of reducing homelessness in the longer term.

Contact detailsIf you wish to provide feedback on this paper or would like any furtherinformation about the National Homelessness Strategy, please contact:

Annie O’RourkeDirector, National Homelessness StrategyHousing Support BranchDepartment of Family and Community ServicesBox 7788Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610

Ph: (02) 6212 9350Fax: (02) 6212 9513

The National Homelessness Strategy discussion paper can also be found on theFaCS website at www.facs.gov.au


5

INTRODUCTIONThe need for a National Homelessness StrategyHomelessness has been a serious and growing problem in Australia for many years,with devastating consequences for those affected by it. Evidence suggests thatthe demand on existing services is growing, while emerging trends in thecomposition of the homeless population are also demanding new and innovativeresponses.

The face of homelessness has changed over time. Historically, homeless serviceshave been provided mainly for men who are reaching or have reached the endof their working life.

However, in the last 20 years there has been a significant change in the factorsinfluencing homelessness and the profile of homeless people seeking assistance.These include:

• changes to family formation, including increased family breakdowns;

• the deinstitutionalisation of people with psychiatric illness and physical andintellectual disabilities;

• an increase in the incidence of women and their children fleeing domestic violence;

• a decrease in rooming-house and other low cost accommodation options;

• significant shifts in patterns of substance abuse and the availability of illicit drugs; and

• changes to the structure and nature of the labour market that have led tofewer jobs for low skilled people.

As a result there are increasing numbers of single women, families and youngpeople joining single adult males in homelessness. Indigenous Australians areover-represented in the homeless population.

No longer is the homeless population predominantly composed of those at theend of their working lives, but increasingly the population includes people intheir teens, twenties and thirties.

People affected by homelessness may have a range of other problems, includingunemployment, substance abuse and mental health problems. Many haveexperienced physical, sexual or psychological abuse.1

There is a great deal of information and research, both nationally and interna-tionally, that describes the causes of homelessness and offers strategies for

1. Data illustrating these trends can be found in T. Burke (1994) Homelessness in Australia—Causal Factors, Commonwealth of Australia; Department of Family and Community Services(1999) National Evaluation of the Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program (SAAP III),Commonwealth of Australia.


6

finding solutions. The research frequently recommends holistic and coordinatedapproaches—the National Homelessness Strategy will help make this more ofa reality.

This holistic and coordinated approach, with a focus on prevention, is consistentwith the Government’s approach to reducing welfare dependency. It looks at tacklingproblems at the source, as well as addressing the consequences.

While the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) will remain thecentrepiece of the Government’s response to the crisis of homelessness, thereis more we can do.

Objectives of the National HomelessnessStrategyFor the first time, the Strategy will provide a comprehensive framework forpreventing and addressing homelessness.

To achieve this, the specific objectives of the Strategy are:

• to provide a strategic framework that will improve collaboration and linkagesbetween existing programs and services, to improve outcomes for clients andreduce the incidence of homelessness;

• to identify best practice models, which can be promoted and replicated, thatwill enhance existing homelessness policies and programs;

• to build the capacity of the community sector to improve linkages andnetworks; and

• to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness throughout all areas andlevels of government and in the community.

A New Integrated FrameworkThis discussion paper sets out a framework for considering our existing effortsand future directions, by putting current programs into context and discussingpossible new approaches.

The paper explores the issue of homelessness by examining four key themes:

• Working Together in a Social Coalition;

• Prevention;

• Early Intervention; and

• Crisis Transition and Support.

These four dimensions are important to achieving a more complete response forhomeless people and people at risk of homelessness.


7

Working together will be a central theme of the National Homelessness Strategy.Like the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership initiative, the Strategywill bring together governments, businesses and communities in a social coalition.

Reducing the incidence of homelessness requires a shared commitment and acoordinated response by governments, the community welfare sector and thewhole community.

Homelessness is a multidimensional problem. It is clear that housing or employmentalone are not the answer, but rather a multifaceted and integrated response isneeded. Recent research into Support Accommodation Assistance Program(SAAP) clients found that one in five required at least seven different types ofsupport.2 This is further supported by research findings of the Social ExclusionUnit in the United Kingdom.

Further, there is a group of homeless people who do not access SAAP services.We also need to consider how best to meet the needs of this group.

There are many examples of agencies and services working in partnership to preventor alleviate homelessness. There are also many examples of government and thecommunity sector working together to develop innovative and flexible policiesand programs that have made a positive impact on homelessness. Howeverthere still remains a lack of coordination and sharing of information, hinderingthe development of a holistic approach.

We all need to explore how we can work together on various levels to achievebetter outcomes for homeless people and people at risk of homelessness.

WORKINGTOGETHER IN ASOCIAL COALITION“I do acknowledge that we might have

some differences about the funding

and delivery of support and services to

homeless people. But I believe we all

share a common goal—to assist homeless

people to participate as fully as possible

in our Australian community.”

Senator Jocelyn Newman

2. Such as child care, drug and alcohol services, counselling, income support, housing assistance,health services and mental health services.


8

Commonwealth Departments Working Together The Department of Family and Community Services will be working with otherkey portfolios to investigate how Commonwealth programs can be better alignedto reduce homelessness; to increase the profile of homelessness as an issue;and to educate all levels of government about the many causes of homelessness.

We will also explore opportunities for joint projects. Currently underway is a jointproject between the Commonwealth Department of Family and CommunityServices and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, toimprove outcomes for homeless people with a mental illness. The project willexplore strategies that will deliver formal partnership arrangements and multiagencycollaborations at the local level. It will also assist in the development of ablueprint for future action.

Commonwealth and Community WorkingTogetherThe new membership of the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Homelessness(CACH) will soon be announced. The CACH directly advises the Minister on thebreadth of issues that impact on homeless people.

The CACH will have a lead role in the development and communication of theStrategy. It will be actively engaged in the forums and action research projects.

The Commonwealth has funded the establishment of the Australian Federationof Homelessness Organisations (AFHO) to provide:

• broad-ranging policy advice to government on national homelessness issues;

• a vehicle for the exchange of information between AFHO members andgovernment;

• a single voice for representation and consultation; and

• a means of disseminating information to the homelessness services sector ongovernment policy and related issues.

The Stronger Families and Communities Strategy will also open up new ways forthe Commonwealth to work with communities in a more flexible and joined-up way.

Commonwealth and State/Territory GovernmentsWorking TogetherCommonwealth and State/Territory Governments are working together in avariety of ways to address and prevent homelessness.

• In April 1999, Community Services Ministers agreed that the SupportedAccommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) is a vital and successful program thatresponds well to the needs of homeless people in Australia. They also agreed


9

that SAAP should continue as a joint Commonwealth, State and Territory program,and to a strategic and administrative framework that would provide the policyfoundation and administrative arrangements for SAAP from 2000 to 2005.

• Working together is also one of the four strategic themes of the recentlysigned SAAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Commonwealth,State and Territories. The signatories committed to building links betweenCommonwealth, State and Territory advisory mechanisms and departmentsresponsible for policy and coordination.

• The MOU also recognised that other areas of government policy have a rolein addressing homelessness. Each jurisdiction agreed to put in place more effectivemechanisms to contribute to across-government approaches to addressinghomelessness.

• The Commonwealth is working with States and Territories across a range ofother areas that focus more on the prevention of homelessness, includingthrough access to housing, strategies to address mental health problems, andalcohol and drug abuse.

Agencies Working TogetherBecause homelessness is a multidimensional problem, it touches on all aspectsof the network of community support services. It is therefore critical that linkagesbetween different agencies and different sectors are strengthened.

With the introduction of a case management approach there has been a dramaticimprovement in the linkages between agencies. The case management approachbrings together a range of accessible options that open up genuine opportunitiesfor homeless people.

Improving linkages between services and programs is not a new idea. Throughthe National Homelessness Strategy, the Commonwealth plans to help facilitatefinding practical strategies that will further assist agencies to work together.

Future DirectionsWe can do more to improve the way we work together to address homelessness,and the Government is keen to pilot some new approaches in addition to thoseoutlined above. In particular, we are keen to hear examples of approaches thathave worked “on the ground” and to share and support best practice. We seekto focus particularly on the following issues:

• mechanisms to support a more integrated approach to homelessness on theground (for example, more support to community-based coordinators ofservices, and support for staff exchanges between SAAP and other service-types);


1 0

• ways of supporting partnerships (for example, between community andbusiness, or including government as a partner) that can work to addressand prevent homelessness; and

• other mechanisms for collaboration across jurisdictions and between levels ofgovernment (for example, to improve access to health services for homelesspeople).


1 1

It is common sense to help people early on, before they reach crisis stage andtheir problems become entrenched. National and international research showsthat prevention is more effective in the long term than providing responses toimmediate crises.

The Government is fully committed to providing resources at the crisis end.However, over the long term, focusing on the causes of homelessness willproduce bigger dividends for the community, and more importantly, for peopleaffected by homelessness.

The Government already makes a significant contribution in the area of preventionthrough its many social programs. Many of these programs have now beendrawn together in the Family and Community Services (FaCS) portfolio, providinga new opportunity for integrated responses, and for increasing the prominenceof homelessness issues in policy making and program design.

Our Investment in PreventionThe strong economic management and the taxation and workplace relationsreforms established by this Government provide a good foundation to preventsocial disadvantage. The building of family and community capacity can also domuch to prevent problems before they become difficult and expensive.

The Commonwealth Government has spent unprecedented amounts on preven-tative initiatives in recent years. The recently announced Stronger Families andCommunities Strategy represents a significant commitment in investing inAustralia’s future. Over the next four years, $240 million will be spent onprevention and early intervention initiatives.

Through our data and research, we are learning more about the causes ofhomelessness and are responding through a range of programs.

PREVENTION“Our aim is to build a modern social

safety net which is not founded on

expanding the welfare state but on

lessening welfare dependence and

broadening the choices available to

individuals, families and communities.

Our focus ... is on tackling problems

at their source rather than simply living

with and trying to ameliorate their

consequences.”

Prime Minister John Howard


1 2

Tackling domestic violenceThe Commonwealth has committed $50 million to the Commonwealth ledPartnerships Against Domestic Violence (PADV) initiative. PADV programsinclude Working with Families Experiencing Domestic Violence, CommunityEducation Campaigns, Good Beginnings National Parenting Program and Men’sRelationship Support.

Helping people in financial difficultyIn 1999–2000, the Commonwealth will spend over $42 billion providing incomesupport to Australians in need. The welfare reform process will enhance the linkagesbetween income support and social and economic participation.

Rent Assistance is an additional payment for people who rent accommodationin the private rental market and who receive an income support payment or morethan the minimum rate of Family Allowance. Around $1.5 billion is spentannually on Rent Assistance.

Emergency Relief is provided to religious, community and charitable organi-sations to deliver emergency assistance to people in financial crisis. In 1998–99,the Commonwealth spent over $23 million providing Emergency Relief assistance.

Centrepay is a voluntary deduction facility provided free by Centrelink. It is designedto assist Centrelink customers in budgeting for their regular expenses.

Addressing relationship/family breakdownUnder the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, the Commonwealthwill spend $40 million over the next four years to provide families with flexibleassistance, particularly in times of change or transition. A further $47.3 millionwill be available for prevention and early intervention services in the areas ofparenting and family relationship support.

We provide more than $50 million each year for family relationships servicesand related programs. This contributes to the funding of 83 community organi-sations to deliver family counselling and mediation services.

An additional $60 million over the next four years has been provided for theReconnect initiative. A range of community-based early intervention services willbe aimed at family reconciliation for young people and their families who arehomeless or at risk of homelessness.

The Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce, set up in response to the PrimeMinister’s Taskforce on Youth Homelessness, will improve support for young peopleand families during the crucial transition to independence. The Taskforce willbe reporting on this in June 2000.


1 3

Access to housingThe Commonwealth signed a new Commonwealth–State Housing Agreementwith the State Housing Ministers early last year, representing a $4 billion contri-bution by the Commonwealth to public and community housing over the nextfour years. Under this agreement the Commonwealth is encouraging a diverseand innovative housing sector that supports people where they want to live, fosterssustainable communities and links housing to other programs. For the first time,this Agreement includes homeless people as a priority group for assistance.

Further, as part of this Agreement, nearly $64 million will be spent on communityhousing, which can be a good alternative for those with high support needs whomay be at risk of homelessness.

$91 million per year is spent on indigenous housing and infrastructure throughthe Aboriginal Rental Housing Program, and over $200 million is spentby Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in this area throughthe Community Housing and Infrastructure Program.

Preventing and treating drug or alcohol abuseUnder the National Illicit Drugs Strategy, the Commonwealth has directed morethan $500 million to the fight against illicit drugs. These funds are directed toprevention, treatment, education, research and law enforcement. Some treatmentservices have homeless people as a particular target group.

The Commonwealth also funds and administers a range of early interventionand outreach strategies for families dealing with drug problems. The funds assistcommunity groups to provide support to families affected by illicit drug use.

The Commonwealth provides funding to the States and Territories under the PublicHealth Outcome Funding Agreements for strategies to address alcohol and otherdrug issues, and recently announced funding of $4 million over four years forinitiatives to reduce alcohol related harm in Australia, under the NationalAlcohol Action Plan.

Preventing physical or emotional abuse$2.6 million is spent on Child Abuse Prevention. This includes the fundingof the National Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and the NationalChild Abuse Prevention Awards.

Coping with mental illnessThe Second National Mental Health Strategy provides a national frameworkfor mental health services, including linkages to other community service sectorssuch as housing and supported accommodation. Target areas include identifyingthe factors leading to and perpetuating homelessness amongst people withmental illnesses and trialing programs designed to reduce the risk of homelessness.


1 4

The recent announcement of funding for a National Institute of Depressionwill develop our knowledge base about this common but often devastatingillness, while the National Suicide Prevention Strategy will build supportnetworks and increase awareness about risk and protective factors.

Building community capacityUnder the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, $73.5 million will beprovided over four years for initiatives to build communities’ capacity to solvelocal problems.

Future DirectionsContinuing to support prevention strategies is a sound investment for Australia’sfuture. Australian governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars each yeardealing with the effects of homelessness. Its full cost to the community, most partic-ularly to the individuals and families concerned, is incalculable.

We seek to explore other initiatives that would help us prevent homelessnessfrom occurring. For example:

• ways to improve access to affordable and appropriate housing and otherforms of community support for those at highest risk of homelessness;

• research to improve our knowledge about the causes of homelessness and thepathways people take into homelessness;

• improving community awareness about the risk factors for homelessness,including risk factors that may be present in their own family and community;

• strategies to prevent domestic violence or drug and alcohol abuse leading tohomelessness; and

• examining the scope for more locationally sensitive strategies to addresshomelessness.


1 5

We know that for some people homelessness is a one-off experience, whileothers can enter a cycle of repeat episodes.

As part of the development of the Strategy, the Commonwealth is seekingpractical early intervention initiatives for all people who become homeless or areat risk of becoming homeless.

Effective early intervention strategies can:

• provide timely responses to homelessness in order to reduce its effects andconsequences for individuals, families and communities; and

• bring about positive and enduring changes in circumstances at the earliestopportunity.

The term ‘early intervention’ is still relatively new to homelessness. The documentedsuccess of the early intervention strategies explored through the Prime Minister’sYouth Homelessness Taskforce has prompted the Government and the communitywelfare sector to investigate the potential benefits of early intervention strategieson various levels for other target groups.

A range of early intervention strategies is needed to meet the needs of thedifferent target groups and different surrounding circumstances. The Reconnect

program, for example, has successfully applied family mediation strategies, butthis may not be the most appropriate strategy for all homeless people.

While most early intervention activity has been directed at young people, the needfor early intervention strategies for adults has become pertinent as the majorityof homeless people are in the first third of their working lives.

Many of the programs discussed in the previous section on “Prevention” shouldalso be considered as having an early intervention component, as they focus onpeople at high risk of homelessness. For example, community and indigenoushousing, the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence projects, the NationalMental Health Strategy, and the services of Centrelink, all have a focus onreaching out to people at risk of homelessness.

EARLYINTERVENTION“Early intervention is a critical strategy

targeted towards at risk individuals

who have the potential to become

homeless if key issues in their life are not

addressed.”

The Council to Homeless Persons Australia


1 6

High Risk of Homelessness GroupsOur increasing ability through data and research to map pathways that lead tohomelessness, particularly for high risk groups, should now make developingand implementing early intervention strategies easier. It should also be able toinform us not only how, but also when and where, to intervene.

The Commonwealth identifies some of the high risk groups as being:

• indigenous Australians;

• young people who have been in care;

• people who have been in the criminal justice system;

• victims of violence;

• people with both substance abuse and mental health issues;

• families living in caravans and hotels; and

• people living in boarding houses.

The role of SAAP in Early InterventionEarly intervention was specifically included for the first time in the SAAP IIIAct, and the national evaluation of SAAP III recommended that this feature ofthe Act be retained in SAAP IV.

There are currently various understandings of what early intervention means toSAAP services, in both practical and policy terms and its position on the continuumof care model. The Commonwealth is keen to generate a common understandingof early intervention, build on the knowledge base of current programs andencourage the further development of practical early intervention initiatives.

Future DirectionsTaking into account our improving knowledge base on risk factors and pathwaysinto homelessness, we are seeking to find out more about what makes the criticaldifference in early intervention, to help us devise new approaches. For example:

• what kind of support structures work best for people making transitions fromfoster care, other forms of care, or the criminal justice system;

• how we could raise awareness in all service types about risk factors andpathways to homelessness, and help provide practical tools to help “first-to-know” agencies respond; and

• how we might enable more flexible use of funding for people who comeinto contact with homelessness services or other service types very early intheir period of homelessness, or during the “at risk” stage, who may havedifferent support needs.


1 7

Assisting people successfully out of homelessness is a priority for the CommonwealthGovernment.

Australia’s major response to the crisis of homelessness is the SupportedAccommodation Assistance Program (SAAP). SAAP is a joint Commonwealth–Stateprogram that provides financial assistance to community organisations and localgovernment to provide a range of support and supported accommodationservices for homeless people in crisis.

SAAP was established in 1985 and has been refined through periodic reviews,and three extensive national evaluations. SAAP is widely recognised as a worldclass program that successfully assists people in crisis to regain control overtheir lives. Commonwealth funding for SAAP has been increased by 18 per centin real terms under the new agreement.

SAAP is an important part of Australia’s overall response to homelessness, butalso an integral part of Australia’s broader social safety net.

Although considered a best practice program, there are still serious issues thatneed to be addressed and future decisions to be made at both policy and practicelevels.

Linking with HousingOne of these issues is the relationship between homelessness and housingpolicy and programs. It has long been recognised that bottlenecks in crisisaccommodation for the homeless are due to a lack of exit points from crisisassistance into medium or longer term housing. This lack of exit points meansthat crisis accommodation places cannot be freed up and homeless people whocould otherwise be assisted must be turned away.

CRISIS, TRANSITIONAND SUPPORT“Unfortunately, my homelessness does

not go away just because a counsellor

can only see me for six weeks, it does not

disappear because a service can only offer

a partial solution, and it’s not solved

by simply housing me.”

Matt Gleeson


1 8

“Throughout the last decade the ‘exit problem’ has become an increasingly

frustrating barrier to achieving good outcomes for SAAP clients.”

Hal Bissett Director, Ecumenical Housing

To address the issue of the lack of exit points, the Commonwealth and State/TerritoryGovernments have been working together through the new Commonwealth–StateHousing Agreement (CSHA) and in developing the new SAAP agreement tointegrate housing and homelessness policy to ensure that homeless people canaccess public housing.

The Commonwealth has worked with States and Territories to ensure that thereis increased spending on crisis accommodation. All jurisdictions are introducingsegmented or priority waiting list systems so that those with greater needsreceive priority of assistance.

The Commonwealth is also working with states to strengthen community housingas an option that is more appropriate for people with higher support needs.

This will result in a dramatic increase in the percentage of homeless peopleleaving SAAP for public housing. It is the Commonwealth Government’s beliefthat almost all those experiencing homelessness have the potential to sustain longterm housing, providing the necessary supports are in place.

For some people the need for the support will be short-term and low in intensity.For others with multiple issues in their lives, such as disability or a personalitydisorder, the need for support may be intensive and ongoing.

The Commonwealth is interested in investigating moving towards a case-basedapproach, with clients taking appropriate assistance packages with them betweendwellings, or accessing assistance from one dwelling in which they have secure tenure.

This would make it possible for homeless people to use crisis assistance whenthey needed it, and reduce its use over time, without their housing dependingon the provision of crisis support.

The Commonwealth believes that SAAP services and agencies are well placedto take a leading role in coordinating the delivery of a broad range of servicesto homeless people.

The Private Rental MarketThe private rental market is often the first choice of people exiting homelessness,due to greater control over the location of where they live. Many people find, setup and keep a home with little need for support, but a sizeable number do not makethe transition successfully and find themselves again in need of support.


1 9

Employment OpportunitiesAnother area of concern is the difficulties for homeless people in accessingemployment and training programs. The Commonwealth is committed to allpeople being able to access suitable employment and training opportunities, andsees participation in employment as offering hope for a permanent pathwayout of homelessness for many people.

The majority of SAAP service users are in the first third of their working lives,with most having held down jobs in the past. It is critical that the Job Networkand Centrelink, key players in the provision of employment assistance, areresponding to homeless people in a flexible and appropriate manner.

We want to forge better links between SAAP services, Centrelink and the Job Network,building on the good results shown through initiatives such as the CommunitySupport Program. This Program provides crucial support for people with multiplebarriers to employment. It has helped many homeless people to improve theirwork prospects by offering flexible pre-vocational support, including rehabili-tation, counselling and accommodation services. The Program is currently fundedat $15 million a year and is budgeting to double in size.

The findings of an Interagency Employment and Homelessness Project in 1996suggested that workers’ perceptions of their clients and knowledge of employmentprograms are a critical element when assisting people experiencing homelessnessachieve their employment goals.

“Homeless service participants who had been linked to employment

case management or labour market programs were clear that ‘finding

out about programs’ is the major barrier to participation.”

Michael O’Meara, author of ‘Changing Perceptions in Relation to Homelessness and Employment’

A successful initiative of Centrelink is its employment of Community ServiceOfficers (CSO).The CSO provide Centrelink services to people who have difficultyaccessing Centrelink because of their homelessness through outreach. The CSOrun clinics in SAAP services and other locations to ensure homeless people areable to access Centrelink services. The CSO assist some 52,000 customers eachyear nationally.

Future DirectionsThe Government remains committed to providing support at the point of crisis.The Government’s approach to welfare reform—focusing on increasing opportu-nities for social and economic participation for all Australians—will underpin futuredirections in this area by placing greater emphasis on long term pathways outof homelessness.


2 0

Some of the issues we are looking at include:

• the role of SAAP services in providing support to people in public housing;

• enhancing community housing as an option for people with higher needs;

• engaging other human service programs in supporting people out of thecrisis of homelessness;

• opportunities to expand the case-based approach;

• improving linkages with employment services;

• improving the private rental market as an exit point for homeless people;and

• further research on the critical factors in making a successful transition out ofhomelessness.

FaCS198.0005

national homelessness strategy · of homelessness. this framework will inform and shape future...

Documents