Responding to Homelessnessin Western Australia

Responding to Homelessnessin Western Australia

V O L U M E 2 5 • I S S U E 9D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2

P r i n t P o s t a p p r o v e d P P 3 2 8 8 6 6 / 0 0 6 0I S S N 1 0 3 2 - 6 1 7 0 • A B N 2 0 0 0 5 4 7 5 0 0 7

P A R I T Y

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PARITY · Volume 25, Issue 9 · December 2012

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liaCouncil toHomeless PersonsJenny Smith: Chief Executive

Officer

Sarah Toohey: Manager PolicyandCommunicationsUnit

Ian Gough: ManagerConsumerPrograms

Lynette Deakes: Office Manager

Noel Murray: PublicationsCoordinator

Lisa Kuspira: Communicationsand Policy Officer

Angela Kyriakopoulos: HAS Coordinator

Cassandra Bawden: Peer Education

and SupportProgram TeamLeader

Akke Halme: Bookkeeper

Address: 2 Stanley StreetCollingwood Melbourne VIC3066

Phone: (03) 8415 6200

Fax: (03) 9419 7445

E-mail: parity@chp.org.au

Promotion ofConferences, Eventsand PublicationsOrganisations are invited to have theirpromotional fliers included in themonthly mailout of Parity.Rates: $90 National distribution, $70 Statewide distribution only.

Write for Parity!Contributions to Parity are welcome.Each issue of Parity has a centralfocus or theme. However,prospective contributors should notfeel restricted by this as Parity seeksto discuss the whole range of issuesconnected with homelessness andthe provision of housing and servicesto people who are homeless. Where necessary, contributions willbe edited. Where possible this will bedone in consultation with thecontributor.

CHP Websitewww.chp.org.au

Parity Websitewww.chp.org.au/parityContributions can be sent by email toparity@chp.org.au or sent on disk ina Microsoft Word or rtf format to: Council to Homeless Persons, 2 Stanley St, Collingwood VIC 3066If neither of these two options ispossible, contributions can be faxedon (03) 9419 7445 or mailed to theabove address.

Cover artArtist: Rusty PetersTitle: BarranDimensions: 140cm x 100cmnatural ochre and pigmenton belgian linen© Copyright the artist,courtesy Warmun Art CentreSee page 6 for more details.

The views and opinionsexpressed in Parity arenot necessarily those of CHP.

Contents Foreword 3Hon. Robyn McSweeney MLC Minister for Child Protection; CommunityServices; Seniors and Volunteering; Women’s Interests; Youth

Editorial 4Jenny Smith, CEO, Council to Homeless Persons

Glossary 4Introduction 5By Robyn Martin, School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work, CurtinUniversity, Chantal Roberts, Executive Officer, Shelter WA and Paul Flatau,Director of the AHURI Research Centre, University of Western Australia andDirector of the UWA Business School Centre for Social Impact

Cover: Rusty Peters and 6the Warmun Arts CentreAlana Hunt, Assistant Manager and Curator, Warmun Art Centre

Chapter 1: The Policy FrameworkA Brief History of the Western Australian 7Homelessness Service System Pre-1985 to 2012By Genevieve Errey, Acting Director, Affordable and Social HousingSystem, Department of Housing WA and Helen Miskell Manager,Non-Government Funding — Homelessness

The Western Australian 12State and Regional Homelessness PlansBy Sandra Flanagan, Senior Project Officer, Department for Child Protection WA

Commonwealth Government 13Homelessness Programs in Western AustraliaBy the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services andIndigenous Affairs

Where do I Fit In: The NPAH So Far 15By Nikki Bollard, Project Manager, NPAH Implementation,Department of Housing WA

The Impact of State Government Initiatives 17on Homelessness in Western AustraliaBy Andrew Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, St Bartholomew’s House Inc.

Chapter 2: Program Serviceand Practice ResponsesThe Street to Home Program 19By Stacey Collins, Manager, Non-Goverment Funding — Homelessness,Department for Child Protection WA

‘A Good Life’ 20By Nina Crosland, Manager, Homeless and Transitional SupportService,St Bartholomew’s House

Perth Registry Week 2012: 22Challenges, Collaboration and LookingForwardBy Ros Mulley, Executive Manager, Ruah Community Services

Community Supported Residential Units: 24Working in PartnershipBy Linda Borrison, Manager, Mental Health Support Services,St Bartholomew’s House

A Partnership to Assist People 25with Alcohol and Drug Issues SecureIndependent AccommodationBy Dace Tomsons, Manager, Client Services and Development (South)Drug and Alcohol Office, Department of Health WA

The Journey to Lime Street: 26Creating Partnerships that WorkBy Lynne Evans, Former CEO, St Bartholomew’s House andNina Crosland, Manager, Homeless and Transitional Support Service,St Bartholomew’s House

Police and Registry Week Perth, WA 2012 28By Senior Sergeant Dave Hooper, Perth Police Station, WA

Making Ends Meet 29By Priscilla Wheatcroft, Coordinator, Private Housing Services,Anglicare Western Australia

What Does the Future Hold? 30By Peta Nordberg, Acting Operations Manager, Mission Australia,Western Australia

Registry Week Volunteer Perspective 32Compiled by Ros Mulley, Executive Manager, Ruah Community Services

The Mobile Clinical Outreach Team: 33Assertive Mental Health Outreach on theStreetBy Russell Oliver, Mental Health Nurse Practitioner,Mobile Clinical Outreach Team, Street to Home Program

Collaboration for Positive Health Outcomes 35By Julie Fereday, Learning Portfolio Manager Health,Central Institute of Technology, Mt Lawley Campus

At Vincentcare No Situation is Hopeless 36By Lucinda Ardagh, Manager, Public Relations and Fundraising,St Vincent de Paul Society (WA) Inc.

Homelessness Hub: Integrating Services 37at UnitingCare West’s Inner City CentreBy Jodie Smyth, Manager Accommodation and Support Services,UnitingCare West

The Uniting Care West Homeless 39Response During the Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingBy Sue Ash, CEO, Uniting Care West

Tom Fisher House: Can Architecture 41be Responsive to Homeless Service Delivery?By Stephen Hicks, Architect, CODA Architecture and Urban Design

Chapter 3: Key Themesin the Response to Homelessnessin Western AustraliaA: Responding to Domesticand Family ViolenceHaving the Violence Leave: 42A Choice or a Right?By Angela Hartwig, Women’s Council for Domestic and Family ViolenceServices and Donna Chung, University of Western Australia

The Safe at Home Program: 45Keeping Women and Children Safely HousedBy Stacey Collins, Manager, Non-Goverment Funding — Homelessness,Department for Child Protection WA

Ruah Safe at Home Program: 46Staying Housed and SafeBy Clare Brady, Senior Manager, Ruah Community Services

Domestic Violence Service System Project: 48‘Working together for better Integration’By Stacey Collins, Manager, Non-Goverment Funding — Homelessness,Department for Child Protection WA

The NEST: A Safe Place to Start 49By Emma Nelson, Youth Futures, WA

Stepping Through the Door: 51First Steps Towards a Fully IntegratedHomelessness Response in Western AustraliaBy Karoline Jamieson, Operations Manager Family Services,Communicare Inc.

Safe at Home: 53Working to Prevent HomelessnessBy Anne Moore, Executive Officer, The Lucy Saw Centre Association Inc,The Centre for the Prevention and Intervention of Domestic andFamily Violence

B: HousingThe Changing Face of Homelessness 55in Perth, Western AustraliaBy Michael Beard, Community Housing Coalition of WA

The Anglicare Western Australia Tenancy 58Support Program: Early IdentificationIntervention and Tenancy PreservationBy Liz Kerry, Anglicare WA

Disruptive Behaviour 60Management StrategyBy Scott Campbell, Manager, Housing Policy, Department of Housing WA

Housing Co-operatives: 62An Affordable OptionBy Gary Robins, Co-ordinator, Federation of Housing Collectives WA

Precarious Housing for 63Culturally and Linguistically Diverseand Aboriginal HouseholdsBy Dr. Shae Garwood, Shelter WA

Helping Clients to get a Private Rental: 65The Challenges and PitfallsBy Steve Thrussell and Tania Hennah, MercyCare

Affordable Housing for Life: 67A New Beginning for Vulnerable Youthin Our CommunityBy Frank Strever, Manager of Affordable Housing, MercyCare

From Renting to Homelessness: 68Challenges in the Western AustralianRental Market and the Risk of HomelessnessBy Stephanie Bachman, Shelter WA

C: Responding to IndigenousHomelessnessPerth Metropolitan Homeless Response 70Workshop: Developing a CoordinatedApproach Among Local Governments,Law Enforcement, Government Agenciesand Service ProvidersBy Dr. Shae Garwood, Shelter WA

Responding to Homelessness 72Kimberley StyleBy Michael King, Manager, Centacare Kimberley

Indigenous Visitors Accommodation 73By Maxine Chi, Principal Policy Officer, Department of Housing WA

Aboriginal Women 75Released from Prison to HomelessnessBy Kathy Mokaraka and Sally Scott, Women’s Support Service,Ruah Community Services

My Tenancy My Home: A Collaborative 77Approach to Managing Tenancies in WesternAustralia’s Remote Aboriginal CommunitiesBy Monique Berkhout, Manager, Aboriginal Housing Policy,Department of Housing WA

D: Responding Young PeopleExperiencing HomelessnessReflections on the Response to Youth 79Housing and Homelessness in WesternAustraliaBy Chantal Roberts, Executive Officer, Shelter WA

Assisting Homeless and 81at Risk Young People in BroomeBy Sarah Sihlen and Danielle Roberts, Burdekin Youth in Action, Broome

Experiences of Homelessness 82for Young Care LeaversBy Katherine Browne and Amber Hall, WA CREATE Foundation

The Foyer Deal: 84Conditionality as Part of the Foyer ModelBy Jethro Sercombe, Manager, Foyer Project, Anglicare WA

Early Intervention to Homelessness: 86Reconnect, an Innovative ApproachBy Steve Thrussell and MercyCare Reconnect Staff

E: The LawThinking About the Problem 88Rather than the Procedure: Effectiveness of Court Fines andInfringements to Reduce Offending Conduct of the HomelessBy Ann-Margaret Walsh, Principal Solicitor and Kate Novelli, Volunteer Paralegal, Street Law Centre

OpinionChantal Roberts 90Executive Officer, Shelter WA

Foreword

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EDITORIAL

This edition of Parity highlights the workb e i n g u n d e r t a k e n t o r e d u c e

homelessness in Western Australia (WA).The partnership approach between thecommunity services sector, governmentand mainstream services has ensuredservices have made a real difference to thelives of those who find themselves homeless.

Of interest in this edition, is an article thatoutlines the history of homelessness fundingacross the decades in WA and thedifferent focus over that time, all striving toachieve the best outcomes for those atrisk of or experiencing homelessness.

We know the causes of homelessness arecomp lex and tha t anyone can findthemselves in this situation through a varietyof circumstances. It is for this reason theresponses to homelessness also have tobe varied in order to meet the requirementsof all those in need of support and assistanceto get their life back on track.

In 2010, the Government launched the StateP l a n : O p e n i n g D o o r s t o A d d r e s sHomelessness 2010–2013, setting out theoverarching plan to reduce homelessness.The Plan shifted the responses towards earlyintervention, a better integrated servicessystem and a focus on breaking the cycleof homelessness. The State Plan builds onthe National Affordable Housing Agreement(NAHA) and the National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH).

The State Plan outlines the outcomes andkey principles for implementing an improvedintegrated approach to homelessness andaims to bring all relevant agencies togetherto open doors to improve the circumstancesfor those at r isk o f or exper ienc inghomelessness, as well as preventing peoplefrom slipping back into homelessness.

In 2011–12, Regional Homelessness Planscovering the State were developed betweenloca l communi ty , government , andnon-government stakeholders. The first sixmonthly reports submitted in March 2012h igh l igh ted tha t many reg ions hadsuccessfully progressed their priority areas.

T h e S t a t e P l a n a n d t h e R e g i o n a lHomelessness Plans are designed tomaximise service integration at all levels.This has served to build a strong foundationfor NPAH services as well as additional newinnovative collaborations between NAHA,NPAH, and mainstream agencies.

WA has a strong history of new andinnovative service practice and the injectionof additional State and Commonwealthfunding through the NPAH allowed thedevelopment of new service options. Thediversity of WA and the challenges facedby rural and remote services has alwaysrequired flexible approaches in often difficultcircumstances. The NPAH funding has beenvital to building onto the existing NAHAservices and tapping into the expertise inthe sector and establishing improved serviceintegration achieving better outcomes.

I am pleased to report that in 2011–12 allNPAH programs exceeded their targets andservices are working effectively to assistpeople who are homeless or at risk ofhomelessness to:

• obtain accommodation and sustaintheir tenancy in the long term

• stabilise ‘at risk’ tenancies andaddress the issues impacting on thetenancy

• remain in their own home followingdomestic violence when it is safe todo so, and/or

• minimise the impact ofhomelessness on children in orderto break the cycle ofintergenerational homelessness.

Key capital achievements under the NPAHinclude:

• The Oxford Foyer

• St Bartholomew’s Lime StreetFacility.

S i gn i fi can t l y , an i nnova t i v e Acu teHomelessness Night Shelter has alsobeen funded through the State Budget forcapital works and operational costs toestablish a night shelter for chronicallyhomeless adults in inner city Perth. This isexpected to be operational by March 2014.

I am proud of the progress we have madeto date and thank all our community sectorand government partners for the significantchanges we have made in the lives of many.

Hon. Robyn McSweeney MLC Minister for Child Protection;Community Services; Seniors and Volunteering; Women’s Interests; Youth

PARITY · Volume 25, Issue 9 · December 2012

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liaEditorialThis edition of Parity celebrates the work

of the specialist homelessness sectorin Western Australia (WA). Bringing this worktogether highlights themes in homelessnessin the big state of WA.

However the most distinctive feature thatemerges from this edition is perhaps not thefirst thing that would spring to mind. Whatstands out about our sector in WA is thegenuine partnership between all levels ofgovernment and the many non-governmentorganisations and bodies that are workingwith homelessness on the ground.

The sheer size of the state leads to quitedifferent experiences for those living in thecapital Perth and those living in the regions,particularly the most remote regions.Remoteness creates a raft of issues sharedby several Australian states and territories,particularly Queensland, South Australiaand the Northern Territory.

The growth in mining has significantlyincreased the population and wages in thestate and this in turn has had a negativeimpact on access to affordable housing.This impact is greatest in the mining centres,a problem that is not confined to, but mostacute in WA. Indeed, the growth inpopulation, and overall wages and wealthin WA can be understood to be its mostextreme form, a model for the affordablehousing crisis that currently affects allAustralian states and territories.

The Northern Territory, Queensland, SouthAustralia and WA have disproportionatelylarge numbers of Indigenous peopleexperiencing homelessness, particularly inregional and remote areas. However,Indigenous homelessness is not just aremote and regional issue, as increasingnumbers of Indigenous people, like everyoneelse, are drawn to metropolitan centres insearch of employment, services, health careand housing.

These issues of housing affordability,domestic and family v iolence, youthhomelessness, chronic homelessness andIndigenous homelessness are national innature. The distinctive WA response is an

outstanding level of genuine stakeholderpartnership. This is apparent between alllevels of government with the manyhomelessness service providers, as well asacross sectors including mental health, drugand alcohol and the police.

To some extent this collaborative partnershipmay be made easier by the significantfinancial investment by the state governmentin the work of the sector. Of course this isfacilitated by the wealth of the state, flowingfrom the mining boom and its attendantgrowth.

Concrete examples of this collaborativework include the Western Australian Councilon Homelessness which involves the federaland state governments with the sector.

The Specialist Homelessness ServicesConference held in May this year, wasitself a partnership between state andnational Governments. This successful eventis another fine example of the willingnessto work together towards the achievementof common goals and objectives.

The generous support of both the WAGovernment and key players in the WAhomelessness sector for the production ofthis edition of Parity, further underlines thiswillingness to enter into partnerships aroundhomelessness.

This edition of Parity is the fifth in the seriesof state and territory editions. This seriescommenced in 2008 with the SouthAustralian edition followed by the New SouthWales edition in 2009, the Queensland editionin 2010 and the Tasmanian edition in 2011.

The aim of these editions is to shine a lighton local pol icy and practice in thesejurisdictions and share those practicesacross the country.

The WA edition of Parity is appropriately, abumper edition. It demonstrates that evenwith big spaces and big issues, genuinecollaboration between government, the non-government sector and other stakeholders,is indeed the best way to go.

Jenny Smith, CEO, Council to Homeless Persons

Acknowledgements

CHP would like to thank the Governmentof Western Australia through its Departmentfor Child Protection WA for its generoussponsorship support for this edition. Ourt h a n k s a l s o t o U n i t i n g C a r e W e s t ,St Bartholemew’s, Ruah, Anglicare WA andMission Australia WA for their sponsorshipsupport.

CHP would also like to extend our specialthanks to Sandra Flanagan in the Departmentfor Child Protection WA for all her work inhelping to bring this edition together.

Thanks also to Robyn Martin from CurtinUniversity, Chantal Roberts the ExecutiveOfficer of Shelter WA and Paul Flatau fromthe University of Western Australia for theirsupport for and their work on this edition.

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GlossaryWestern Australia: WA

West Australian: WA

National Affordable Housing Agreement:NAHA

National Partnership Agreement onHomelessness: NPAH

Department for Child Protection WA:DCP

Department of Housing WA: DoH

Street to Home: S2H

Department of Families, Housing,Community Services and IndigenousAffairs: FaHCSIA

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse: CaLD

Safe at Home: SAH

Hardship Utility Grants Scheme: HUGS

Transitional Accommodation SupportServices program: TASS

IntroductionRobyn MartinSchool of Occupational Therapyand Social Work, Curtin UniversityChantal RobertsExecutive Officer, Shelter WAand Paul FlatauDirector of the AHURI ResearchCentre, University of WesternAustralia and Director of the UWABusiness School Centre forSocial Impact

It gives us great pleasure to introducethe first ever Western Australian edition

o f Par i t y . Th i s i s a bumper ed i t i onshowcasing top quality homelessnessservices and programs within WA. Theedition covers three main themes — thepolicy framework, service delivery andpractice responses, and the major issueswe face in responding to homelessness.Western Australia is a unique state interms of s ize, d istance, d ivers i ty ofpopulation, resources and culture.

This edition draws our attention to howthese factors shape the lived experience ofhomelessness. Some of the specificresponses discussed include regionalhomelessness plans, location specificiterations of national programs like Streetto Home and the close links betweenwomen’s refuges and Safe at Homeprograms across the state.

We begin the edition with a retrospectivefrom two of the most respected people inthe WA homelessness space, GenevieveErrey and Helen Miskell. They have bothworked in homelessness for over 30 yearsand their article provides, for the first time,a journey through homelessness policyand practice responses in Australia overthe last thirty years.

The specialist homelessness system hasbeen transformed in the last three yearswi th a host o f Nat iona l Par tnersh ipAgreements injecting much needed energyand funds into the local homelessnessscene. This has led to the consolidation,expansion and transformation of servicesas well as the introduction of innovative andl i fe-changing approaches to peopleexperiencing homelessness.

One of the things that it is important toremember is that the initiatives we see inthe National Partnership Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) grew out o fprevious ground-breaking work in WesternAustralia’s Supported Accommodationand Assistance Program (SAAP) Innovationand Investment Fund. NPAH initiativescould be rol led out so quickly in WAbecause they were built on past trials (bothsuccesses and relative failures).

A number of articles in this special WAedition of Parity provide insights into howthe NPAH and other homelessness-relatedprograms have been rolled out in WA. Keythemes evident in the descriptions ofnew or expanded specialist homelessnesss e r v i c e s i n c l u d e p e r s o n - c e n t r e dapproaches, relationship based work,individualised attention, flexible responsesand investment in the empowerment andse l f - de t e rm ina t i on o f peop l e whoexperience homelessness.

A further theme is the collaboration betweenfunding bodies and service providers andthe links service providers have forged withmainstream and specialist services to ensurepeople who experience homelessness, orwho are at risk of doing so are assisted withdignity and professionalism. This shows thatunderstanding of, and responses to,homelessness in Western Australia arecontemporary and reflective of internationalgood practice.

In sharing stories of people experiencinghomelessness and the journey to improvethe specialist homelessness system, it isclear that workers, managers, policy makersand activists are deeply committed toimproving the lives of people affected byhomelessness. There are stor ies ofperseverance and hope in this edition. It isaffirming to have the Western AustralianPolice contribute to this article — remindingus that homelessness is everyone’sbusiness. The overview of the history ofhomelessness in Western Australia providesa backdrop to the articles that follow.

There are also a number of challenges putto the reader in this edition. In particular,the ideas around ‘conditional tenancies’ asdescribed by the Department of Housingand Anglicare. These articles invite us toexplore ideas about mutual obligations andreasonable expectat ions of housingproviders and tenants. Another significantchallenge on the horizon is the uncertaintyof NPAH funding after June 2013. Somecontributors have highlighted this as asource of deep concern for all involved inthe specialist homelessness system.

At the time of going to press [16 Nov.2012], Federal Minister for Housing andHomelessness Brendan O’Connor hadannounced (on 14th of November 2012)that the Gillard Government would beapproaching the States and Territories ton e g o t i a t e a n e w h o m e l e s s n e s spartnership. Since that announcement,the Se lec t Counc i l o f Hous ing andHomelessness Ministers, which met inBrisbane on 16 November, has alsocommitted the States and Territories tomatch the funding to be provided byFederal Government for the NationalPartnership Agreement on Homelessness.The Select Council comprises of FederalMinister Brendan O’Connor, and housingministers from Australia’s States andTerritories. We trust that all parties willcome to a new agreement that adds topast responses to end homelessness,following consultations with the sector.

The challenges associated with housing inWestern Australia are explored from avariety of angles in this edition includingregional and remote experiences, and thedifficulties young people, and Indigenousand Culturally and Linguistically Diversepeople face in accessing housing. Thedifficult experiences of these groups arerepor ted ac ross Aus t ra l i a , bu t theparticulars of Western Australia such asthe extremely high cost of housing andlimited availability of private or publictenancies compound these marginalisedgroups’ problems in accessing housing.Unfortunately, this edition does not containdiscussion on other marginalised groups’such as people with disabilities or gay,lesbian, bi-sexual, queer, transgender orintersex people’s experiences of housingand homelessness.

Despite these difficulties and challenges, itis clear from the contributions that there isan overwhelming commitment to build andexpand quality professional relationshipsbetween government and non-governmentorganisations and practitioners. It is alsoevident that there is considerable individualand collective effort to resolve homelessnessin Western Australia. We invite you todelve into the Western Australian edition ofParity and celebrate the hard work anddeterminat ion o f a l l invo lved in thehomelessness area. ■

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liaCover : Rusty Peters and the Warmun Arts CentreAlana HuntAssistant Manager and CuratorWarmun Art Centre

Rus ty Pe te rs i s one o f the mos tdistinguished and creative artists

working in the Kimberley and Australia today.

A senior Gija man of Juwurru skin RustyPeters’ practice is driven by a highlyconceptual and philosophical approach tothought, story-telling and image making.

His works have brought together detailedexp lo r a t i ons o f h i s G i j a coun t r y ’ sNgarrangkarni (Dreaming) alongsidechallenging re-tellings of the historic eventst h a t h a v e t a k e n p l a c e h e r e s i n c ecolonisation. Rusty Peters is representedby Warmun Art Centre.

Peter’s work Baarran is a multifaceted storycombining a sense of home with theecological knowledge of the Ngarrangkarniand experiences of love and longing alongsidea wicked sense of humour. This is a storyRusty firstheard from his mother’s father.

Translated from Gija by FrancesKofod, below is an extract of Rustyspeaking about this work, Barran:

This is a place called Baarran, north ofWurranggan. This is a Dreaming place.This is the place of the painted lizard, thehomes of the painted lizard and themarsupial mouse are down here. Here at

the top are the homes of therasp tailedgoanna and the hill country goanna. Hereare the fire places for all those people indreamtime.

This place is my father’s father’s countryand our mother’s father’s country. This isthe mist they saw poor things. When theylooked they saw the brightness of the fireon the horizon to the north, the south andthe east.

That’s all the story for them. These, in themiddle, are their fire places. Here at thebottom are the homes of the paintedlizard and the marsupial mouse. Thoseare the camps belonging to the rasp-tailed goanna and the hill country goannaup on the hilltops.

‘Here, let’s all talk to each other here.’ 

‘No, you two come up here.’

‘No, this one is too short poor thing, hemight get tangled up and trip over in thegrass. Poor thing he’s short, ashort man.’

Those two (the hill country goanna andthe rasp-tailed goanna) went down here.They were all singing and saying thingsabout the others and laughing and talkingtogether about when all the youngwomen would come back. ‘I’m the one,I’m going to jump on that girl with the bigbreasts and bite her’, said this marsupialmouse (a little short man in dreamtime).

‘No, no, you are too short.

‘No,’ the short man reputed, “I’ll climb atree and then jump down from there,goodness me.”

This is his camp where he goes inside.This is the place where the painted lizard,the rasp-tailed goanna and the hill countrygoanna sat talking together. They eachhad their own camp but they used to goup and down. Therasp tailed goanna andthe hill country goanna used to go downbecause the mouse was too small. No,that little one, the marsupial mouse wastoo small, he didn’t go up, he was a shortlittle man in the Dreaming. That is whywhen we see him today he is small.

That is all the story for them. That is thesong belonging to the hill country goanna,when he sang about the brightness: Firesare glowing bright far away in thedistance, fires burning bright far away.Fires are glowing bright far away in thedistance, fires burning bright far away.

My mother’s father used to tell me aboutthis one. He used to sing to us (and wewould ask) ‘What are you singinggrandfather?’

‘Well this is not a love song, it is the songbelonging to that hill country goanna.This might be like a love song, we’ll singit when they come back later,’ they saidto each other. They might love us,goodness me.

Well that’s all about them. ■

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Chapter 1: The Policy Framework

A Brief History of the Western AustralianHomelessness Service System Pre-1985 to 2012Genevieve ErreyActing Director, Affordable and Social HousingSystem, Department of Housing WAand Helen Miskell Manager, Non-Government Funding—Homelessness

In the nearly 30 years we have worked inthe homelessness sector we have seen

many changes to the way homelessservices are planned, del ivered andmeasured in WA. We have seen hugechanges in the way homelessness isperceived by the general public and in therange of people who become homeless.We have also seen massive changes to thehousing system which has inevitablyaffected the availability of housing, the clientgroups seeking assistance and the type ofsupport services required.

Pre SAAPPrior to 1985 homeless services weres u p p o r t e d t h r o u g h a r a n g e o fCommonwea l th and S ta te fund inginitiatives. The major programs were theHomeless Persons Assistance Program,Domestic Violence services and women’srefuge funding and the Youth ServicesAssistance Program.

On 17 November 1983 a review was tabledin the Commonwealth Parliament thatrecommended, following negotiations withStates and Territories, and consultationswith women’s and youth groups, Aboriginalorganisations and service providers forother people experiencing homelessness,all Commonwealth crisis accommodationprograms should be brought togetherunder a single Act of Parliament. Thereview recommended that this Act providefunding to the States and Territories,embody a five year Commonwealth–Stateagreement, and be accompanied by theestablishment of Commonwealth–Stateco-ordinating committees which wouldalso include representatives of relevantnon-government organisations.

The aims of the program were to:

• provide improved and moreequitable funding of approvedservices and fund new services inareas of high need and to movetowards improved wages andconditions for workers

• move progressively during theprogram to improve the assessmentof the need for services and todistribute funds on the basis ofimproved assessment within eachstate and territory

• facilitate the involvement of serviceproviders in advising on programneeds and priorities.1

The Supported Accommodation AssistanceProgram –the joint Commonwealth andState initiative pulled a number of disparateresponses under one flagship program.While single men’s services and youthservices were generally accepting of theconcept, domestic violence services werenot. They viewed their service responseas linked to the Women’s Rights agenda— not as a response to homelessness.Refuge workers demonstrated, but the newSAAP still went ahead.

A number of homeless men’s services andday centres were ‘excluded’ on the basisthat the Commonwealth funding was toolow and to include them in the programwould require significant State Governmentinvestment.

SAAP I 1985–89In 1985–86 the Commonwealth and theStates and Territories established the firstSupported Accommodation AssistanceProgram (SAAP) Agreement (SAAP I). In WASAAP provided funding for 58 servicesacross three program areas; youth, women(DV) and general, with a program budgetof $6.2 million per annum.

At the same t ime as the SAAP wases tab l i shed so t oo was t he C r i s i sAccommodation Program (CAP) ‘A parallelprogram providing capital grants for crisisaccommodation.’2 In WA SAAP wasadministered by the Department forCommunity Services (currently Departmentfor Child Protection, DCP) and CAP byHomeswest, (currently the Department ofHousing). To this day, homelessnessoperating funding and capital funding areadministered in separate departmentsrequir ing good interagency workingrelationships.

Initially, the program commenced with theideal of a genuine partnership wheregovernment and non-government agencieswould jointly recommend funding decisionsto Ministers. The program was managedby a SAAP/CAP Coordinating Committeewith three Sub-Program Committees.

The Co-ord ina t ing Commi t tee hadmembership from each sub-programa r e a , C o m m o n w e a l t h a n d S t a t eDepartments for Community Services,Commonwealth Department of Housingand Construction, and Homeswest and waschaired by a member of the WesternAustralian Council of Social Services(WACOSS). The sub-programs were:

• Women’s Emergency ServicesSub-Program (WESP)with membership of all fundedservice providers.

• General Sub-Program (GSAAP)with membership elected from thoseagencies providing accommodationand support services via the Councilfor Homeless Persons.

• Youth Sub-Program (YSAAP)with membership from a field viathe Youth AccommodationCoalition of WA.

The role of the Sub-Program Committeeswas to establish policy and funding prioritiesfor each specific Sub-Program.

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The need to accurately describe the programand monitor service use resulted in two majornational collections. In 1987–88 a onenight census collection was held to collectclient characteristics and needs informationand a two week collection monitored thelevel of use and demand for services.

In January 1988, a national evaluation ofthe program was completed. The report‘Homes Away From Home’ by ColleenChesterman recognised the achievementsof the program and made recommendationsfor SAAP II including:

• the abandonment of the legislativeacknowledgement of thesub-programs, WESP, GSAAPand YSAAP

• the identification and focussing onthe needs of various target groups

• emphasising the transitional natureof the program.3

SAAP I focussed on the provision ofshort term crisis accommodationsuch as night shelters and refugesand was characterised by collectivedecision making by government andnon-government services with finalfunding approval resting with theCommonwealth Minister.

SAAP II 1989–95Following the Chesterman evaluation, theCommonwealth and States agreed that ‘ajoint, cost-shared program to assist thehomeless should continue’.4 Key elementsthat remained the hallmark of the programwere put in place, including dollar for dollarmatching of all new funding and a level ofindexation.

The agreement stipulated a new requirementfor three year service agreements whichwould contain nationally consistent coreprovisions including target group, servicepolicy and objectives, conduct of services,user rights and participation, access todisadvantaged groups, service evaluationand provision of data.

Administrative arrangements were refinedto streamline approval processes. Theseincluded revised advisory processes, servicereviews and a requirement for State Plans.

State advisory arrangements were changedto a Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC)w i t h m e m b e r s h i p o f S t a t e a n dCommonwealth Government Officers,Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)and an independent chairperson and a JointO ffice rs Group ( JOG) o f S ta te andCommonwealth Government Officers.

T h e M A C p r o v i d e d a d v i c e t oCommonwealth and State Ministers andapproved the work of the JOG which wasto develop State Plans, needs basedplanning, funding priorities (service type,t a r g e t g r o u p s a n d l o c a l i t i e s ) a n daccountability measures, service standardsand performance indicators, data needsand evaluation measures.

The first Western Australian SAAP/CAPState Plan was for 1989–91. Some of thehighlights of that first report are:

• A budget of $10.24 million in1988–89, nearly double the firstSAAP budget of 1985. Thisprovided funding for 79 services,increased from 58, including 11new country services.

• Commonwealth funding for CAPfunding increased each yearfrom $1.135 million in 1984–5 to$3.7 million in 1989–90.

• The establishment of baseminimum salary and oncostlevels and minimum levels for 24hour youth crisis services andsingle men’s services.

• An estimated 900 people pernight accommodated in SAAPservices.

A key change in SAAP II was the movetowards more medium, longer term and‘exit point’ services to break the cycle ofd e p e n d e n c y o n s h o r t t e r m c r i s i saccommodation. Many of the new servicesand funding increases were for this purpose.

In June1989 there was a special councilmeeting of Social Welfare Ministers toconsider the Human Rights CommissionReport on Homeless Children — TheBurdekin Report. As a result additionalfunding was provided to expand mediumand longer term accommodation andsupport services for young people, developculturally appropriate services for Aboriginalyoung people and improve current servicesthrough staff training.

Funding of $1 mill ion per annum wasprovided under a new program, the YouthSocial Justice Strategy, referred to as‘Burdekin funding’, which was closely alignedbut separate from SAAP. In WA, 13 newservices were funded, six of which were incountry locations. These ranged fromservices in country locations for Aboriginalat risk youth to long term accommodationoptions in the metropolitan area.

The Youth Social Justice Strategy fundingwas rolled into SAAP from 1 July 1995and service funding made recurrent. Themajority of the original Burdekin servicesare still operating.

SAAP II Improved administrative andreporting arrangements andexpanded the focus of the programtowards more medium, longer termand ‘exit point’ services to break thecycle of dependency on short termcrisis.

SAAP III 1995–2000The SAAP II Agreement was due to expireJune 1994 but was extended to June 1995to allow the Commonwealth and State tonegotiate the new Agreement and to allowfor the new Supported AccommodationAssistance Act to become law.

W i t h a L a b o r G o v e r n m e n t a t t h eCommonwea l th leve l and a L ibera lGovernment at WA State level, negotiationsaround the new Agreement were tensewith WA and a number of other statesrefusing to sign until a number of matterswere agreed, including streaml in ing

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administrative procedures to enable stategovernments to make funding decisionsbased on agreed plans.

Wh i l e nego t i a t i ons con t i nued , t heCommonwealth had no mechanism torelease payments and WA received noCommonwealth funds for six months untilthe Agreement was final ly signed on7 December 1995. The State Governmentensured that all services were funded andthe program continued as normal. Paymentf rom the Commonwealth was maderetrospectively in January 1996.

SAAP I I I saw further changes to thea d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f S A A P a n d t h edevelopment of service delivery.

Through the Bilateral Agreement with theCommonwealth, Western Australia was theonly state to negotiate and gain additionalflexibility to manage SAAP III. The WesternAustralian SAAP Agreement had an attachedJoint Approvals Framework, which enabledthe State Minister to approve fundingallocations within an agreed planningframework. The Western Australian initiativein 1995 has enabled the States and Territoriesto seek further flexibility as the new directionsfor the next phase of the program unfolded.

A Joint Project Approvals Framework wasagreed. The Commonwealth no longerapproved the funding of every SAAP serviceand project. Instead a three year rolling StateSAAP Plan would be developed betweenthe Commonwealth and State settingpriorities, including new services for thecoming year. Only changes to servicesoutside of the State Plan would require jointMinisterial approval.

While the MAC was no longer a requirement,WA chose to continue with a Ministerialadvisory mechanism and the establishmentof the SAAP State Advisory Committee(SAAP SAC) was endorsed by the Cabinetof Western Australia on 15 May 1995. TheJoint Officers Group was no longer required.

Some of the other key changes were:

• the introduction of the SAAPNational Co-ordination andDevelopment Committee (CAD)

• the introduction of a National DataCollection

• a national approach to casemanagement

• the development of servicestandards and funding of supportprojects to assist services toimplement them.

The first State Plan under SAAP III 1995–96to 1997–98 recorded annual funding of $15.7million to 109 services as at April 1996.

In 1996 the SAAP SAC embarked on a state-wide consultation with the sector to seekfeedback on the plan and develop the1996–99 plan. Teams consisting of a SAAPSAC member and a Departmental officervisited six country locations and held fourmetropolitan workshops. Following this a fullday workshop was held with representativesfrom each area and sector peaks, as well assix SAAP SAC members to collate feedback

and develop recommendations. This resultedin the following new initiatives:

• an induction training program forSAAP staff

• interdepartmental protocols.

In December 1997 the Crisis Assistance,Supported Housing (CASH) Award WA wasimplemented in WA. The Departmentfunded the Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (CCI) to assist SAAP services toaddress the CASH award. The State andCommonwealth contributed additionalfunds to meet the costs of implementingthe Award and by 1999 total funding

increases of $5.8 million a year had beenprovided to SAAP services.

By June 2000 SAAP funding in WA hadincreased to $23.6 million a year for 119services.

The National Evaluation6 of SAAP III noteda number of areas for further developmentand set priorities around those areas thatrequired more attention.

The focus of SAAP III was ondeveloping the sector, improvingthe quality of service provision,and measuring client characteristicsand needs.

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SAAP IV 2000–05In SAAP IV and program priorities were setout in a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) agreed in pr inc ip le betweenCommun i t y Serv ices M ins te rs a t aCommonwealth and State and Territorylevel. The MOU provided for four Strategic

Themes:

1. Client Focussed Service Delivery

2. Integration and Collaboration betweenSAAP and other Service Systems

3. Increasing Performance, Knowledgeand Skills

4. Working Together.

Administrative arrangements were furtherd e v o l v e d t o t h e S t a t e s , w i t h t h eCommonwealth Minster no longer requiredto approve new services. A National StrategicPlan would set a work program and evaluationand reporting framework. The states wouldbe responsible for administering the programat a state level and could ensure that servicesare funded to meet state priorities.

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Summary: How the homeless programs in Western Australia have changed since the 1980sProgram NameFunding atCommencement

Prior to SAAPPre 1985

SAAP I1985-89$6.2 million

SAAP II1989–95$10.24 million

SAAP III1995–2000$15.7 million

SAAP IV2000–05$23.6 million

SAAP V 2005–09$29.6 million and $1.3 millionInnovation and InvestmentFund

NAHA 2009+$34.7 million NAHANPAH $135 over four yearscapital and operational

Administrative andAdvisory Arrangements

A range of separately fundedprograms.

collective decision making byGovernment and non-Government services

Ministerial AdvisoryCommittee

Joint Officers Group

State Plans

National Co-ordination andDevelopment Committee(CAD)

Joint Project ApprovalsFrameworkSAAP State AdvisoryCommitteeThree Year rolling StatePlans

Funding approvals by StateMinister only.

SAAP State AdvisoryCommittee

Funding approvals by StateMinister only.

SAAP State AdvisoryCommittee

Western Australian Councilon Homelessness

Key Documents

Commonwealth ParliamentHansard

The SupportedAccommodation AssistanceAct 1985

National Evaluation: HomesAway From Home —Supported AccommodationAssistance Program Review,Colleen Chesterman January1998.

National Evaluation:Moving Forward Report ofthe National Evaluation of theSupported AccommodationAssistance Program,Mary Lindsay June 1993

National Evaluation of theSupported AccommodationAssistance Program,National Evaluation TeamApril 1999

Western Australian StateHomelessness Plan 2002–06

National Evaluation of theSupported AccommodationAssistance Program(SAAP IV), Erbus ConsultingPartners, May 2004

Evaluation of the Impactand Effectiveness of theWestern Australian StateHomelessness Strategy,Estill and AssociatesJanuary 2006

The (evaluation of) SAAP VInnovation and InvestmentFund Strategy in WesternAustralia, Paul Flatau andAnne Coleman 2008

Evaluation of the SAAP VInnovation and InvestmentFund Family and DomesticViolence Early InterventionPilot Outreach Projects,Dr Colleen Fisher, Dr MoiraO’Connor, Dr AndrewGuilfoyle, July 2008.

Western Australian AuditorGeneral’s Report,Implementation of theNational PartnershipAgreement on

Homelessness in WesternAustralia, Report 13,October 2012

Focus

Fixing immediate crises

Short-term crisisaccommodation

medium, longer term and‘exit point’ services.

developing the sectorimproving the quality ofservice provision,measuring clientcharacteristics and needs

State HomelessnessStrategy

Preventing homelessness

Breaking the cycle

Innovation and InvestmentFund

National Affordable HousingAgreement

National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness

Administrative data on funded services wasnow provided via the Australian Institute ofHealth and Welfare (AIHW) which operatedthe National Data Collection. Ministerial advicewas provided to the State Minister by theSAAP State Advisory Committee consistingof Government and sector representativeswith an independent Chair.

In 2000 the GST was introduced withincreased complex i t ies in f inanc ia ladministration for government and servicesalike. In recognition of increased costs andthe potential for increased demand, theCommonwealth provided an increase tothe funding base that did not require dollarfor dollar matching.

The WA State Homelessness Strategy2002–06 Putting People First proposed ashift in emphasis from the provision of crisisservices to services designed to break thecycle of homelessness.

T h e W A G o v e r n m e n t i n j e c t e d a nadditional $32 Million over four years intoinnovative services, including:

• Nine private tenancy supportservices, five metropolitan, threecountry and one for Culturally andLinguistically Diverse (CALD) peoplein the metropolitan area.

• Two specialist financial counsellingservices for young people.

• Three services, one metro-wide andtwo country, to assist for youngpeople leaving state care.

• Increased services to assisthomeless children in countrydomestic violence services, and inservices for homeless families; andsupport for young parents living intransitional youth accommodationservices.

Following and evaluation of the Strategy in2006, most of the funded services wererolled into SAAP V.

SAAP IV included a focus onpreventing homelessness andcontinued to focus on skilling thesector through provision oftraining, improving servicedelivery through monitoring ofstandards and developing linkswith other mainstream agenciesvia the protocols.

SAAP V 2005–09Administrative and reporting arrangementscontinued as for SAAP IV.

The fifth Supported AccommodationAssistance Program (SAAP V) MultilateralAgreement commenced on 1 October 2005.The Bilateral SAAP IV Agreement was dueto expire 30 June 2005. However, it wasextended 30 September 2005.

The annual funding at the commencementof SAAP V was $29.6 million.

In July 2006 the WA Government providedadditional funding to SAAP services of10 per cent on the State component ofSAAP to assist with service viability.

The key driver of sector reform in SAAP Vwas the Innovation and Investment Fundwith $4.8 million in funding over four years($1.3 million per annum) provided jointly bythe Commonwealth and WA Governments.

Following an expression of interest, tenprojects were funded to address threeStrategic Priorities of SAAP V:

• early intervention and prevention

• multiple support needs and linkages

• post-crisis transition.

The initiatives were tasked with ‘doing thingsdifferently’ to achieve better client outcomes.Evaluation of the initiatives was plannedfrom the beginning and a key aspect of eachwas the inclusion of Action Research intoservice model.

Two evaluations were conducted, a generalevaluation of the whole strategy by PaulFlatau and Anne Coleman, and evaluationof the Family and Domestic Violence EarlyIntervention Pilot Outreach Projects, by DrColleen Fisher, Dr Moira O’Connor, DrAndrew Guilfoyle, July 2008. Learnings andfindings from these pilot projects were pivotalin the deve lopment o f the Nat iona lPartnership Agreement on Homelessness(NPAH) initiatives.

SAAP V focussed on innovation,trialling new ways of working andlearning from action research andevaluation.

NAHA 2009 OnwardsThe Council of Australian Governments(COAG) Intergovernmental Agreement onnew Federal Financial Arrangements saw arationalisation of Specific Purpose Payments.The creation of the new National AffordableHousing Agreement (NAHA) incorporatedthe former Commonwealth State HousingA g r e e m e n t a n d t h e S u p p o r t e dAccommodation Assistance Program. Thislocked in base funding for the Statewithout the need for joint decision making.

The fifth Supported AccommodationAssistance Program Multilateral Agreement(SAAP V) ceased on 31 December 2008.Services previously funded under SAAPwere now funded under the NationalAffordable Housing Agreement whichcommenced on 1 January 2009. AnnualCommonwealth/State base funding was$34.8 million.

In 2012 the Western Australian Governmentprovided an additional $4 million per yearto address viability of homelessness services(NAHA and NPAH) , rep resen t ing a15 per cent increase on the state componentof funding.

In 2012–13, 117 services will be fundedvia NAHA services for a total of $45.8 million

A W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a n C o u n c i l o nHomelessness was established to adviset h e M i n i s t e r o n i s s u e s r e l a t e d t ohomelessness.

The White Paper on homelessness, TheRoad Home, was launched in December2008, by the Commonwealth Government

and outlined a national approach to reducinghomelessness. Through the COAG processthe Commonwealth and States have agreedto an additional $800 million over four yearsfor the National Partnership Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH). WA received $135million over four years for capital andoperational costs.

The NPAH was closely aligned with the WhitePaper and centred on three core strategies:

• prevent homelessness and interveneearly so that fewer people becomehomelessness

• break the cycle of homelessness sofewer people remain or re-enterhomelessness

• connecting the service system.

In WA 81 new services were funded throughthe NPAH to deliver programs addressingthe core strategies. A number of the WANPAH initiatives are described in articles inthis issue of Parity.

The WA Auditor General has conducted anaudit on WA’s implementation of theNPAH. The report was tabled in the StateParliament on Wednesday 25 October 2012,and was largely positive, noting that theNPAH initiatives had made a positived i f fe rence fo r peop le exper ienc inghomelessness. However, the report alsonoted that ongoing uncertainty over the futureof the Agreement risks a loss of servicedelivery capacity and cutting short supportfor people experiencing homelessness.

A Final WordAt the time of writing, October 2012, WAis once again at a funding crossroads.Uncertainty over the future of NPAH fundingpost June 2013 is of great concern.

In response to the Auditor General’s reportthe WA Department of Premier and Cabinetnoted ‘the OAG’s (Office of the AuditorGeneral) concern around the uncertainty ofthe programs funded under the Agreementcontinuing after June 2013. Despite repeatedrequests, the Commonwealth Governmenthas not yet engaged in negotiations to extendor renew the Agreement’.7 ■

Footnotes1. Commonwealth Parliament, Hansard,

Wednesday, 27 March 1985 Page: 1020

2. Source: Briefing note to Minister forCommunity Services on the SupportedAccommodation Assistance Program writtenby Genevieve Errey on 6 March 1986.

3. Western Australian Plan 1989–91 SupportedAccommodation Assistance Program, CrisisAccommodation Program

4. Letter from Hon Peter Staples MP Ministerfor Housing and Aged Care to The Hon KayHallahan MLC, Minister for CommunityServices 3 November 1988.

5. National Evaluation of the SupportedAccommodation Assistance Program,National Evaluation Team April 1999.

6. Western Australian Auditor General’s Report,Implementation of the National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness in WesternAustralia, Report 13, October 2012.

7. Western Australian Auditor General’s Report,Implementation of the National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness in WesternAustralia, Report 13, October 2012.

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liaThe Western AustralianState and Regional Homelessness PlansSandra Flanagan Senior Project Officer, Department for Child Protection WA

The Western Australian Council onHomelessness (WACH) was established

by the Minister for Child Protection as anexternal advisory body to government onhomelessness matters in February 2010.The Council is made up of communityservices sector and academic representativesw i t h members f r om key S ta te andCommonwealth government departments.

The Council’s first task in its inaugural yearwas to deve lop t he S ta te P l an f o rH o m e l e s s n e s s i n W A . T h e W A C Hdeveloped the vision, outcomes, guidingprinciples, action areas and commitmentoutlined in the State Plan. Through thisprocess emerged the need to a lsodevelop regional homelessness plans.

Wi thout access to permanent sa feaccommodation and support, people at riskof, or experiencing homelessness are morelikely to experience poor health, inadequateschool ing and educat ion, v io lence,prolonged unemployment and socialisolation. Responding to homelessness isfundamentally linked to housing. However,it is also much more than this. It involvesp rov id i ng suppor t t o mee t hea l t h ,employment, social and personal needs.

The Western Australian Homelessness StatePlan 2010–2013: Opening Doors to AddressHomelessness was developed to identify animportant vision to address homelessnessand represented a commitment andrenewed focus on intervening early to preventand reduce homelessness in WA.

The State Plan outlines the outcomes andkey pr inc ip les fo r imp lement ing ani m p r o v e d i n t e g r a t e d a p p r o a c h t ohomelessness and aims to bring all relevantagencies and services together to opendoors and improve circumstances forpeople who are at risk of, or experiencinghomelessness. It supports the three keystrategies of early intervention, betterintegrated service system and breakingthe cycle. The State Plan also identifies theact ion areas to support f lexible andresponsive services for people when theyare homeless and to prevent people fromslipping back into homelessness.

The diversity of WA and the unique issuesacross the regions require customisedapp roaches . Reg iona l P l ans we redeveloped across WA to implement anintegrated service system response tohomelessness at a local level. It is not justthe role of specialist homelessness servicest o a d d r e s s h o m e l e s s n e s s . T o b esuccessful, a variety of services and sectorshave a role to play, including mainstreamand al l ied services, government andcommunity services.

R e g i o n a l H o m e l e s s n e s s P l a n n i n gcommenced in November 2010 withworkshops in each region facilitated by theDepartment for Child Protection (DCP),WACH and involved local stakeholders.Discussion papers were prepared for eachreg ion in 2011 fo l l owed by fu r the rworkshops where three key priority actionsfor each region were identified to form theregional homelessness plan for 2011–2012.

The plans focused on the following actionareas, as identified in the State Plan andaimed at assisting people to access andsustain housing, address underlying

needs which exclude them from thecommunity and prevent future episodesof homelessness:

• range of housing options

• employment, education and training

• health and wellbeing

• connection with community, familyand friends.

A solutions focussed approach was usedto facilitate the workshops looking at thecurrent responses and additional responsesfor the future. Group discussions identifiedthe local strategies which were anticipatedto commence and/or completed within12 months. Regional HomelessnessPlans were signed by all key players in theregions, with many regions hosting signingevents to promote and acknowledgecommitment to the implementation of theregional homelessness plan.

Progress reports from each region haveind ica ted sound progress towardscompleting their identified actions. Examplesinclude:

• an extranet directory of agencies

• regular forums with a focus onhomelessness

• establishment of a new night shelter

• increased collaboration between keyagencies

• the development of strategies toreduce gaps in service delivery

• community ‘connect’ events forhomelessness.

The process of developing the regional planshas arguably been more important than theend result. Bringing people together with afocus on homelessness and initiatingconversations around innovative strategieshas been enormously successful in raisingawareness and c rea t ing a pos i t i vemomentum to address homelessnessthroughout the broader sector. Withrenewed energy and a better understandingof the role and scope of local agencies,important partnerships have been formedand improved integration achieved.

State and Regional Plans will be reviewedin late 2012 to early 2013 to identify thenext actions in a strategic response to localhomelessness. ■

The State and Regional Plans can befound of the Department for ChildProtection website at:http://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/servicescommunity/ Pages/Homelessness.aspx

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Commonwealth GovernmentHomelessness Programs in Western AustraliaDepartment of Families,Housing, Community Servicesand Indigenous Affairs(FaHCSIA)

Reconnect Program forHomeless Youth (or atrisk of Homelessness)

The Reconnect program takes care ofyoung people who may not have the

best start in life by providing them with asupportive and safe environment and thehelp they need to work their way backfrom homelessness.

The Reconnect program has been runningsince 1998 and is currently funded by theAustralian Government Department ofFamilies, Housing, Community Services andIndigenous Affairs.

Reconnect is a community based earlyintervention program for young people 12to 18 years, (young people aged 12 to 21for Reconnect — Newly Arrived YouthSpecialist services), who are homeless orat risk of homelessness, and their families.

Reconnect aims to address the underlyingreasons for a young person leaving home:family conflict, family separation, school relatedconflict, violence, poverty, drug use and mentalhealth issues. The service providers workclosely with other agencies to support boththe young person and the family, and providecounselling and practical support.

Between 2000 and 2012 Reconnect assisted66,000 young people and their families,including 5,670 in 2011–12 alone. As a result,earlier this year the Gillard Governmentdecided to extend funding for 2012–13.Funding of $24 million will be invested inmore than 100 services in metropolitan,regional, rural and remote locations aroundAustralia, including a number of specialistservices such as the nine Indigenous and 13Newly Arrived Youth Specialists.

BackgroundSince the mid-1990s, social policy has seenan increased focus on early intervention. In1996, the Commonwealth Government setup a taskforce to oversee the creation ofe a r l y i n t e r v e n t i o n p i l o t p r o j e c t s .Reconnect was one of the first projectsestablished as a result.

In the Australian Government’s 2008 WhitePaper on homelessness, The Road Home:A Na t i ona l App roach t o Reduc i ngHomelessness, Reconnect is specificallyrecognised as an effective program forreducing youth homelessness which willcontinue to play an important role as anearly intervention program.

Reconnect also provides an example forother early intervention programs bydemonstrating how it works with critical‘first to know’ agencies such as schools,health services and Centrelink.

Behind Reconnect’sService DeliveryR e c o n n e c t b r e a k s t h e c y c l e o fhomelessness by providing counselling,group work, mediation and practicalsupport to the whole family. Serviceproviders also ‘buy in’ other services tomeet the individual needs of clients, suchas specialised mental health services.

Reconnect is viewed as a key programto promote family reconciliation throughmanaging conflict and improving familycommunication. The program’s outcomesinclude:

• the young person returning home

• creating ongoing positive familyrelationships which provide theyoung person with emotionaland physical support

• reconciling the young personwith other family members forexample grandparents orsiblings, both parent(s)

• the young person acceptingthat independence isappropriate for them

• establishing a viable supportsystem for the independentyoung person that includes amember of his or her family.

Reconnect also fosters engagement withemployment, education or training, and thecommunity and helps to build communitycapacity for early intervention in youthhomelessness.

Reconnect inWestern AustraliaIn Western Australia Reconnect servicesare delivered by several service providers,including MercyCare, Parkerville Childrenand Youth Services, Mission Australia,Accordwest and Albany Youth Support.The services cover a broad area of WA,from Perth through Margaret River toAlbany and Denmark.

There are also a number of Reconnectoutlets which provide services for youngpeople who require some form of specialistservice delivery. They are:

• Burdekin Youth in Action thatdelivers services to youngAboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people residing in theShire of Broome

• Outcare, that services youngpeople who have been incontact with the justice system

• Association for Services toTorture and Trauma Survivors(ASeTTS) that works with newlyarrived youth.

In 2011–12 Reconnect services in WesternAustralia provided support to 632 youngpeople, with more than 90 per cent reportingan overal l improvement in the youngperson’s situation at the end of support.

‘Working with Accordwest hasmade me more independent.I have a strong handle on mydepression and understand aboutself-care and self-respect. I feel moreable to commit to my studies nowand have stronger independent livingskills. I feel more able to rebuildmy family relationships’

(Accordwest’s client)

Recent ReconnectProgram EvaluationFaHCSIA recently commissioned theAustralian Catholic University’s Institute ofChild Protection Studies to evaluate effectiveintervention strategies for working withyoung people who are experiencing, or atrisk of, homelessness. Two publicationswere produced, including a literature reviewand an evaluation report on the Reconnectprogram’s interventions.

Both publications and other relevantinformation are available on the Departmentof Families, Housing, Community Servicesa n d I n d i g e n o u s A f f a i r s w e b s i t ewww.fahcsia.gov.au.

HOME AdviceThe Household Organisational ManagementExpenses (HOME) Advice Program assistsfamilies who face difficulty in maintainingtenancies or home ownership due topersonal or financial circumstances. Theprogram’s early intervention approachprevents families from needing to use crisisaccommodation services.

The Gillard Government has committednearly $3 million, over 2012–14, to deliverthe HOME Advice Program through apartnership with the Australian GovernmentDepartment of Human Services, CentrelinkServices and community agencies in eachstate and territory throughout Australia.Each site delivers services to families withinthe relevant Centrelink Customer ServiceCentre area boundary.

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liaBackgroundHOME Advice program began in 2001 withthe Australian Government committingapproximately $5 million over three years fora new Family Homelessness Prevention Pilot(FHPP). The pilot was an initiative of theNational Homelessness Strategy and signifiedthe first national early intervention effortspecifically directed to family homelessness.

A particularly innovative component of thenew initiative was the partnership modelbetween community agency pilot sitesand local Centrelink Offices. This modelarticulated that the community serviceprovider, along with their participatingCentrelink Office would trial localisedapproaches to identify and assist familiesat risk of becoming homeless.

The aim of the FHPP was prevention — toincrease fami l ies’ capaci ty to avoidhomelessness as well as to build capacityin the local service system to respond moreeffectively to the needs of at-risk families.This was to be achieved through a bifurcatedapproach — working directly with at riskfamilies to help to stabilise their situation,while also working on broader systemicissues through collaborative partnershipswith other services. The purpose of thep a r t n e r s h i p w a s t o d e v e l o p l o c a lstrategies to enhance the local community’scapacity to respond to family homelessness.

Following a review of the program in 2003,the Australian Government committed tocontinuing the program and it becameknown as the HOME Advice program.

HOME Advice inWestern AustraliaIn Western Australia the HOME Adviceprogram is provided by Anglicare WA. Theservice, known as Anglicare StabilisingHomes (ASH), covers the MandurahCent re l i nk Cus tomer Se rv i ce A reaBoundary.

In 2011–12 ASH provided assistance to75 families, with close to 70 per cent ofthese families reporting an improvement intheir situation after contact with the service.

The service provides a range of interventionsto suppor t fam i l i es . These inc ludedeve lop ing budgets, advocacy andsupportive linking with a range of otherservices including medical services andemployment services.

National PartnershipAgreement onHomelessnessUnder the National Partnership Agreementon Homelessness (NPAH), the AustralianGovernment, together with all the statesand territories, has committed $1.1 billionto provide new and better integratedaccommodation and support services.

The Agreement will deliver over 180 newor expanded homelessness services acrossAustralia as well as 600 new dwellings underA Place to Call Home.

National PartnershipAgreement onHomelessness inWestern AustraliaA total of $135.16 million in funding hasbeen allocated to WA under the NPAH. Ofthis, the Commonwealth is contributing$66.79 million.

There are 19 NPAH initiatives currently beingdelivered in Western Australia and all areoperational.

The Western Australian Implementation Plancontributes to the National AffordableHousing Agreement (NAHA) objective thatpeople who are homeless, or at risk ofhomelessness achieve sustainable housingand social inclusion and contributes to thefollowing NPAH outcomes:

• fewer people will become homelessand fewer of these will sleep rough

• fewer people will become homelessmore than once

• people at risk of or experiencinghomelessness will maintain orimprove connections with theirfamilies and communities, andmaintain or improve their education,training or employment participation

• people at risk of or experiencinghomelessness will be supported byquality services, with improvedaccess to sustainable housing.

Specifically, Western Australia is focussingon domestic violence prevention, public andprivate tenancy, rough sleepers and leaving

care/correctional facilities. Much of thiscorrelates to the priority areas highlightedin the 2006 Census which were roughsleepers, children and young people andthose most l i ke ly to use temporaryaccommodation, family and friends.

Some of the services supported under theNPAH in WA include:

• St Bartholomew’s Lime StreetFacility, which is an example of anew service model within apurposefully designed facility thatfully integrates NAHA, NPAH Streetto Home, and Aged Care funding tosupport the aged homelesspopulation. Recently opened, this148 unit facility provides flexibleaccommodation options and theopportunity to support people tomove from crisis to permanenthousing. It will also provide flexiblelong term, crisis, transitional andaged care accommodation optionsfor those experiencing or at risk ofhomelessness. 

• Oxford Foyer which will house100 disadvantaged young peoplebetween the ages of 16 and 25,including 35 young people who arehomeless or at risk ofhomelessness. Communal trainingand office space is beingincorporated into the site, and it willbe staffed 24-hours-a-day, sevendays-a-week. The site is located onthe grounds of the Central Instituteof Technology campus and withinwalking distance to other educationand training facilities. ■

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Where do I Fit In: The NPAH So FarNikki Bollard Project Manager, NPAH Implementation, Department of Housing WA

As the National Partnership Agreementon Homelessness (NPAH) has evolved Ihave learned many new aspects ofservice delivery to people experiencinghomelessness and I am never surprisedat what can be achieved when allagencies work together. In my 20 yearsof working in human service related fieldsI have never seen such collaboration andcooperation as I have during myinvolvement in the NPAH. It has achievedbetter connected services, helped clientssee where they fit in to housing and beenthe platform on which some have rebuilttheir lives.

The Western Australian Department ofHousing’s (DoH) involvement in the

NPAH over the last few years has seen manyhighlights and challenges — one of the mostamazing being a person who went frombeing homeless to a homeowner in a veryshort period of time.

Among the challenges we have faced themost confronting was the change in thehousing market. During the NPAH anenvironment of rising private rental costs andan undersupply of affordable rentals hasprevailed. This has increased pressure onthe lower end of the rental market causinga reduction in rental housing turnover and aflow on reduction in rental vacancies in boththe public and private sectors.1 Despite thesedifficulties in the housing market, over thepast two years, 728 public housing propertieshave been allocated to people experiencinghomelessness across the State to houseover 1,640 people by 30 June 2012.

Other challenges that also arose were theavailability of suitable housing stock in somelocations, staff turn-over and tenants andneighbors getting on together. Challengescan be overcome through relationshipsbetween regional housing offices and theservice providers. The value of good workingrelationships can never be overstated as avital key to client successes. We have

developed new, productive, workingre la t ionsh ips wi th non-governmentcolleagues in Specialist HomelessnessServices, the Street to Home program, andHousing Support workers responding todrug and alcohol, mental health andcorrective services clients and of courseour own clients have been assisted by PublicTenancy Support Services.

Our relat ionships with col leagues ingovernment agencies have also broughtthe benefit of housing to their clients whomight o therw ise be home less . Theimplementation of NPAH in WA shows howmultiple agencies can work with clients toachieve a safer home or accommodationand the ways to sustain them.

Housing is fundamental to people gainingcontrol over their lives. Our homes providestability, help us to define where we are inthe world and are the catalyst that enablesus to reach out to employment, educationand other opportunities. The NPAH hasbeen a champion for people experiencinghomelessness even to the extent of assistingthem to become their own champions.

Figure 1. Strong relationshipsbetween government agencies andthe non-government sector havebeen fundamental to achievingoutcomes for people who arehomeless or at risk of homeless.

While the roles are vastly different, goodrelationships have allowed the agencies towork toge the r — fo r i ns tance , thedepartment’s Housing Service Officers maymake a Housing Support Worker andtenant aware of rent arrears — the support

worker then assists the client to addressthe debt and put in place an action planincluding financial counselling and referralsto emergency relief or the Hardship UtilityGrant Scheme (HUGS).

‘Where do I f it?’ is a way of workingtogether with our joint clients to look atthe realities and possibilities to help theclient on their way from ‘Where in the worldam I?’ to this is ‘My best world’.

NPAH services are, on one hand, aboutpractical support for clients, and on the otherhand, about developing clients’ skills. Ihave found that talking with clients aboutwhere they see themselves now, where theythink they could get to with some supportand what they need to do themselves is asuccessful way to help clients to developtheir own story and goals. This is standardbrief intervention therapy, a great way toprompt the beginnings of change. Withclearer mental images the client can beginto express where they want to be in the futureand the sort of support and skills they willfind most helpful. Respectful relationships,with their Housing Support Worker as anadvocate and access to treatment or therapyare essential enabling supports to clients.

In her presentation ‘Framework for Success’,Francesca Robertson promotes startingwith the client’s strengths, and looking forearly signs of positive change, in this wayit is possible to build on these to achievethe client’s goals. This approach is basedon the client as the expert in their world. Byencouraging and coaching clients to aimfor their best it is possible to arrive at a planthey can achieve.2

All our clients want to live in a safe place,belong to a community at some level andto have positive relationships that meettheir particular needs. Throughout NPAHwe have observed the impact that housingwith support can have on the quality of aclient’s life.

The early stages of support may require ah i g h d e g r e e o f g o v e r n m e n t a n dnon-government inter-relationships to assista client to get their world back on track. Toget success all relevant agencies andsupport people need to be at the table toresolve crisis situations or help to move

SocialNetworks

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Figure 2. The housing continumm shows where a client might fit or move through homelessness

AffordableHousingStrategy

PublicHousing

PublicHousing

CommunityHousing

AffordablePrivate Rentals

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the client forward, similar to a ‘StrongFamilies’3 type of approach of sharedresponsibility where ‘family members andagency workers come together to sharerelevant information, identify goals anddevelop a plan to help meet the family’sneeds’. However, in the NPAH situation itcould involve relevant agencies and supportpeople coming together to plan to help meeta family’s or an individual’s needs.

The more physical, mental, behaviouralor addict ion issues a cl ient has, themore di f f icu l t i t is to f ind a sui tableaccommodation outcome. The reality isthat mult i-morbid issues or i l lnessespresent as real barriers to independentliving and this is when relationships andintegrated service approaches are mostrequired. Clients with complex needs areat the epicentre of these relationships.

Appropr iate housing al locat ions arepreferable to achieve a ‘win win’ outcome.The Department of Housing staff work withthe NPAH service providers to ensureenough information is gathered so that anappropriate allocation can be made wherever

possible. Where the allocation is not idealbut is preferable to homelessness, thesupport component is absolutely essentialto the success of the client’s tenancy. It maymean that the client needs more intensiveassistance to get good outcomes and weknow persistently working together isbeneficial in these circumstances. While thismay be aspirational, we need to rememberthat some clients can and will change theirworlds for the better when they are informedand committed to a course of action.

The A Place To Call Home program assisteda person experiencing homelessness whowas on the Department’s waitlist, as apriority. Over a period of about 18 monthsthis person turned their life around to suchan extent that they have a good job andwith the assistance of Keystart was able topurchase their own property.

The A Place to Call Home program requiredthe department to purchase 33 dwellingsin the metro area. Homeless clients wouldbe taken off the department’s priority waitinglist and be supported by a NPAH serviceprovider in their new home. The department

was actually able to purchase 34 propertiesand with thanks to the Department ofChild Protection the service provider wasalso able to support the clients housed inthe 34th property. This was a case ofcollaboration by all parties working togetherto achieve good outcomes for the clients.

NPAH serv ices in par tnersh ip w i thgovernment have achieved the targets setso far for the NPAH in WA and an evaluationof the outcomes is under way. With a halfa year of imperative work ahead before theend of NPAH we continue to carry out ourroles providing dwellings and workingtogether to assist people experiencinghomelessness to achieve the lives they hopefor, that so many of us take for granted. ■

Footnotes1. http://reiwa.com.au/Faq/Pages/Feature.aspx

Population pressure squeezing the rentalsystem 8 October 2012.

2. Robertson, F.http://www.acwa.asn.au/Show_Other_Conference_Proceedings11.php?year=2008Framework for Success the practiceframework for Parent Support.

3. http://www.strongfamilies.wa.gov.au/

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The Impact of State Government Initiativeson Homelessness in Western AustraliaAndrew Hogan Chief Executive Officer, St Bartholomew’s House Inc.

State government supported initiatives,inc lud ing in recent t imes the St

Bartholomew’s House (St Bart’s) Lime Streetaccommodation project, will help make asignificant impact on homelessness in WA.

Large scale projects such as Lime Streetp r o v i d e a r e s o u r c e f o r n o t o n l yaccommodation needs, but also for thedelivery of services, care and support toassist people experiencing homelessnessmove through a process of growth,rebuilding and reconnection back into thewider community.

St Bart’s is in the process of planning itsnext big capacity enhancement with theredevelopment of our old homeless andaged care facilities in Brown St, East Perthfor affordable housing.

It is clear that housing affordability andavailability is a key issue for our communityand our goal with this redevelopment projectis the provision of affordable housing forolder people at risk of homelessness.

In WA we have population that is both fastgrowing and ageing and whose needs arebecoming even more acute. There is a needto invest in accommodation and support

resources and programs to meet the needsof people experiencing homelessness tohelp them through that experience andprevent them becoming homeless again.

I n o rde r to have the mos t impac t ,Nat ional Partnersh ip Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) initiatives need tobe reviewed and updated to reflect thecurrent situation and build on the first threeyears of service provision and the lessonslearned. These programs are currentlybeing evaluated. In order to ensure theseprograms are able to meet the needspeople experiencing homelessness andhave optimal impact, these initiatives needto be con t i nued and t hey need toincorporate the information and advice thatcomes from the evaluation process.

These initiatives represent a new directionfor the agencies involved and have helpedbuild important relationships and improvedcollaboration and information sharing amongWA homelessness services. This can onlylead to more positive outcomes for peopleexperiencing homelessness by providingservices that are appropriate and tailoredto individual client needs.

National Affordable Housing Agreement(NAHA) funding is an important resourcethat provides appropriate and meaningfulsupport that helps prevent clients from

cycling back into homelessness. Often, theopportunity of first contact with peopleexperiencing homelessness or someone atrisk of homelessness is a key moment andservices need to provide for the specificand individual needs of each client.

A comb ina t i on o f bo th suppo r t edaccommodation options and tailored,ind iv idua l l y focussed serv ices andsupports is the best way to ensure goodoutcomes for clients and prevent themcycling back into homelessness. Giventhe growth profile of WA and our changingdemographics, it is vital that the focusrema ins f i rm l y on the p rov i s i on o faccommodation, services and support topeople experiencing homelessness.

In this way, government initiatives will havethe maximum benefit and impact. However,the withdrawal of government support forthe accommodation and support needs ofpeople experiencing homelessness andthose at risk of homelessness would becatastrophic and would see a significantworsening in the level of disadvantage anddespair in the community. Any withdrawalof services and support will also have asignificant financial cost to the communityvia increased numbers of emergencymedical and hospital admissions, law andorder problems and social service impact.

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liaIn addition to the measures currently beingundertaken, other specific services andresources are also needed.

For example, St Bart’s has expressed theneed for an in-reach, linkages programs toallow mental health services to provide morecare and support to people experiencinghomelessness who are accommodated inspecialist homelessness services. Thepurpose of mental health linkages would beto facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach thatprovides a rapid response to client needs.It would support collaboration between themental health and accommodation servicesto benefit the client by giving them a moreindividualised and appropriate response.The overall purpose of a mental healthlinkages approach would be to provide earlyintervention to prevent hospitalisation andto improve the connections between mentalhealth services in the community.

There is broad recognition that many peoplewho face homelessness have significantundiagnosed mental health issues. Mentalhealth linkages and in-reach services wouldassist in providing tailored support and careplans for these clients to help them movethrough a process and prevent them cyclingback into homelessness.

There is also a real need for more emergencyand crisis accommodation for provide basicshelter and safety for rough sleepers. Whilethere is a ten bed shelter in the planningphase, this will not meet the demand.Additional emergency accommodationservices will need to include women, singles,couples and o lder people. Couplesaccommodation options are already underresourced, as are the options for womenwho are not experiencing domestic violenceissues but are who are homeless.

The sobering up centre, Bridge House, islimited to opening hours of evenings andnights only which establishes barriers forthose who are intoxicated during the day.If this resource was opened 24 hours a day,there would likely be a reduction in incidentsinvolving police and referrals to accidentand emergency medical services.

Improved staffing levels in supportedaccommodation and drop in centres wouldhelp ensure client needs are met. Serviceswork with a diverse and chal lengingcl ient mix, many of whom have verycomplex needs. In order to ensure clientneeds are met and prevent the cycle ofhomelessness cont inuing, improvedstaffing levels and resourcing are requiredto engage each client individually.

Increased housing and accommodationoptions remain an important and growingneed here in WA. In planning housingo p t i o n s f o r p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n ghomelessness, consideration needs tobe given to transport linkages and accessto services that prevent social isolationand provide support networks.

At St. Bart’s we remain very concerned aboutthe issue of homelessness among olderpeople. We see this as a critical issue. Apartfrom the increased capacity of our ownresidential aged care program from 20 to 40

beds in the new facility, there have been nosignificant measures implemented in WA ateither a state or federal level to reduce olderhomelessness. There is looming gap in theprovision of emergency accommodationdeveloping, especially for older women.

The Assistance with Care and Housing forthe Aged (ACHA) Program is one thatwarrants additional attention.

We recommend that the State Governmentadd value to the ACHA program by providinga pool of emergency, transitional andaffordable secure accommodation for ACHAproviders, with consideration given tosecurity (safety), access to public transport,health services and social networks.

We recommend the expansion of the ACHAprog ram in WA and tha t t he S ta teG o v e r n m e n t m a t c h t h e F e d e r a lGovernment investment dollar for dollar.In addition, we believe that the StateGovernment should negotiate with FederalGovernment to increase the ACHA programwithin the metropolitan area and the majorregional centres of WA.

Rent affordability issues and increasedutilities costs are having a severe impact in

the community, particularly on older people,where any rise in living costs can place themat risk of homelessness. Very low vacancyrates in the private rental market, combinedwith high median rents and extendedwait-lists for public housing can lead tosevere financial and emotional stress andan increased incidence in both physical andmenta l hea l th issues. Serv ices andresources that are aimed at improving rentalaffordability and availability need to be apriority issue. These initiatives should includeinvestment in socially affordable housingprojects, land availability, less red tapeand lowering costs for land development.

The key issue here is maintaining momentumand keeping the focus firmly on the provisionof appropriate accommodation options ands e r v i c e s f o r p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n ghomelessness.

While the projects discussed above are allimpor tant in prov id ing opt ions andservices, there remains a great need for moreaccommodation options to ensure thatpeople experiencing homelessness can findshelter, a home of their own and support sothey move through the cycle of homelessnessto live full, independent and happy lives. ■

18

Mercy Care

Santina was referred to MercyCare’sHousing Support Serv ice by a

S a l v a t i o n A r m y S u p p o r t e dAccommodation Service where she washoused in a transitional house. In AprilSantina and her three children werehoused in a Department of Housingproperty. She identified her need forongoing support in relation to cleaning,household management and budgeting,

and with managing children’s behaviours.She also had a goal of getting a part timejob when she was settled. Over the nextsix months she committed to the HousingSupport Service and worked towards,and achieved, her goals. She wants towork as a teacher assistant (educationsupport) and will complete certificate IIIon Friday 9th November, and thenstudy towards Cert IV.

A Nice Place To Call HomeWake up in the morning, birdies ever so sweet.Flying on the trees singing tweet tweet tweet.People walking by saying ‘hello, how are you?’This really helps in case I’m feeling blue.

The staff as well ready to be thereIf I’m worried or need some careA beautiful home built by manyI’m grateful to them all, I hope they’re happy

Where I live is better than grass, a building or floor after floorThanks to all the builders and St Barts for my front door.St Barts you’ve done it again for another personThanks to you all, I’m glad you get some of my pension.

Helping hands are helping heartsThere is hope and fresh new startsA nice place to call home and appreciate what we haveA place where all of us can grow and be truly glad

A place to be happy and accept all the help givenSo we can all achieve our dreams and enjoy living,And live our lives so that we can all be achievingAnd have faith in the good things that we believe in.

Damian – St Bart’s, 2012

Chapter 2: Program Service

and Practice ResponsesThe Street to Home ProgramStacey Collins Manager, Non-Goverment Funding— Homelessness,Department for Child Protection WA

The Street to Home program is aninnovative and comprehensive response

fo r rough s l eepe rs unde r t he j o i n tCommonwealth–State National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH).

The program was jointly developed during2009 through a series of meetings betweenthe Department for Chi ld Protect ion(DCP), representatives from specialistnon-government homelessness serviceproviders, the Mental Health Commissionand the Department of Housing (DoH).

The Street to Home program is an integratedmodel to assist people sleeping rough inthe Perth metropolitan area to stabilise theirsituation, access long term accommodationand end the cycle of homelessness.

Cl ients are provided with outreach,wrap around suppor t serv ices and

accommodat ion th rough the th reeinterrelated components of the program:Asser t i ve Out reach Teams (AOTs) ,Housing Support Workers (HSWs) and aMental Health Mobile Clinical OutreachTeam (MCOT).

The AOTs make initial contact with roughsleepers wherever they are living or spendingtime, with the aim of building trust andconfidence and working with them toaddress their basic needs, including linkingthem with MCOT.

The MCOT compr i ses a pa r t - t imeConsultant Psychiatrist and two full timeClinical Nurse Specialists. These cliniciansprovide an outreach service for roughsleepers with mental health and drug andalcohol assessment, intervention andmedication management, and referral andactive support to access and/or continueengagement with community mentalhealth services.

The HSWs provide active support andassistance to clients using a Housing Firstapproach as appropriate. Clients residingin crisis or transitional accommodation,who are at risk of returning to primary

homelessness, may be supported underthe Street to Home program. HSWs acceptreferra ls f rom AOTs and from cr is isaccommodation services, and assistclients to access appropriate long-termaccommodation, based on an assessmentof their needs. The HSWs can also referto MCOT if necessary.

This collaborative approach has enabledthe services to successfully engage withrough sleepers and those at risk of becomingrough sleepers and enabling them to besecurely and sustainably housed.

The program’s partnership approachinvolves service managers, the MCOT,Department of Housing and the AOTs andHSWs meeting on a regular basis to monitorand improve client outcomes, streamlineservice delivery and discuss and developclient management techniques.

Since its commencement, the program hasbeen successful in linking clients withappropriate mainstream services and almost8 0 p e r c e n t o f c l i e n t s h a v e b e e naccommodated in public housing, communityhousing, lodging houses, private rentalsand other forms of accommodation. ■

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lia‘A Good Life’Nina Crosland Manager, Homeless and TransitionalSupport Service,St Bartholomew’s House

We can all name the people who timea n d t i m e a g a i n a c c e s s o u r

accommodation and drop in services. Whilethey reside with us they take part in casemanagement, get involved in activities andbegin to progress. But then that brick wallgoes up and it all means for nothing.

At St Bartholomew’s House Homelessand Transitional Support Service we seea number of residents who cycle from oneaccommodation service to another. Thesepeople have often experienced a relapseof some kind and they would either giveup and leave, or be asked to leave, duet o t h e s t r u c t u r e d n a t u r e o f m o s taccommodation services.

We seek to provide a program where therewill be a consistent case worker in thatperson’s life. Regardless of what happens,they can build on the progress made atone service and they can continue thatsupport when they move to the next serviceinstead of having to start all over again. Werecognise and acknowledged that ourcurrent systems often fails these peopleand that they require a service that ismore flexible to their individual needs, ismore intensive and one where there isgreater access to more specialist resources.

We sought funding to implement thisidea. Through the Social Innovat ionGrants scheme of the WA Departmentof Communities we began the lengthyand time consuming process of puttingin our application.

This new approach to tackling long-termhomeless in Perth fitted the criteria requiredfor innovative thinking. The initial idea wasfor a three year program. However, with thecompetitive nature of the grants process,we were advised to review our proposaland as a result we received funding to runa two year pilot project; ‘A Good Life’.

This innovative project is based on the abilityto have a flexible client-centered approachwith access to a reasonable sum ofbrokerage money to assist the personjourney out of homelessness. The projectis not focused only on housing andaccommodation. Although that is one ofthe elements of case management, it isnot the primary focus of the project.However, we can argue that without a stablehome, it is difficult to make progress as thatperson will continue to experience traumaand poor mental health and thereforedevelopment is hindered.

The question remains, however, of what todo in the situation where there is little or nohousing to offer. Because of currenteconomic developments in WA contributingto the lack of affordable housing and the

greater demands being put on homelessnessservices to support increasing need, we havebeen forced to think outside the box.

For this reason we believe an individualisedand creative approach is required to get themost out of current systems and assist peopleto break out of the cycle of homelessness.

To achieve this you first have to ask, whati s a s u c c e s s f u l t r a n s i t i o n o u t o fhomelessness? Is it a house, a home, orfamily reunification; or is it something lesssolid? We examined the previous researchundertaken by Groundswell, an organisationin the United Kingdom that sought to definea successful transition out of homelessnessby obtaining the perspectives of people whowere formerly homeless.

The report by Groundswell, titled The EscapePlan sought to establish the the criticalsuccess factors that have enabled peopleto successfully move on from homelessness.

The study found that a successful transitionout of homelessness was genera l lyassociated with four or more of the followingfactors where people feel:

• they have control of their personalfinances

• they want to be a part of acommunity outside of the homelesscommunity and have taken stepstowards achieving this

• their accommodation is now theirhome and have made some kind ofinvestment in it such as decoratingor buying new stuff for it

• some kind of stability in theiraccommodation and not that it isgoing to fall apart or be taken awayfrom them imminently

• when they have issues, they facethem and if they use services, theyare not homeless ones

• they are no longer just surviving, butinvolved in things that go beyondthan themselves

• that they no longer see the worst inothers and expect others to see theworst in them.

This research also identified a point wherepeople felt they hit rock bottom, that is, themoment they felt the need to change andhad that epiphany. What we considered wasthat a person might continue to fall but whenthey hit that hard place, who would be therefor them to rely on. The idea of having aconsistent case manager for the duration ofa person’s journey allows for intervention atthe point they hit rock bottom. However,having already built a trusting relationship,th is wou ld mean that there was anopportunity to intervene earlier. This wasfurther supported by information gatheredfrom the Groundswell research project, whereparticipants described the characteristics ofa good case worker as ‘one that will go theextra mile and stick with people’.

The ModelThe project proposed to set up a pilotprogram over a two year period to identify,monitor and support 24 clients to overcometheir homelessness and cease the need touse homeless services.

The aim of the project is to empower peopleexper ienc ing ch ron ic o r long- te rmhomelessness and equip them with theconfidence and ability to make informedchoices and take control of their lives. Thisis based on the view that the chronic or long

20 Australian Wildlife — Deakin McGinn

term homeless are a group which havebecome institutionalised and have deeprooted habitual patterns, who know nothingbut the homelessness system. Throughintensive case management, cl ient’scomplex issues will be targeted and self-esteem and socia l sk i l ls bui l t up bytherapeutically intervening over a long-termto assist in restoring hope and motivation.

We be l ieve that the engagement ofcommunity based services is the key tobreaking a person out of the homelessness‘bubb le ’ and work ing w i th them tore-integrate back into society. A partnershipapproach will empower the client andreassure them as support will be providedfrom multiple sources. This approach allowsthe client to feel part of a team, which inturn brings feelings of responsibility andaccountability for their actions.

Th is in tens ive support is cr i t ica l toassist the client break through the barriersthey will face when they experience afight or flight situation; that is, when theyhave reached the time when they havetaken what they need for a service andare ready to move on to the next step.At this point the project will work withthe client to face their fears and flawsand do so in a supported environmentvia the following steps:

Step 1: Intensive Assistance andCo-ordination

Step 2: Early Intervention andPrevention (Therapeutic and Practical)

Step 3: Building Up and Developing Skills

Step 4: Integration and Linkage toExisting Services

Step 5: Collaborative working

EvaluationWith any project there is the necessaryelement of measurement and evaluation toidentify the tools and interventions whichhave worked and those that have not. Welooked at using a multi-phase evaluationto attempt to identify beneficial supportsand monitor the progress of clients.

One tool is the Outcomes STAR model,which takes an outcomes approach toservice delivery.

The Homelessness Outcomes Star, createdby Triangle Consulting, looks at ten keyareas in a person’s life around:

1. Meaningful use of time

2. Managing Tenancy andaccommodation

3. Offending behaviour

4. Emotional and Mental health

5. Physical health

6. Managing money

7. Drug/alcohol misuse

8. Social Networks and relationships

9. Self-care and living skills

10. Motivation and taking responsibility

The outcomes approach is a continuouscycle of enquiry and service improvementbased on factual information about whatis being achieved.

T h e O u t c o m e s L e a r n i n g C y c l eencompasses the following:

Clarify outcomes — what are wetrying to achieve? Agree on theintended outcomes of an activity,service, or program.

Measure outcomes — what are weactually achieving? Record theoutcomes that you achieve in asystematic way to enable theinformation to be collated.

Analyse and draw learning — whatcan we learn from the outcomesachieved? Collate the information anddraw learning about what is and whatis not working.

Make changes — what changesshould we make as a result of thislearning? Plan and implement changesto service delivery.

This is also very transportable for client andother accommodation agencies.

Objectives• Enable systemic service design

changes for ‘institutionalised’chronic or long term homelessresidents.

• Encourage co-operation andshared learning for Perth’shomelessness providers.

• Create a replicable yetpersonalised approach tosupporting individuals withentrenched and highlycomplex needs.

• Foster a culture of cooperationand shared accountability withlong-term homeless clients.

• Generate substantial tax-payersavings by successfully exitingthe long-term homeless fromthe crisis system.

• Maximise the use ofspecialised client casemanagement software andinter-agency communicationthrough the Infoxchange.

• Identify the key measureswhich prevent people fromsuccessfully transitioning fromhomelessness to independenthousing.

There will be a multi-phase assessmentapproach to continually evaluate the clientthroughout the program. This will allow usto ident i fy what serv ices have beenprovided and what networks have beenset up. More importantly, this will showchanges to the client’s perception oftheir own success and i l lustrate anyimprovements in engagement, motivationand outlook on life. In addition, undertakingpost-service questionnaires will look at thehow the client perceives the benefits ofthese services.

We value the understanding that can begained from taking into account a serviceuser’s perspective. We aim to use client’sindiv idual percept ions and ongoingchanges in these perceptions as markersfor the assessment of progress andsuccess of the program.

The overall evaluation will also look at acost-benef i t analys is of the serv iceprovided to the client. In particular we willlook at the benefits of their transition outof homelessness, compared to the costof continued homelessness. ■

Measureoutcomes

Analyse anddraw learning

Clarifyoutcomes

Makechanges

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View from balcony — Deakin McGinn

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liaPerth Registry Week 2012: Challenges,Collaboration and Looking ForwardRos Mulley Executive Manager, Ruah Community Services

The Registry Week campaign was initiallydeveloped in the United States of

America (USA) and the first AustralianRegistry Week was held in Brisbane in June2010. Subsequently, it has been run inSydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Townsville andthe Nepean area of New South Wales. Thea i m o f t h e c a m p a i g n h a s b e e n t osystematically identify the most vulnerablepeople experiencing homelessness on thestreets and link them directly with housing;while providing immediate assistance tothose most in need.

Registry Week activities in the USA and inthe eastern states of Australia have beenlinked to innovative programs that havedelivered housing and support services tothe most vulnerable people experiencinghomelessness. Additionally, the results fromthe Vulnerability Index (VI) surveys provide amethod for some of the Street to Home (S2H)programs to identify and prioritise clients.

The plan for conducting a Registry Weekevent in Perth was init iated by RuahCommunity Services in mid-2011. The initialresponse from the homelessness sector(both government and non-government)was less than enthusiastic. There wereconcerns regarding the invasion of people’sprivacy, queries relating to informed consentand opposition to raising people’s hopeswhen the availability of affordable housingis extremely limited.

The focus of Perth Registry Week was togather accurate information about the healthand support needs of people sleeping roughin inner city Perth and then to seek toprioritise them for housing and other servicesbased on their assessed vulnerability.Addit ional ly, we wanted to raise theawareness of the community about theissues related to homelessness and to seekinnovative community responses.

Between 14 and 16 August 2012 from4:00am to 6:30 am, nine teams of over 80volunteers drawn from the homelessnesssector, mental health and other communityservice organisations searched the streetsof inner-city Perth to find and interviewpeople who were sleeping rough. Later onthose days, interviews were also conductedat youth and adult homeless drop-in centresand soup vans. Other volunteers assistedwith data entry and providing meals andsupport for the teams.

The teams used the VI as the survey tool.It is based on research by Dr Jim O’Connellof Boston’s Healthcare of the HomelessProgram and collects the name, date ofbirth and photographs of people, as wellas data on their health status, institutionalhistory, duration of homelessness, crisisaccommoda t i on use and p rev ioushousing situation. His research shows thatcertain medical conditions place a homelessindividual at a high risk of dying if they remainon the streets. People who have beenhomeless for more than six months andhave at least one of eight major health riskindicators are identified as vulnerable. Duringthe Perth survey, three people wereidentified with six risk indicators, three withfive, six with four, 16 with three, 28 with twoand 41 with one risk indicator.

With appropriate consultation, the VI wasslightly adapted for Perth and has enabledthe commencement of a reg ister ofindividuals who are experiencing chronichomelessness, are sleeping rough and whoare at highest risk of premature death.

CollaborationRegistry week was a collaborative effort ofcommunity agencies. These included theWA Police and state and local government,with invaluable support and encouragementfrom the eastern states through MicahProjects in Brisbane, the Mercy Foundationin Sydney, HomeGround Services inMelbourne and the Australian CommonGround Alliance.

The Mobile GP and Mobile (Mental Health)Clinical Outreach Team (MCOT) weresupportive from the start and gradually byear l y 2012 when loca l governmentindicated they would financially supportthe event, we were on our way. This ledto a Registry Week Steering Committeeb e i n g f o r m e d , w h i c h i n c l u d e drepresentatives from the Department ofHousing, Department for Child Protection(holding the homelessness portfolio in WA),City of Perth, City of Vincent (these fouragencies, along with Ruah CommunityServices, provided the funding for RegistryWeek), WA Police, Mobile GP, MCOT, theSalvation Army and St Bartholomew’s.

Special comment must be made regardingthe support of the WA Police in assisting toplan the campaign and then fully participatingin the event. The benefits of the positiverelationships that developed and thebreaking down of stereotypical imagescannot be underestimated.

Andrew Davies, from Perth’s Mobile GPService gave unstintingly of his time. Alongwith his team of nurses, who arrived at 3.00am each morning and with senior staff fromWA Police and Ruah, they formed theEmergency Response Team.

The Salvation Army team provided hotbreakfasts prepared with lots of TLC for allo f t he vo l un tee r s , who we re mos tappreciative of this as they returned fromtheir early morning surveying duties.

The Nyoongar Patrol team providedexceptional assistance in surveying Aboriginalpeople experiencing homelessness and theAnglicare Youth team assisted with thesurveys of young people, which were carriedout during the day.

Russell Oliver of MCOT said:

‘working together was a fantasticexperience and really broke down alot of barriers. Everyone was therebecause they genuinely wanted tohelp people’.

Nina Crosland, Manager fromSt Bartholomew’s commented:

‘The positive feedback from staff whorelished the opportunity to work withworkers from other agencies was afantastic outcome. It fired upenthusiasm and a desire to getinvolved with the bigger picture, andthis is the take home message for ourservice: to recognise the value inworking in partnership, in sharing ofinformation to create a stronger moreunited service area.

It was a great opportunity to be partof the steering committee to see acollaboration of non-government andgovernment representatives at thetable all keen to invest time and effortinto this worthwhile project. ...We hope to see the data gatheredbeing utilised as leverage to shapethe sector and create more innovativemodels of working in the future.’

Niall Rhatigan, Manager, PassagesResource Centre:

‘Perth Registry Week was a greatopportunity to get to know otherservices and build strong workingrelationships. It was a chance to feelpart of something bigger and worktowards creating the best possibleoutcomes from what we have to offerright now, rather than what we hopeto have in the future.

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This snapshot has brought to the forethe value of a more assertiveapproach from services and the needto identify those people that are most‘at risk’. It has led to what seems tobe a much more accountable level ofservice provision and services seemto feel more comfortable asking eachother ‘Why?’ when a client’s needscannot be met adequately...The Vulnerability Index has served asa ‘wake-up call’ in relation to someareas of our service provision.’

ChallengesSome of the challenges we encountered inplanning and delivering Registry Week inPerth included:

• Initial resistance to the idea fromvarious parties.

• Deciding to hold the event in themiddle of winter rather than inwarmer months, which would haveresulted in a larger number ofinterviews. Having generated theinterest for Registry Week, we didnot want to wait many monthsbefore proceeding with it. Also, awinter survey would identify thosewho are the neediest; havingnowhere else to sleep but thestreets and parks, despite the bittercold and rainy weather.

• Running Registry Week withouthaving any other campaign in placein relation to follow up or readilyavailable housing. This was a validpoint made by those who opposedRegistry Week but not a valid reasonwhy we should not run the event.Our hope was that Registry Weekwill be the start of an opportunity forthe entire community to identifyinnovative and collaborativesolutions to the issues ofhomelessness.

• Resourcing for the coordination ofan ongoing response to thoseidentified by the survey, as well asmaintenance and updating of thedatabase remains an issue.

• The perennial debate about‘Housing Ready’ and ‘Housing First’approaches continues. There is nowgeneral acknowledgement thatHousing First needs to be a part ofthe range of options for thoseexperiencing homelessness.

Moving fromDespair to HopeA question included in the Registry Weeksurvey was ‘What do you need to be safeand well?’ The responses that were givenmost frequently were: ‘home’, ‘house’ and‘place’.

I n r e c e n t r e s e a r c h f u n d e d b y t h eC o m m o n w e a l t h G o v e r n m e n t a n dundertaken by Ruah Community Services,one Abor ig inal woman ta lked aboutgenerations of homelessness:

‘We’re going through the same thing— watching kids, grandkids. I’veseen all my family grow up on thestreets — seen them pass away.There’s heartbreak, grief anddepression.’ (Watkins and Pritchard 2011)

Follow up support is being provided byvarious agencies to a number of peopleidentified during Registry Week. At the endof October, a woman who was one of thethree people who scored the highestrating on the VI during Perth RegistryWeek (a VI score of six) was housed, alongwith her daughter. Another woman withparticularly special needs has also beenoffered housing.

Staff at all levels have commented that it issatisfying to be part of the solution and toco l labora te w i th o ther agenc ies tocoordinate support and housing resources,which are leading to good outcomes forpeople who have been considered toodifficult to house.

Opportunities• Any response to homelessness

needs to be a whole of communityresponse with not just governmentexpected to solve the problem. Itrequires a concerted effort fromgovernments, community groupsand service organisations and thecorporate sector, to work togetherto find innovative solutions. There isopportunity for us here in Perth tocreate a campaign which enables usto house the most vulnerable peopleexperiencing homelessness that issimilar to the campaigns in theeastern states and in the USA (forexample, 100,000 Homes, USA, 50Lives 50 Homes, Brisbane andHobart, 90 Homes for 90 Lives,Sydney).

• Perth would benefit greatly fromhaving a Common Ground building(already underway in Victoria,Queensland, New South Wales,Tasmania and South Australia). TheAustralian Common Ground Alliancehas already indicated support forthis to occur—if appropriateinterested parties can be identified.

• Perth Registry Week 2012 onlycovered inner city Perth. There areother parts of the Perth metropolitanand outer metropolitan areas, as

well as WA regional areas wherehomelessness is a major issue and aRegistry Week event would beuseful for identifying individuals andprioritising them for services andhousing. Ruah Community Serviceswould be happy to share theexperience gained to assist inorganising further Registry Weekevents in WA and data collected canbe added to the already establisheddatabase.

• There is general agreement from anumber of agencies in the Street toHome team, with endorsement fromthe Department for Child Protection,that Vulnerability Index surveys canbe completed for new homelessclients, so that their details can beadded to the Register.

• The Street to Home teams and DayCentres for the Homeless arealready working together to providefollow up for those identified throughthe surveys as the most vulnerable.

• There is an opportunity forgovernment and non-governmentagencies to work collaboratively,adding to the Register and using itto target available housing andsupport resources starting with themost vulnerable in an effort toreduce chronic homelessness.

• The data gathered can be used toadvocate for the needs of peoplesleeping rough as well ascontributing to the development ofinnovative approaches andsolutions.

P e r t h R e g i s t r y W e e k p r o v i d e d a nunforgettable experience for all those whoparticipated in it. We look forward to usingthe information gathered and the relationshipsestablished to build further collaboration ands o l u t i o n s t o a d d r e s s t h e i s s u e o fhomelessness in Perth and the rest of WA. ■Anyone interested in more informationregarding Perth Registry Week, please contactRos Mulley at Ruah Community Services Ph: (08) 9485 3939 or email: RosMulley@ruah.com.au

ReferencesWatkins L and Pritchard, J August 2011, ‘Theart and science of service linkages’: Researchcommissioned by Ruah Community Servicesand funded by Department of Families,Housing, Community Services and IndigenousAffairs (FaHCSIA)

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Good News

We had a young client who washeav i l y pregnant . DCP were

involved and were going to place thechild in custody due to no housing. Ahouse became available before clientgave birth, keeping child and clienttogether. This was the client’s first everhouse as client had been transient sincethe age of 12. She has re-engaged withTAFE, linked with Mental Health provider

and developed new friendships withinher area. She is now seeking causal workthrough a Job Network Provider, isreunified with her Mother and has madecontact with Father. She has successfullylived at her current address for overone and a half years. In her surveyfeedback she said she was extremelygrateful for NPAH program and the kickstart it gave to her life.

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liaCommunity Supported Residential Units:Working in PartnershipLinda Borrison Manager, Mental HealthSupport Services, St Bartholomew’s House

In 2008 St Bar tho lomew’s House( S t B a r t ’ s ) w a s a w a r d e d t h e

Non-Government Organisation (NGO)contract to manage four metropolitanCommunity Supported Residential Units(CSRU), an accommodation model includedin the WA Mental Health Strategy 2004–07.The sites opened between December 2008and February 2010 and provide mediumto long-term accommodation for 97 adultsliving with mental illness who have supportneeds of between two to four hours a day.

The WA CSRU program fosters partnershipsbetween the public mental health service,the Department of Housing (DoH) and thechosen Non-Government Organisation (inthis case St Bart’s). The main aim of theprogram is to provide adults living with amenta l i l l ness access to home- l ikeaccommodation that is safe, stable andsecure. Staff support residents with theirdaily living activities in order to equip themlive and participate in the community.

Each CSRU site is head-leased from DoHand houses between 22 and 25 people.Although the CSRUs are l icenced asPrivate Psychiatric Hostels, and as such haveto comply with the Department of Healthstandards, the sites are all cul-de-sac designsof units simi lar to any other housingdevelopment. Residents live in one, two orthree bedroom units. Everyone has their ownbedroom and bathroom but share the kitchenand living areas. There is a separate unit thathouses the staff office as well as communalareas that all residents can access.

Lotterywest granted funding to furnish the60 houses across the program. All units arefully furnished and equipped with linen andelectrical items. In keeping with the aim ofthe CSRU being ‘home-like’, furniture wassourced from regular shops, not hospitalsuppliers. Residents are encouraged to addtheir personal touches to the units as forsome this may be their long-term home.

Under the leadership of a Program Managereach site is run independently within theoverall St Bart’s strategy, policies andprocedures. A Site Coordinator overseesthe day-to-day running of the site and thereare St Bart’s support staff rostered twentyfour hours a day seven days a week. AHealth Promotion Coordinator works acrossall sites providing specialist advice and input.Maintenance, finance, human resourcesand other ancillary services are centrallybased as they support a l l St Bart ’saccommodation programs and are a recentaddition to the team.

The public mental health service providesthe clinical care and back-up that eachresident needs. Each CSRU has a serviceagreement with their local mental healthserv ice that se ts out the ro les andresponsibilities of all parties in the supportof the resident.

The referral pathway is via the local publicmental health service, where there is adedicated CSRU Liaison Officer and followsan agreed process. Both St Bart’s and thelocal mental health service are involved inthe se lect ion o f res idents . A pane lcomprising of representatives from St Bart’s,the local mental health service and anindependent community member then havethe final say on the appropriateness of theapplicant for the vacancy. The primaryeligibility criteria are that the person ishomeless or at risk of homelessness orinappropriately housed; that they have aserious and persistent mental illness; thatthey have links to the area and that they areaged between 18 and 65 years. Theprogram is designed for individuals anddoes not accept couples or families.

When moving into a CSRU residents agreeto abide by the house rules and engage int h e p r o g r a m , a s t h i s i s n o t j u s taccommodation. Of course, not everythingruns smoothly or has positive outcomes.Sharing living space can cause conflictbetween residents and staff need tointervene to negotiate a solution. Forexample, one resident did not like the factthat his housemate stayed up late watchingthe television and disturbed his sleep. A setof headphones was provided and thesituation was resolved.

Alcohol and illegal drugs are banned fromthe sites and violent or intimidating behaviouris not tolerated. These behaviours canlead to the accommodation being withdrawnand the resident moving to alternativeproviders.

St Bart’s staff use the Outcome Star as achange management tool. Motivation isoften low, so residents are encouraged totake ownership of their action plans; to settheir goals and the steps needed to achievethose goals. Examples include a residentwho trained with a community group andthen ran the 14km HBF Run for Life. Anothergroup of residents made two quilts forfamilies in need in Cambodia. The residentsof another Villa made a video about theirhome which they entered into the localarts festival – and won! A number ofresidents work part time, volunteer or arestudying. But for some CSRU residentsmaintaining stable accommodation is amajor achievement in itself.

This stability of accommodation has proveda relief for a number of families of residents.One mother commented that she feltreassured that her son was safe. Wheneverpossible CSRU staff work closely withresidents to reconnect with their familiesand include them in their support plan.

All sites hold regular residents meetingswhere group activities and site issues canbe discussed. Residents’ views are alsogarnered in an annual survey. The resultshave been generally positive with 90 per centfinding the housing suitable to their needs.A similar number agreed that their wellbeinghad improved as had their ability to formand maintain relationships.

Although for some residents the CSRUs willbe their long term home a number ofresidents have moved on to less supportedor independent living in the community. Thepartnership between St Bart’s and the publiclocal mental health services was a newventure for both sides and has led to a betterworking relationship. The continuingdevelopment of a partnership approach tosupported accommodation will lead to jobsa t i s f ac t i on f o r s t a f f and pos i t i v eoutcomes for residents. ■

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St Bartholomew’s residents with one of their quilts for Cambodia

A Partnership to Assist PeoplewithAlcohol and Drug IssuesSecure Independent AccommodationDace Tomsons Manager, Client Services andDevelopment (South)Drug and Alcohol Office, Department of Health WA

Many people with alcohol and druguse problems struggle with securing

and maintain ing suitable and stableaccommodation. A history of errat ictenancy, no references and f inancialdifficulties mean that even those peoplewho are in treatment are forced back intounsuitable and insecure accommodation.Support to secure and maintain suitableaccommodation is critical to recovery.

In 2009 The Housing Support WorkerDrug and Alcohol initiative was fundedthrough the Commonwealth and StateNat ional Partnersh ip Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) to prevent peoplewith drug and alcohol issues becomingentrenched in homelessness by providingsupport to access and maintain stable longterm accommodation. A key element of thesupport is a commitment from the client toaddress drug and alcohol issues throughengagement with treatment services.

In the metropolitan area a total of sixspecialist alcohol and drug homelessnessworkers provide intensive case managementto each cl ient. Along with providingassistance to secure accommodation, caseworkers also link clients to a range ofmainstream services including education,employment and training.

In the south western corridor the service isbeing provided through an innovativep a r t n e r s h i p b e t w e e n P a l m e r s t o nAssociation, a respected not for profit alcoholand other drugs (AOD) service providerand Anglicare WA, a longstanding providerof accommodation and social services.

Anglicare WA has the lead agency role andPalmerston provides AOD expertise andr e f e r r a l n e t w o r k s . A s p a r t o f t h ecollaboration, a half-time AOD housingsupport worker is subcontracted toPalmerston’s Fremantle office, and anAnglicare WA AOD housing support workeris co-located in Palmerston’s Mandurahoffice. Most significantly, the partnershipfacilitates an exchange of knowledge, skills,expertise and professional networks,ensuring the best possible service wasdelivered to the clients. The partnership hasbeen formalised in a memorandum ofunderstanding and has delivered effectiveservices over the contract period. In the two

years up to June 2012, 110 clients havebeen assisted by the partnership.

The service operates through a simple step-by-step protocol.

Ms P is an example of the success ofthe partnership. Ms P is a 41 year oldwoman of culturally and linguisticallydiverse origins with severe co-morbidconcerns. At the time of referral fromNext Step, she was in urgent need ofhousing assistance. Because Ms Phad been unemployed for twodecades, due to her illness, she wasnot able to secure accommodationfor herself and her husband who wasin long term rehabilitation at that time.

Following assessment, an applicationfor accommodation was made to theDepartment of Housing in Fremantle.A suitable property was secured inJune 2010 and Ms P signed thelease agreement for a two bedroomduplex in Spearwood.

The partnership was able to assessand house Mrs P within four weeks ofher coming to the attention of theagencies.

Mrs P has continued to live in theproperty and will probably remainthere for the rest of her life. Shereports that over the past two yearsher physical and mental health hasbeen more stable than over theprevious 20 years. After 12 months ofintensive work and support, Mrs Pwas able to leave the NPAH programbut maintains regular contact withthe agency. On these occasions, shenever fails to express her gratefulnessand appreciation for the housingassistance the NPAH partnershiphas provided.

This is an excellent example of long termchange being achieved through greatcooperation between organisations. Suchco l laborat ion is a power fu l too l fo raddressing homelessness. ■

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PARITY · Volume 25, Issue 9 · December 2012

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liaThe Journey to Lime Street:Creating Partnerships that WorkLynne Evans Former CEO, St Bartholomew’s Houseand Nina CroslandManager, Homeless and TransitionalSupport Service, St Bartholomew’s House

Having an idea and bringing it to fruitionare two very different aspects of

developing a building.

St Bartholomew’s House Lime Streetwas opened in August 2012. However, itsinception was in 2006. It is frustrating toknow that even with the best will in theworld Lime Street has taken six years tobecome a reality.

What fina l ly eventuated is a un iquebuilding that includes crisis, long term andaged care accommodation co-located withthe St Bartholomew’s House corporateoffices. The building also has many ‘green’aspects including solar and wind power,LED lighting and storm water recycling withthe whole idea to make the building assustainable as possible and reduce theongoing maintenance and running costs.

The sustainable initiatives were madepossible by a 750,000 dollar Jobs FundInitiative in 2010/11 as part of the FederalGovernment’s stimulus package.

Historical InformationSt Bartholomew’s House has been providingaccommodation and support for peopleeither homeless or at risk of homelessnesssince 1963.

St Bart’s, as it is affectionately known hasgrown in size, stature and reputation,especially in the last 15 years.

This continual reviewing of service deliveryallowed St Bart’s to concentrate on qualityimprovement and make changes that aremore consistent with a self-reliance ratherthan welfare model.

Getting Started:Making the Dreama RealityThe St Bart’s Board and I started lookingfor properties around East Perth that mightbe available and in a reasonable price range.

Eventually we identified land availablenext to the Perth City Farm in Lime StreetEast Perth.

We met with the Chair of the City FarmBoard to discuss our ideas and foundout that some land adjacent to theirlease was owned by the governmentunder management of the East PerthRedevelopment Authority (EPRA).

In 2007 we took our concept plans to thethen Min is te r fo r P lann ing A lannahMacTiernan. Ms MacTiernan was sold onthe idea and wrote to ask EPRA to releasethe land to St Bart’s. EPRA were notaltogether keen as it meant they were losingmoney and that was not part of their remit.They had a lso s ta r ted look ing a t adevelopment plan for the area and had notplanned to have a homeless service in themiddle of their new urban precinct.

Keeping thePressure On!I n M a y 2 0 0 9 f o l l o w i n g p r o t r a c t e ddiscussions a 40 year peppercorn lease toSt Bart’s was signed. Development Approvalfrom EPRA was agreed in December thesame year.

In the meantime, the Department of Housinghad changed its policies in relation toallowing non-government organisations toproject manage their own developmentsprovided that due process and due diligencewere adhered to. Money was available fornew projects under the old Crisis Approvalsfund ing and a new Soc ia l Hous ingInvestment Program. The department were

trying to get as many NGO’s as possible tobuild social housing.

I had the letter approving 17.3 milliondollars and we then had to become aPreferred Provider with the Departmentof Housing. In 2008 we negotiated thefinal figure of 22.3 million dollars and someadditional units.

In 2008 the new Liberal governmenthonoured the promises of support fromthe previous government and we thenstarted the long protracted negotiationswith the Department of Housing to get anagreement. We had to increase the numberof units to 1048 and by this time the costof building had increased because of risingsteel and labour costs.

I had also applied and received approvalfrom the Commonwealth Department ofHealth and Ageing for a capital grant of7.3 million dollars. That grant would increaseour low care aged care residential bedsfrom 20 to 40. It would also give each persontheir own room.

The delays in the commencement of thebuilding meant we had to seek numerousvariations to our Commonwealth capitalgrant and occupancy agreements.

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The Last Pieceof the PuzzleMr Troy Buswell, the new WA HousingMinister was a strong supporter of NGO’sbeing able to drive their own business. Iexplained to him the difficulties I was havingge t t i ng a con t rac t s igned w i th theDepartment of Housing. The Minister hadappointed a new Director General andbetween the two they were able to get thingsmoving. The contract with the Departmentof Housing was signed in November 2010.

We then obtained a Building Licence fromthe City of Perth. The tender to build waslet and the builder took over the site inDecember 2010.

PartnershipsAs CEO of St Bar t ’s I have a lwaysbelieved that to be successful you needstrong relationships. The Lime Streetdevelopment was no exception. I hadestablished respectful relationships witht h e C o m m o n w e a l t h a n d S t a t eGovernments and St Bart’s was knownfor its ability to continually review andimprove its service delivery. Building thes t r eng th and cohes i veness o f t hemanagement team had been a priorityfor me as I had planned to retire whenthe Lime Street building was completed.

We were all feeling our way but I alwaysbelieved we would achieve our goal. All thishad to be achieved while continuing toprovide services in three core areas of agedcare, homeless and transitional and mentalhealth accommodation. This would not havebeen possible without the strong flexibleand innovative management team and theircommitment to succeed.

The strong relationships that were formedallowed us to continue to discuss andnegotiate any difficulties.

We were fortunate to have great supportfrom the Department for Child Protection(DCP) that funds Specialist HomelessnessServices in Western Australia. They wereacutely aware of the shortage of affordablehousing and rentals in Western Australiaand knew that St Bart’s programs werefocussed on preventing people returning tohomelessness and rebuilding lives.

The Challengefor ChangedService DeliveryThe move to Lime Street would involve agreat deal of change in a multitude of ways.We had to change the way we think aboutservice delivery, we were changing theenvironment, the layout, the facilities and hadto change the way we communicated withinour teams. Lime Street would provide us witha canvas to explore the possibil ity ofapproaching homelessness accommodationservices in a more innovative way.

There were two aspects to the transitionplan – the physical changes in moving to anew building and new ways of thinking whichfell in the following areas:

Restorative PracticeRestorative practice is a tool used in anumber of countries to support thoseexperiencing homelessness. The StockholmCity Miss ion in Sweden has provensuccessful in using restorative practice toencourage clients to be socially responsibleand accountable for their actions. We havelooked to incorporate aspects of the practiceand make them relevant to the service thatwe have here in Perth.

Using Consequence and AwarenessAgreements with clients who are on theverge of eviction or starting to head downa dark path we are now intervening at acritical point to prevent the person losingt h e i r w a y . T h e i d e a o f l o o k i n g a tConsequences and Awareness with aresident is to increase the individual’saccountabi l i ty for their own actions,encouraging them to look not just how thedecisions they make have impacted onthemselves, and on their community. Thisis something we have been able to bring into the programs in the Homeless andTransitional Service.

Another focus is looking at how we cancreate a more individualised supportapproach. The crisis rooms we now are inclose proximity to support staff to enableus to provide high levels of support to thosein need. Residents who are in crisis are thenoffered the opt ion of residing in thetransitional accommodation which providesa higher level of independence and privacy,a s w e l l a s a n i n d i v i d u a l i s e d c a s emanagement program to take the next stepin the journey to independence.

We aim to provide assistance over a fivemonth period but are looking to take intoaccount the progress of the resident andidentify what value may be added byextending the stay whilst maintaining theirawareness that this is a stepping stone andavoiding dependency.

Exit strategies have always played a keyrole in preparing residents for moving on tothe community, accessing mainstreamservices and ensuring they are informed ofany changes to minimise panic and fear that

can sometimes occur when support islooking to be withdrawn.

The transitional program looks to increasethe level of responsibilities related to stayingin the accommodation to therefore empowerthe residents, allowing them to contributeto their environment. These increasedresponsibilities also up-skill the residentsto make the transition to lone living in thecommunity easier.

We also identified the need to break downthe stereotype of the homeless serviceand to incorporate some mainstreamaspects to the service. We have looked totake on a security officer or concierge towork the night shifts in place of a supportworker from Major Security Services. Therole of the security officer is to monitor towhole building and ensure the safety of allresidents on site. We are excited by thisnew partnership and look to learn along theway around the positives and negatives ofusing this approach but have been fortunateto find a security service that are keen tocome on the journey with us.

We anticipate there will be occasions whenthere is a need for a support worker toremain overnight in cases of crisis forindividual residents and these will be assistedon a case by case basis. The removal ofthe support worker has removed the desirefor some residents to stay up at all hoursto talk and encourages regular sleepingpatterns. With bringing in the mainstreamaspects to the service we hope to begin tobreak down the stigma associated with a‘homeless hostel’. With the same focuswe also aim to utilise facilities in the buildingto create a space for residents to attendcooking classes and computer sessions,and the hope is to open this up to be usedby local community groups and runinformative workshops for residents.

Here in Perth we have also established acollaborative network of service providersin the Specialist Homelessness Servicesand we are looking to share resourcesspaces and events that can be held atLime Street to benefit the whole homelesscommunity. ■

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PARITY · Volume 25, Issue 9 · December 2012

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liaPolice and Registry Week Perth, WA 2012Senior Sergeant Dave Hooper Perth Police Station, WA

People sleeping rough and police officersare intrinsically linked in WA. There are

a number of reasons for this:

• Police officers are one of the fewgovernment employee groups thatwork outside normal business hoursand through the night 365 days ayear. Police officers and peoplesleeping rough share the streetswhen most of society is asleep. Assuch we come into regular contactwith each other.

• People sleeping rough are morelikely to be victims of violence thanthe rest of society.

• A percentage of people sleepingrough commit unlawful acts that areconsequence of the living conditionsassociated with homelessness.

As a police officer I do not step back fromthe fact that my job is to enforce the lawfairly and with equally. The statue of justicethat is often found in front of court houseswears a blindfold for a reason; we policebehaviour, not people.

The fact that police officers enforce the lawequally does not mean we are blind to theplight of rough sleepers. But the truth is aperson sleeping rough is difficult to referto agencies that can help with housing,mental health and physical health at 3.00am. As a pol ice of f icer of 30 years’experience I have often despaired at thelack of after-hours support to which myofficers can refer rough sleepers.

I read the May 2012 edition of Parity, entitledPolicing Homelessness. I was not surprisedby the negative police stories published. Itis indicative of the distrust and adversarialattitude that often exists between policeofficers and advocates of people sleepingrough. My experience is that many of theattitudes held by both police officers andadvocates are not based on personalexperience but on pre-conceptions andother people’s stories, and are thereforeripe to be challenged.

I challenge those pre-conceptions withthe examples of Registry Week WA andQueensland.

Registry Week is a national initiative wherevolunteers and outreach workers seek outpeople sleeping rough and invite them toparticipate in a health and housing survey.The survey is unique in that it is not aboutcollecting statistics but is about identifyingindividuals who have critical housing andhealth issues and, because of their lifestyle,

may not be known to the health and housingagencies that can help them. It does notrely on candidates self-presenting butactively seeks them out.

WA Police was invited by Ruah CommunityServices to assist the project partly becauseof our knowledge of where many roughsleepers were located but also because ofthe success o f Queens land Po l i ceparticipating in the Brisbane Registry Week.

The initial planning meeting was interesting.I knew a number of people from otherworking groups but there were a numberof people I had not worked with previously.I could see there were some who wereuncomfortable with a uniform police officerbeing involved. The reception from somepeople was polite but frosty.

I am pleased to say that as the planningmeetings progressed the frostiness thawedas we worked through the various issuesassociated with the project. Through openand honest dialogue we were able to reachconsensus on the thornier issues such asour obligations when we found juvenile roughsleepers or people committing minor offenceswhile we were collecting the surveys.

A s t h e p l a n n i n g p r o g r e s s e d , t h eprofessional relationships between policeand the other agencies on the planningcommittee strengthened and trust wasestablished. The enthusiasm of my officersto be involved in the project and ourwillingness to commit resources such ascommunications and transport was thefinal nail in the coffin of distrust.

In August this year we progressed to thetraining stage for volunteers, outreachworkers, health professionals and policeofficers, who would be conducting thesurveys in the field. The same prejudices,to various degrees, were present again;police suspicious of agency workers, agencyworkers suspicious of police. But myexperience with this project has been thatas these various people worked toward acommon purpose it became very difficultto sustain those pre-conceived prejudices.

Registry Week in WA was a great successand resulted in a number of posit iveoutcomes. These included:

• A number of high vulnerability roughsleepers were identified who havecommenced receiving help from acombined team of housing andhealth professionals.

• An ongoing commitment from theparticipating agencies to workcollaboratively to continue adding tothe register of vulnerable roughsleepers and to continue to offer

services. This included a continuingcommitment from WA Police tolocate and refer people sleepingrough to the combined services.

• A change in the perception ofproject workers in regard to howthey viewed police officersinteracting with rough sleepers.

• A corresponding change in attitudeof police officers involved in theproject.

• A cementing of the professionalrelationship between officers at thePerth Police Station and workers atthe Ruah Drop In Day Centre.

I challenge the nay sayers of the world towalk in other people’s shoes and experienceinteraction with people sleeping rough at3am. You will soon discover that thosepeople do not care whether the survey takeris a volunteer, an outreach worker or apolice officer. They are just happy thatsomeone is taking the time to ask themabout their problems. ■

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Making Ends MeetPriscilla Wheatcroft Coordinator, Private Housing Services, Anglicare Western Australia

Introduction

The cost of living has continued toclimb for WA working families and

new financial obstacles rise every day.

Rent takes a dra in ing to l l . A rev iewconducted in April 2012 revealed that morethan 99 per cent of rental properties in WAare beyond affordable levels for low incomehouseholds. Many families are being forcedto pay rent that they cannot sustain ormake serious sacrifices to meet theirpayments. There have been steadyincreases to the cost of groceries, utilitiesand transportation. Staying out of debt hasbecome an increasingly difficult task. It onlytakes a small setback for families to findtheir budget under stress. An unexpectedinjury or accident is sufficient to send afamily into a downward spiral.

Anglicare WA is determined to assist thesefamilies through the tough times. Ourhousing team continues to be one of theState’s most trusted and utilised resourcesby people in need.

Making Ends MeetAnglicare WA’s Making Ends Meet serviceprovides financial assistance, support andeducation to working families in Mandurah,Rockingham and the Kwinana region.Through the service we provide our clientswith direct grants to help pay bills, and offertraining in financial literacy and budgeting.We also provide advocacy and educationaround private tenancy leasing so that clientshave the capacity to ensure their own futurestability. We will support our clients until theirfinancial situation and housing has stabilised.

Families who utilise Making Ends Meet arepartnered with one of our professionalsupport workers. The support worker willmanage their case personally and takespecial consideration of the unique needsof each individual client.

The funding for Making Ends Meet isgenerously provided by a private donor. Theservice is evidence of how charitablephilanthropists and community serviceorganisations can work together to effectchange in the community.

Through Making Ends Meet we arm WesternAustralian families with the tools they needto weather the bumps and bruises of ourunforgiving economy.

Case StudyPresenting Client

The presenting client is the mother ofa three year old child who works parttime and her partner is an apprenticeelectrician working full time. Whiletheir budget is sustainable they foundthemselves with rent arrears of $790due to client’s partner becoming illand receiving a reduced wage. Thislack of wages also meant they wereunable to maintain mobile phone andcar payments) and owe $332 and$1000 respectively. She was alsoconcerned that they had not receiveda Synergy account in the five monthsthey had been in their rental property.

Client Goals

• to stabilise housing

• to pay car payment arrears

• manage budget more efficiently

• contact Synergy to establish whyshe had not received an account.

Identified Needs

To reduce rent arrears and ensurethe client’s partner retains his motorvehicle by paying arrears andensuring that synergy account wascorrectly established.

Action Plan

• assist client with rent arrears andpay two weeks in advance

• pay finance company arrears toprevent car being repossessed

• Vodaphone debt to be managed bythe client.

Outcome

Once rent arrears and financecompany arrears were paid theclient’s budget was then more thanadequate to meet ongoing needs astheir income had improved when theclient’s partner returned to work fromsick leave. The client contactedSynergy and was informed she wouldreceive a fairly large outstandingaccount for payment. AnglicareHousing Support Worker advised herabout the Hardship Utility GrantsScheme (HUGS) and also to considerCentrepay option. The client advisedHousing Support Worker that shewas more than happy to continuemanaging her budget and wasthankful for the assistance provided.

Collaborative Working

While working with this client wewere assisted by Professional RealEstate, Capital Finance and Synergycredit control. ■

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liaWhat Does the Future Hold?Peta Nordberg Acting Operations Manager, Mission Australia, Western Australia

Homelessness is a current concern herein WA with rising rental prices, wait lists

for public housing increasing and the everpresent question from the CommunitySector ‘wi l l the National PartnershipAgreement (NPA) programs be continuedpost June 2013?’ You cannot help but hearthis discussion, whether it be on radio wherefamilies with one or both adults working andno underlying issues call in to outline theimpossibility of gaining stable affordablehousing; or in the pages of the press whichhappily announces headlines such as:‘homeless man charged with assault’ to‘my mission was to get off the streets’.

Now imagine you do not have the stabilisingfactors of employment, a supportive familyenvironment and are dealing with a violentrelationship, substance misuse or mentalhealth issues. These issues make it lesslikely for you to be able to obtain stablehousing. For many vu lnerable WestAustral ians the National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH)brought hope and outcomes. Al l theresearch tells us that to be a productive,high functioning member of society we need

three things; connection to community, safeliving environment and a sense of meaning.None of these are achievable without oneof our most basic needs being met and thatis a roof over head, a place to call home.

Here is Joy’s story, one of many successesthat have come about as a result of theNPAH programs.

Joy had been on the NPAH programsince September 2010. By the end of hertime on the program Mission Australiastaff were assisting her family, consistingof her partner Paul, son Rory anddaughter Page. Joy was a victimof severe domestic violence and a heavyamphetamine user with mentalhealth issues.

When Joy entered the program inSeptember 2010 she was referred by ayouth accommodation agency along withher son Rory. In January 2011 Joy hadher son removed from her care due tohigh risk behaviour involving drug use.During the support period Joyparticipated with the Department forChild Protection working towardsreunification. There were many occasionswhere Joy was supported, as well asaccompanied to the Perth children’scourt to gain access to her son. Joylinked in with another organisation to

begin working on her reunificationprocess. This was at times a verystressfully relationship as Joy felt thattheir approach was not understanding ofAboriginal children and the way theywould react to different situations. Joyoften fought with the workers from thisprogram. Joy was undeniably eager to bereunited with her son, doing all that wasasked to have her son back home on afull time basis.

At the time Joy was also expecting hersecond child. She was very concerned ofthe impact having another child at homewould have on her son when he had toleave to return to foster care. This causedher heightened anxiety. Rory wasreturned to his mother’s care aroundChristmas time in 2011, their relationshiphas since grown and they are workingwell creating a loving family unit.

Joy was offered a property early on in hersupport and moved into that house inFebruary 2011 brokerage was used topay for her bond for the home allowingher to use money she had been savingon fitting out her first home. Joy used agrant that is offered by Transition intoIndependent Living Allowance (TILA) tospend $1500.00 on furniture for her newhome, buying items for her son’sbedroom to make it a happy and

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comfortable place to stay. Unfortunatelyher ex-partner’s family moved in acrossfrom her unit. Due to safety concerns,she had to move house. There was a lotof Mission Australia support provided tohelp Joy find a new property. This tookover six months. However, the result wasthe provision of a three bedroomstand-alone house in April 2012. Duringthe time up until housing was securedJoy and Paul where provided supportand information on personal safety toprepare Joy and her family in the eventthat that contact was made by her ex-partner.

During the 18 months of support thefamily faced several challenges. Joyfound employment in March 2011.However, because of the reunificationprocess, Joy needed to be home onparticular days to have visitation with herson. This caused issues in the work placeand in the end Joy had to resign from herposition. This made Joy frustrated as sheenjoyed contributing as well as earningher own money. Joy experiencedsignificant impact to her mental healthwhilst on the program. During herpregnancy she was advised to cease twoof the prescribed medications thatassisted in controlling her anxiety in orderto protect the unborn baby. Staffsupported her with attending BentleyMental Health, providing her informalcounselling and encouraging alternativetechniques in dealing with her anxiety.Joy was able to stay off her medicationfor the duration of her pregnancy andwent on limited medication once shegave birth to Page.

Joy has come a long way since startingon the Mission Australia Housing Support

program funded by the NationalPartnerships Agreement onHomelessness. She has achieved manyof the goals she set. Joy has been ableto sustain and maintain her housing andis now housed in a safe neighbourhood.She has benefitted greatly by reunifyingwith her son, creating a home for herfamily and enrolling to study youth work.

Now Joy has enrolled in youth work as away to contribute to the community andinstil her valuable knowledge and lifeexperience with other struggling youngpeople. Joy’s transformation hasoccurred as a result of an 18 monthjourney, starting as a lost young personwho was dealing with drug addiction,homelessness, having her child removed,low self-esteem and also afraid for hersafety due to domestic violence. TodayJoy is a young woman who is a proudmother of two and a reliable tenant whohas created a safe home for her family.She is also more confident, head strongand has developed an incredible amountof self-esteem.

Although faced with adversity andcomplex challenges Joy has perseveredto change the life of her family for thebetter.

Mission Australia has approached state andfederal governments asking for a firmcommitment to fund the NPAH beyond nextyear, when it expires in June 2013.

After waiting several weeks for a responseon the issue from the State Government,Mission Australia WA Director, Melissa Perry,me t w i th t he S ta te Gove rnmen t i nSeptember to raise her concerns.

Ms. Perry said that if the funding programdid not continue beyond 2013, Mission

Australia would have to halve the servicesit provided in WA.

‘That means a decrease in accommodationa n d s u p p o r t s e r v i c e s f o r p e o p l eexperiencing homelessness,’ she said.

Joy, now at the age of 22, agreed that stateand federal government funding for servicessuch as Mission Australia was a must ifhome lessness was to be p rope r l yaddressed, adding the help she receivedhad ultimately saved her life.

‘They must continue with the fundingbecause if they don’t then the whole situationis going to get worse,’ Joy said.

‘If I didn’t have that support and guidancewhen I was homeless, I would be in jail, nodoubt.’

‘Living on the streets is certainly not a niceplace. It is not somewhere that you wantto be because you find yourself gettinginto crime just to get food.’

Joy said one of her goals in life was to helpyoung people who were homeless.

‘I really want to help the youth of today whofind themselves at risk,’ she said.

‘I’ve had that life experience, living on thestreets, and I can relate to them.’

The question now for the sector and thecommunity is: when will we know? TheCommonwealth Government’s commitmentto halve homelessness by 2020 may haveseemed ambitious. However, withoutongoing commitment from all areas ofgovernment the positive outcomes we haveseen as a result of the NPAH programs willslowly fade into obscurity. Not-for-profitorganisations will yet again be faced withoverwhelming calls for support without theresources to do so. ■

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Good News

David was known to a lot of homelessservices in Perth. That is to say known

by face and name but nobody seemed toknow much about David other than he wasforty three years old and was originally fromIraq. David was initially referred to theHousing Support worker by the Street toHome, Assertive Outreach Team. Prior tothis he had been sleeping in parks acrossthe Metropolitan area, moving from oneplace to another.

Concerns were raised about David’s healthby an Assertive Outreach Worker whomade the referral to 55 Central. Davidhad chronic bronchitis, precipitated largelyby sleeping outdoors in the cold weather.His ailing health was the impetus for himto seek assistance. His lack of knowledgeof accommodation services was the mainreason he had not accessed cr is isaccommodation in the past. He wasadmi t ted i n to 55 Cen t ra l ’ s C r i s i sAccommodation service after he wasassessed by the Housing Support worker.

Concerned about his own health he agreedto see the visiting nurse who in turn made

an appointment for him to see a GP toreceive antibiotics for his severe bronchitis.

Through most of his stay within the CrisisAccommodation Service David was veryquiet keeping to himself.

At the time it was very hard for the HousingSupport worker to make an appointmentfor a one to one key work session withDavid. Although very polite to staff andother clients, David would communicateas little as possible. Over time however,the Housing Support worker was able tobuild trust with David by showing a genuineinterest in him and speaking to David asan equal. It took a long time for David totell his story. David had been a refugeeand arrived in Australia in 1994 after leavingIraq as a young man living under extremeand harsh conditions. His family was middleclass Assyrian Christians who had lived anormal and fulfilling life until the militarydestroyed their home, killing his father andonly brother. David had also been tortured.David had no contacts or support networksin Australia and somehow he had fallenbetween the gaps over the last five years.

Even though he was aware that he neededhelp, he neither knew how to communicatethis nor where to look.

It later became apparent that David wassuffering from acute post traumaticstress disorder like many other refugeesescaping situations that have endangeredtheir lives and their psychological health.

Part of the help which the Housing Supportworker provided to David was a bridge toseeking professional support. In thisrespect, his relationship with the HousingSupport worker became a catalyst toforming other professional relationshipswith appropriate mental heath practitioners.

With encouragement from the HousingSupport worker, David visited a psychiatristwho referred him to a psychologist toreceive treatment for his post traumaticstress disorder. In February 2012 he washoused by the Department of Housing andis now doing voluntary work for a refugeesupport group as a translator. Eventuallyhe wants to study to become a SocialWorker and his long-term goal is to supportother refugees.

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liaRegistry Week Volunteer PerspectiveCompiled by Ros Mulley Executive Manager, Ruah Community Services

As a regular person from the suburbs,leaving a warm bed and sleeping

household to go into the city at 3.00 am isunusual and a little bit adventurous. It iswithout doubt the best time to cycle, withno traffic but the odd taxi, no need to followthe road rules and the chance to see thecity with different eyes. It is Registry Weekin Perth where people who are homelessand sleeping rough in the city are spokento about their health and their situation inorder to advocate to government on theirbehalf and to actively to find them a home.It is the first time this has been done in Perthand about 80 volunteers thought this goodcause was worth getting up for to be in thecity for 3.30am over three mornings.

It was moving to see the Ruah Centre fullof people on the Monday evening for theRegistry Week training. The folk from theeastern states who have seen this doneelsewhere said our set up was the bestthey had seen. The organisers had thebenefit of the experiences in other statesand cities around the world and seemedto have everything covered, with tightplanning, warm hoodies for everyone anda strong sense of purpose.

The methodology was explained as notbe ing j us t a head coun t o f peop leexperiencing homelessness and a datacollection exercise, but a genuine andpractical approach to finding homes forpeople who do not have them. This requiredus to look for the people who ‘sleep rough’in the city, take their names, photos andhistories through a Vulnerability Indexquestionnaire and use this informationimmediately for the people in the worsthealth and greatest need.

I volunteered for the first and third morningsbut some tough cookies were there for allthree mornings and of course the organiserswere backing up right through to thepresentation of the data to the politiciansand others on the final day. It was anadmirable effort from a huge array ofindividuals and groups and as volunteerswe were well looked after.

Our group headed off with some nervousexcitement to look for people sleeping roughin the area we were assigned. It had beensaid that people sleeping out in the city oftenhave to move along from place to place andit was easy to see why. Even in the earliesthours, the city is bathed in light and thereis absolutely nowhere that I could imaginesleeping in the peaceful way that I knowabout sleep. I will never look at anotherbundle of humanity and blankets andpersonal effects in a doorway in the sameway after being a Registry Week volunteer.

The two people we found to speak to onour first morning were long-time homeless

men, with five decades spent on thestreets between them. Both were willing totalk, despite being woken by us. Again, therationale for doing this in the early hours, inwinter, was that this is how you find the mostvulnerable people who have absolutelynowhere else to go. When we explainedwhat we were doing, the men were bothwilling to share their personal stories andtrust us to respect these and genuinely usethis information well. It was a lot to ask ofthem but both men were dignified, respectfuland still held some hope that there may bean alternative to their difficult situations.

‘Ashley’ had a spot that was his and knownto be his, secure from the weather and withgreat sight lines in all directions. When hesaid that he had been homeless from ageten, for 30 years, it was incomprehensibleto me. How, how, how? was all that I couldthink. What circumstances consign a childto homelessness into their adult life? Thelight of the torch was not great for readinga person but that felt okay too because,although direct eye contact is good andpolite, it would also have felt intrusive. Itwas clear there was a surface toughnessabout Ashley in his appearance but a definitegentleness in his dealings with us.

Through good fortune or canny self-care,Ashley reported no significant healthproblems. He said that he had never beenassaulted in his life in the streets because‘look at the size of me’ but that also implies

a need to be on constant alert. To thequestion of what would you need to feelsafe and well, he didn’t miss a beat inreplying ‘a home’.

‘Stephen’ is a decade older than Ashley andhad known a productive working life beforea range of problems led to his homelessnessover the past 20 years. Some of the problemsarose from accidents and injuries and thelegacies of these were not just homelessnessbut the suffering from pain and impairment,compounded by ‘living rough’. Stephenwanted to talk, in that way of a person whowants you to know that this is not who theyare and who they see themselves to be. Hewas very clear in saying that he did notchoose or want to live on the streets, thatit is hard and he had made great efforts tofind his own place but circumstances alwaysworked against him. When he listed thereasons, they descr ibed the toughcompetit ive housing market and theimpossible chasm between a person withno address and the prospect of a place tocall home. Stephen’s answer to the safeand well question was ‘somewhere to live’.

Both of the men we met reported no nextof kin or people close to them. This is toosad for many of us to imagine. What ourbrief contacts showed very clearly is thatthese men are not lost to themselves, justlost to society. With help, respect andperseverance from us all they will find ahome and re-join community life. ■

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The Mobile Clinical Outreach Team:Assertive Mental Health Outreachon the StreetRussell Oliver Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Mobile Clinical Outreach Team, Street to Home Program

The Mobile Clinical Outreach Team(MCOT ) is an assertive Mental Health

Outreach service that is street present andprovides Specialist Mental Health Servicesthrough Clinical Assessment, Communitytriage, Treatment and Engagement for‘Rough Sleepers’ who have serious mentalillness and/or co-occurring substancemisuse issues, as a part of the Street toHome Program (S2H) in Perth, WA. Thiscomponent of S2H is not clinic based andhas a strong presence on the street and atthe Drop In/Community Centres in inner cityPerth and Fremantle. MCOT engages withthe c l ient at a locat ion that is mostappropriate for the client.

MCOT is a small team comprised of a parttime Consultant Psychiatrist and threeClinical Nurse Specialists that at the momentcover a Monday to Friday service between

7.00 am and 6.00 pm. MCOT provides casemanagement for S2H clients and offers aconsultation liaison service to all S2H serviceproviders in WA. MCOT facil itates anintegrated approach between SpecialistHomeless Services, mainstream mentalhealth services, drug and alcohol servicesand primary care services through a CareCoordination Model.

Once a client has been activated all relevantinformation is uploaded onto the S2H shareddata base Infoxchange. All S2H serviceproviders ( Assertive Outreach Workers andHousing Support Workers ), specificallythose that are working directly with the client,have access to this data base to record andshare detailed client information to developjoint case management and formulateindividualised care packages and plans.MCOT meets regularly with S2H providersto address the client’s issues and supporteach other through informal appropriateeducation and training, assessment andcare planning resources, there is also aformal monthly meeting for S2H providers

and each agency hosts the meeting on athree monthly rotation.

MCOT is under the governance of the WADepartment of Health and has additionalreporting obligations. All clients that areactivated have an open file online within theMental Health Information System (PSOLIS).MCOT documents all relevant informationinc lud ing , ac t i va t i on de ta i l s , casemanagement plans, functional assessmentsand up to date notes that can be viewed bymainstream mental health services, as a goodpercentage of S2H clients have had contactwith mainstream services or are active withthose services in one way or another.

MCOT provides regular six monthly reportsto the Department for Child Protection andthe Mental Health Commission (the S2Hfunding bodies in WA). Below are sometrends that have been highlighted during thereport period for January 2012 to July 2012.

OverviewAverage age: 37

Percentage male/female: 40 per centmale, 60 per cent female

Ethnicity: 73 per cent Caucasian,19 per cent Aboriginal, 8 per centother/unknown

Axis: 36 of the 42 clients (86 per cent)accepted to the service had a primarymental health diagnosis, the mostcommon of which was paranoidschizophrenia (14 per cent).

Drug and Alcohol: 37 of 42 clients(88 per cent) accepted to the service hadsubstance abuse issues.

General Health: 10 of 42 clients(23 per cent) accepted to the service hadgeneral health problems.

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liaHomelessness Status:

· on referral: 42 of 42 clients(100 per cent) accepted to theservice were either primary orsecondary homeless.

· on discharge: Of the 29 clientscurrently discharged from theservice, 20 have been successfullyassisted to find long term housing(69 per cent).

MCOT remains vigorously involved in servicedevelopment through activity based projects.MCOT along with Ruah Community Serviceshad a pivotal role in Perth’s first RegistryWeek Survey conducted in August 2012.The information that was captured is nowa part of the national homelessness database and all clients identified through theVulnerability Index Tool (the main datacol lect ion quest ionnaire ) are in theprocess of being assisted by S2H.

The Commonwealth Heads of GovernmentMeeting (CHOGM) 2011 was held in Perthbetween the 28 and 30 October . Ahomelessness strategy during this periodwas devised by the Department for ChildProtection and Street to Home serviceproviders. MCOT again played a valuablerole along with the Mental Health EmergencyResponse Line (MHERL) in mental healthservice delivery for ‘rough sleepers’ duringCHOGM. Some areas of the city weresectioned off and this had a potential impacton those sleeping rough within those zones.Along with Uniting Care West Tranby DropIn Centre MCOT and MHERL providedaccess to specialist staff over the weekendfor those clients that required mental healthassistance and if needed a referral toappropriate services for ongoing supports.

MCOT has also been negotiating withSpecia l ist Abor ig ina l Menta l Heal thServices to have an indigenous worker

as part of MCOT to provide culturallyaware service delivery.

Case StudyA male 54 years old living rough in aninner city suburb was referred to MCOT.He was sleeping on a bench behind adrop in centre for five years with a seriousmental illness and chronic alcoholdependence. He was activated as a S2Hclient and accommodated in a nearbyhostel. The supervisor had concernsregarding his ongoing drinking thoughwith regular visits from MCOT and theAssertive Outreach Workers from Ruahhe was maintained in the building forseveral months. Unfortunately due tosome medical issues he was asked toleave the hostel. He was admitted to

hospital with MCOT’s assistance andinvestigations were undertaken as aninpatient. He was kept in hospital forseveral weeks due to MCOT havingregular contact with the Medical andNursing teams. His medical conditionsare being addressed and he is nowresiding in another hostel in the outersuburbs and is coping well withappropriate supports in place.

T h e S t r e e t t o H o m e P r o g r a m h a sdeveloped into an example of collaborationbetween government and non-governmentagenc ies in serv ice prov is ion. Th isapproach is at the coalface of a new andexciting paradigm in delivering resourcesto those most at risk and disconnectedfrom mainstream services. It has fostereda growing awareness of homelessness inAustralia and how the dedicated Streetto Home staff work. ■

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From Homelessness to ...Christmas at Home with the Kids!

Crystal came to Swan EmergencyA c c o m m o d a t i o n ’ s N a t i o n a l

Partnership Agreement on Homelessness(NPAH) program in June 2011 from aresidential rehabilitation facility. From thefirst assessment meeting, NPAH workersimmediately recognised her high level ofmotivat ion to change and absolutecommitment to overcoming her addiction.

Crystal, a mother to four children (agednine to 14 years) who were all in care,has a long history of drug use. Crystal’sfi rs t a t tempt a t rehab i l i t a t ion andreunification with her children did notsucceed due to lack of preparation forparenting and lack of ongoing support.

This time around though, we were ready— Crystal had the knowledge of what didnot work the first time around and usedthe support on offer through NPAH to buildconnections; a safety net.

NPAH workers visited Crystal while shewas in rehabilitation — building rapportand identifying goals. Workers establisheda solid relationship and opened lines of

communication with Crystal’s DCP caseworkers. Workers then advocated forCrystal to be allocated a four bedroom,trans i t ional jo int Swan EmergencyAccommodation, Department for ChildProtection, Department of Housingproperty. Advocating for Crystal to behoused in this four bedroom property (inspite the fact that she is a single personwith the financial capacity to pay onlyminimal rent) was crucial to the progressionof the reunification process. Crystal’schildren could visit and stay overnight, thusallowing the reunification plan to progress.

NPAH workers have attended all DCP casemanagement meetings and providedfeedback and support to Crystal’s DCPcaseworker. Support has been providedfor Crystal to link to parenting supportservices, medical services, alcohol and otherdrug (AOD) counselling, financial servicesand counselling services for her children.She has also received financial assistanceto help her deal with historical debt fromprevious unsuccessful tenancies. Educationaround managing a tenancy agreement,

maintaining a property and budgeting hasbeen an important part of the process.

Crystal has remained clean and sober foralmost two years now. She has completedCertificate 3 and 4 in Community Services.She has commenced paid work as anAOD counsellor and devotes any sparemoment to supporting others on the pathto recovery from addiction. She hasattended specialised child counsellingsessions and gradually built up contacttime with her children.

Crystal was supported to move in to herDepartment of Housing property in earlyJune 12 and this tenancy is progressingwithout a hi tch. She was proud tohand her transitional property over cleanand undamaged with her rent fully paid.With a long history of unsuccessfultenancies, this was the first time shehad ever done so.

She has fully reunified with her oldestdaughter and her 3 younger children willbe moving in when school finished — justin time for Christmas!

John's Bench

Collaboration for Positive Health OutcomesJulie Fereday Learning Portfolio Manager Health, Central Institute of Technology, Mt Lawley Campus

In July 2012 the Reach team commenceda partnership with St Bartholomew’s (St

Bart’s) House and James Watson Hostelin East Perth to provide basic health careservices and emotional and social wellbeingsupport to residents in these facilities.

Reach (Roaming Education and CommunityHealth) is a partnership between CentralInstitute of Technology, Curtin Universityand the Department of Health, Nursing andMidwifery Office. This project was possibledue to funds provided through HealthWork fo rce Aust ra l i a , an Aust ra l i anGovernment initiative.

The project has been developed to providea vital and much needed service to theabove organisations and develop andexpand upon clinical training opportunitiesfor nursing students.

Once a week the Reach Wellness Nurseconducts we l lness sess ions whereresidents are able to pop in if they have anymedical concerns or questions about theirhealth. A key to the success of this hasbeen the excellent relationship that hasbeen developed with residents in bothsettings. Some residents come for weeklymonitoring of their health and to have achat, while others just attend the clinic whenthey need to. The Reach Wellness Nurse

is able to spend time with the residents andprovide support and education across arange of different areas. Students workclosely with the Reach Wellness Nurse anddevelop vital skills in understanding anddelivering care to clients from a range ofdifferent cultural groups and backgrounds.

A very strong partnership has been formedbetween St Bart’s, James Watson, Reachand the Mobile GP service. Residents arereferred or followed up a lot more smoothlythan previously and this has alleviated theneed for some of the residents to seek careat the local Emergency Department. TheReach Wellness Nurse plays an importantrole in liaising with Case Workers to followup residents when needed and undertakefurther care.

In 2013 the model of care provided byReach will continue to expand with theintegration of Nurse Practitioner servicesto support the current delivery of servicesby both the Reach Wellness Nurse and theMobile GP. This will allow further serviceprovision and much needed care to otherhomeless and underserved groups withinthe community.

The services provided by Reach havefilled a much needed gap identified by StBart’s and James Watson in supportingthe health care of their residents. Residentinvolvement has been the key to thesuccess with many taking the opportunityto have an initial conversation about theirhealth in a setting where they feel secure

and supported. The service has given ournurs ing students a va luable c l in ica le x p e r i e n c e a n d h a s f o s t e r e d t h edevelopment of skills in areas such aslistening, communicating and interactingwith clients. These will be integral in theirfu tu re ro les as nurses , both in thecommunity and hospital setting.

The outcomes of this new partnership canbe clearly seen with residents being moreinformed on their medications and a greaterunderstanding of what alternatives areavailable to them. There has been diagnosisof diabetes for some residents and followup support provided through individualhealth education. Discussions have beeninstigated around various health issues andthe residents now feel comfortable to talkwith the Reach nurse about these.

Since July 2012 when Reach commencedthe service at St Bart’s 48 crisis andtransitional residents have been providedwith health or medical support and 40referrals have been made for health issues.The value added through this project isalso not just of benefit to the resident butalso provides support for staff to promotea healthy work-life balance. Having thispartnership has provided the opportunity tobuild capacity within St Bart’s and enhancedthe depth of support given to clients. ■

If you would like further informationon this initiative please contactJulie Fereday onJulie.Fereday@central.wa.edu.au

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liaAt Vincentcare No Situation is HopelessLucinda Ardagh Manager, Public Relations and Fundraising, St Vincent de Paul Society (WA) Inc.

Early intervention is the key to a positiveconsumer outcome for most people

experiencing homelessness with a mentalillness who pass through Vincentcare, aspecial work of the St Vincent de PaulSociety located at Woodbridge WA.

Different consumer groups with severe orpersistent mental illness access the 28 highdependency single bed units for differentreasons, but they share the commonalityof being homeless with nowhere else to go.

Many have been in hospital for months onend or they are incapable of living alonebecause they are a possible harm tothemselves and the community. Others havebeen sleeping rough for years. At Vincentcarein the last three years, the United Kingdomdeveloped program called Outcome Star issuccessfully being used by staff to work withconsumers (persons with a lived experienceof homelessness and mental illness) to reachtheir recovery goals.

The consumer driven process includes adifferent approach to case management forboth homelessness and mental healthrecovery. Case managers become facilitatorsand each consumer decides what will maketheir l i fe meaningful and worthwhile.Consumers decide what they need out oftheir lives and a case manager’s expertiseis crucial for guiding and supportingprograms tailored for each person aroundtheir goals and independence.

In keep ing w i th the Outcome Star ,Vincentcare staff receive essential trainingin mental health first aid, social inclusionand motivational interviewing techniques.

If the consumer wants to look at particularareas of their life they have the ability to doso with their case manager. The result ishigh consumer motivation and enthusiasmand a faster recovery rate.

Manager Yvonne Pallier says many youngmen who come in with first episodepsychosis, usually drug induced, respondwell to the intensive recovery program andlaunch straight back into independent living.Others are on a slower track becauseperhaps they have had a number of mentalhealth episodes and they lack confidence,but Vincentcare understands this and allowsthem to travel at their own pace.

‘Our aim is to assist people with a mentalillness find a way to build a life alongsidethat mental illness,’ said Yvonne.

‘When a consumer is ready for moreindependent l iv ing, they are offeredaccommodation at Vincentcare’s groupand share houses, town houses or unitsin well located Perth suburbs. These homesare staffed during the working week with

a 24 hour a day emergency call serviceand their recovery treatment continues.There are also some transitional housesfor men and families in Albany.

‘Decades o f exper ience he lp us tounderstand where people are at andwhen they are ready to move into thecommunity with partial support or fullindependence. If they become unwell theycan always move back into a greatersupport environment because mental healthdoes not have a smooth end.’

St Vincent de Paul’s mission to care forthe most vulnerable groups in societyextends their compassion to the next mostsusceptible group in the community, thatof youth between 12 and 25 years. All arehomeless and many come from homeswi th t rauma; some have had a badexperience with drugs that has left themwith drug induced psychosis.

Niall Rhatigan manages Passages ResourceCentre in Northbridge, a joint venturebetween the St Vincent de Paul Society andthe Rotary Club of Perth. The service assistshomeless youth including support for youngmothers with newborns who are vulnerableto homelessness. Most sleep rough becauseof family abuse and family breakdown.

He says the longer young people stay onthe street the harder it is to get them backon track as they get better at surviving andcompared to their home (if they had one)they think it is not so bad.

‘Passages aim is to draw the youngpeople to the centre by meeting their basicneeds, such as breakfast, hot showers,l a u n d r y I n t e r n e t a n d f r i e n d l ynon-judgemental support from youthworkers. They can also receive mail, haveaccess to specific youth services like DAYSand Youthlink, youth workers, street doctorsand Centrelink community team,’ Niall said.

‘While we have them at Passages we tryto engage them at other levels, such aslook ing a f te r themse lves by eat inghealthy food and giving them support intheir areas of need at the time.

This was particularly the case for a fewhomeless young mothers with new babieswho came to Passages to access coreservices. These young women still neededsupport but because of the arrival of theirbaby, it may have been difficult for themto access services that had supportedthem previously.

He and the Passages team ran a verysuccessful young mum’s group for thewomen to get together with their babiesand share experiences. Youth workersprovided perspective and help them toreflect on where they were at and to thinkabout their future. They also put the youngwomen in touch with other agencies thatcou ld prov ide accommodat ion andappropriate services for mother and child.

Niall finds the E3 Environmental Programs(Engage, Empower and Encounter) with thereward of a six week ground trip that includesonsite conservation work at the end of thecourse, can be highly successful in attractingyouth away from the street culture.

He says the intensive programs changethe lives of participating homeless youthwho learn life skills and values as well asengaging in many interesting projectsthat benefit the community. Costs limit theprograms to once a year.

Passages also run a centre at Mandurah.Youth workers try to encourage teenageconsumers using the Peel services to stayin the area so they have the option of returninghome and to school sometime in the future.

In early 2013 Vincentcare will open TomFisher House, an acute shelter and a safesleep for consumers who are chronicrough sleepers or not accepted at othershelters due to aggressive behaviour ordrug use.

While all these facilities serve Vincentcareand Passages consumers wel l , bothYvonne and Niall say without a house tolive in first, the services to consumer havea limited impact — and houses are gettingharder and harder to find.

‘When people live on the streets theyjust lurch from one crisis to another andyou spend most of your time dealingwith the cr is is and not the problemcausing it,’ they said.

‘The perfect solution is to put homeless andpeople with mental illness into safe andsecure accommodation and build holisticservices around them. It is so much moreeffective to work with people who are settled.’

But the Vincentians acknowledge they maynever have that luxury, so they continuewith love and compassion to build on whatthey can do and to make their services workwell for all those in need. ■

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Homelessness Hub: Integrating Services atUnitingCareWest’s Inner City CentreJodie Smyth Manager Accommodationand Support Services, UnitingCare West

In late 2008, UnitingCare West’s (UCW)Inner City Centre opened as a purpose

built facility, developed to accommodate thewell-established Tranby Day Centre and anumber of other homelessness services.The location for this hub was carefullyconsidered, with East Perth seen as asuitable site due to its close proximity to arange of other services and transport options.

The establishment of this service site, andthe co-location of a range of services,positions UCW’s homelessness servicesin a way that ensures they interact, providinga coordinated response to people most inneed. This improved coordination alignedUCW’s response to homelessness with thedirections outlined in the CommonwealthGovernment’s homelessness White Paper,The Road Home.

In order to meet the needs of individualsand families accessing homelessnessservices at UCW, a service delivery modelthat allows for the effective assessmento f b o t h r i s k a n d n e e d h a s b e e nimplemented. The identification of risk andneed strengthens outcomes for clients assupports can be prov ided across arange of areas.

The model encompasses several aspectsincluding:

• proactive outreach to rough sleepersthrough Street to Home

• a safe and supportive environmentfor people experiencing primaryhomelessness through TranbyDay Centre

• holistic assessment of all familiesand individuals accessing servicesthrough the use of a specialistassessment officer and commonassessment tool

• access to supportedaccommodation options

• formal and informal linkages andpartnerships with a range of otherservices.

The model uses a client centred approachwith staff focusing on building trustingrelationships with clients and works withother service providers to ‘ break thecycle’ of homelessness. Staff also work withclients to access and broker services tomeet their individual need.

Intensive case management is provided toa significant number of clients, with theservice experiencing increasing demand.Like many other services, the co-morbidityissues experienced by many clients add tothe complexity of delivering services.

A number of UCW services form part ofthe homelessness response including:

• Tranby Day Centre

• Street to Home

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and South

• Credit Care (Financial Counsellingand Emergency Relief)

• Private Tenancy Support

• Personal Helpers and MentorsProgram

• Assessment Officer

• Independent Living Program

• Wyn Carr House

• Indigenous Family Violence.

Tranby Day Centre

Client group— adults who are homelessor at risk of homelessness.

Services — breakfast, showers, phonecalls, postal address, advocacy, StreetLegal, Mobile GP, Community Centrelink.

Street to Home

Client group — rough sleepers in theinner city.

Services — engagement, street outreach,relationship building.

HomelessnessAccommodation

Client group — single men and familieswho are homeless.

Services — Transitional Accommodation,intensive case management, life skills,support and assistance to gainemployment, training, counselling andany other services required.

Credit Care

Client group — people experiencingfinancial hardship.

Services — Financial Counselling —financial crisis support, budgeting andsome assistance with bills.  

Emergency Relief — assistance isgenerally in the form of food cards or partpayment of outstanding utility bills orother accounts.  The service is animportant gateway to other services andsupport programs that may help withmore complex issues.

Private Tenancy Support

Client group — adults at risk of homelessand residing in a private rental in the innercity centre of Perth.

Services — assists and supportsindividuals or families at the earliestopportunity before debts or tenancyissues become unmanageable, placingthe tenancy at risk. The service workswith everyone involved to ensure bothtenants and property managers receivepositive outcomes from the service.

Personal Helpers andMentors Program

Client group — people with severe andpersistent mental illness.

Services — may involve assistance withbetter managing their daily activities andimproving access to relevant support

services. The program also employs PeerSupport Workers who have experience ofmental illness.

Independent Living Program

Client group — adults with severe andpersistent mental illness.

Services — supported landlord service,long term housing and accommodationoptions.

Assessment Officer

Client group — people who are homelessor at risk of homelessness – byappointment or walk in.

Services — referral, advice, food cards,support letters, assistance with transport,work uniforms, tools.

Wynn Carr House

Client group — women over 18unaccompanied by children seekingrefuge from domestic or family violenceor who are experiencing homelessness.

Services — Wynn Carr House applies astrengths based approach in supportingwomen to remain safe and work towardstheir identified needs. It also assists inaccessing other services, including thoseassociated with physical and mentalhealth.

Indigenous Family Violence

Client group — Aboriginal people at riskof or experiencing family violence.

Services — a range of community andindividual supports that assist womenand children experiencing family violence.

In meeting the needs of people who arehomeless, key partner agencies providedirect service delivery support to thosepeople accessing Tranby Day Centre. Thisis achieved through maintaining goodworking relationships with these agencies.The role that these agencies play in providingsupport to these clients is invaluable. Serviceproviders that come into Tranby Day Centreon a regular basis include:

• Community Centrelink Team

• Street Legal

• Mobile GP

• UCW Disability Advocacy.

Add i t i ona l l y , se r v i ce l i nkages andcoordination occurs with a range of otherareas including:

• alcohol and other drug services

• multicultural centres

• mental health clinics

• community justice services

• employment services

• recreational services

• charity Link and Good Sammy’s

• crisis accommodation

• community housing providers.

As many of the services are co-located,there is increased opportunity to coordinate

services. Factors that have supported bettercoordination include:

• use of a common assessment tool

• streamlined internal referral process

• increased staff awareness of theservices available

• local leadership

• the establishment of an assessmentofficer.

The delivery and coordination of theseservices is reviewed and evaluated regularlyto ensure good practice. There are alwaysimprovements to be made as staff, clientsand the operating environment shifts andchanges.

Although much has been achieved toimprove the coordination and integration ofservices, there remain many challenges.These include:

• staff continuity and turn over

• finding the balance between theright amount of overlap versusduplication

• the need for ongoing simplification ofreferral processes

• lack of funding to broker moreflexible responses

• the increasing complexity of clientissues

• the ability to adapt quickly tochanges in client needs

• service demand and capacityissues.

Where clients make contact with a particularservice and that service is not assessed asthe most suitable, clients will be activelysupported to access other more appropriateservices. No client is ever turned away asit is still the right door at UCW.

Services ensure the person is referred ontothe most appropriate internal service. Fromthere, an individual may access a numberof services in order to have their needs met.The benefit of this to the client is they donot have to relay their personal story multipletimes. This often reduces the stress andanxiety many of our clients face whenseeking assistance. The ability to offer wraparound services through the option of tenprograms within the service site ultimatelymeans the navigation process for clients inneed is made much easier.

In the event that a client requires additionalservices to those offered by UCW, a referralto an external service is made. Due to anumber of external service providersrunning services from Tranby Day Centre,strong relationships with these providershave been established.

Continuing collaboration with key agenciesto build relationships that benefit thedelivery of services to people experiencinghomelessness is an important focus.Supporting people who are homeless tobuild stability, safety and opportunity int h e i r l i v e s r e m a i n s a n i m p o r t a n tcommitment of UCW. ■

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The Uniting Care West Homeless ResponseDuring the CommonwealthHeads of Government MeetingSue Ash CEO,Uniting Care West

On 27 April 2011, representatives fromeight agencies, providing the Street to

Home Service, along with the Departmentfor Child Protection, gathered to discussthe impact of the Commonwealth Heads ofGovernment Meetings (CHOGM) on roughsleepers in the inner city. Due to securityzones that would be in place in the innercity over the three days of CHOGM a numberof rough sleepers were ident ified asvulnerable to displacement during this time.

The group identified principles to guide thedevelopment of the response. Homelessand vulnerable people in the CBD shouldbe impacted as little as possible by CHOGM.People needing additional support wouldbe referred to existing services; additionalservices will be funded to offer options forthose rough sleepers who are not able oreligible to access existing services, and, ifpossible, the most vulnerable people in Perth

should experience some short and longterm benefit from the CHOGM.

The UnitingCare West (UCW) Inner CityCentre is centrally located in East Perthand was identified as an ideal facility wherepeople could be supported. The UCWInner City Centre includes the TranbyDay service, a well known and valuedservice providing coordinated servicesincluding breakfast to people who arehomeless. The Tranby Centre became thecentre of the CHOGM Homelessnessresponse with UCW as the lead agency.A coordinator was appointed, budgetsdeveloped and a detailed plan developed.

UCW Tranby provided additional servicesand hours of operation outside normalparameters to provide:

• a 24 hour central safe andsupportive environment

• meals, and an area where peoplecould sleep safely

• rostered experienced staff fromthe eight agencies who had beenpivotal in the planning stage, withspecialist drug and alcohol andmental health expertise from theStreet to Home Mobile ClinicalOutreach Team

• storage for personal belongings

• arrange necessary securitymeasures in the Tranby vicinity.

B roke rage funds a l so enab led thepurchase of other services includingtransport and food cards. Additionalassistance included clothing, advocacy,referral, phone cal ls, legal services,sleeping bags, food parcels, showers andrecreational activities.

This was seen as an opportunity to providedirect support and also collect improveddata about people sleeping rough in themetropol itan area to assist in betterunderstanding their needs.

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Data The CHOGM Homelessness Responseoccurred over the four days of the mainCommonwealth Heads of GovernmentMeetings. The program of meetings relatedto CHOGM ran for ten days from 20 Octoberto 30 October. However, the four days,27–30 October, were chosen as the specificdays for the additional service because ofthe expected impact of various securityarrangements with more than 50 Heads ofGovernment based in the CBD on thosedays.

The additional service commenced at 5pmon Thursday 27 October. The TranbyService usually finishes at 12 noon on Friday,so the weekend service was a significantincrease in options for vulnerable homelesspeople in Perth.

Clients Viewson the CHOGMHomeless ResponsePeople who attended the centre at any timeduring the CHOGM response were surveyedand the following responses outline thebenefit experienced by participants.

• People valued a safe place to sleep;Sleep deprivation has a huge impacton an individual’s wellbeing —mentally and physically. Femaleclients in particular stated that they

felt great benefit from the service,particularly over the weekend whenthey feel most vulnerable on thestreets. They queried why theservice could not be ongoing.

• The mental health model ofengagement and building of trustwith individuals was seen as hugelybeneficial to clients by both therostered staff and the Mental HealthTeam

• Clients accessing the servicerequested an ongoing serviceprovision, stating that it was the bestsleep they’ve had, feeling safe andsecure. This was because theyvalued the fact that staff memberswere available in the same room,‘looking out for them’. They alsoexpressed concerns regarding thefact that the Government could findthe money to provide the service forthe CHOGM weekend but notongoing.

• Overwhelmingly the responsehighlighted the complexity of issuesfaced by a core group of roughsleepers who for reasons mostlyassociated with substance misuseand anti social behaviour, were notsuitable for referral to any crisisaccommodation options (oralternative accommodation options.

For this particular group, daycentres appear to be the onlysupport option available. Inparticular, Aboriginal and otherfemales are extremely vulnerable).

• The success of the service provisionwas made possible due toconsidered planning and thegenerous spirit of everyone involvedfrom the eight services.

Ongoing Benefit forPeople ExperiencingHomelessnessS ince CHOGM, T ranby has seen asignificant rise in the number of individualsaccessing support. Client numbers haveincreased from between 80 -90 to 150 -160 per day. The demand for this servicehas added significant pressure to theservices delivered from the Tranby Centre.The UnitingCare West Board approvedadditional funding from agency resourcesfor six months while negotiations occurredwith government funders.

Additional service outcomes that weredeveloped for the CHOGM response andcontinue more than six months after theend of the service are:

• Mental Health Emergency Response(MERHL) staff continue to accessthe Tranby Day Centre on a weeklybasis to engage clients with mentalhealth issues

• established relationship with FoodRescue Service. They now deliverfresh fruit, vegetables, rolls andcakes to the centre twice daily, 3 to4 days per week

• relationships with many externalproviders and the police havecontinued to improve

• greater representation of Aboriginalclients accessing the centre

• improved response from clients asto the services provided at Tranbyand ICC at large. ‘There is securityhere and it makes me feel safe’.

SummaryService Providers came together sixmonths prior to the Commonwealth Headsof Government meetings in Perth in orderto develop a response that would enablethe most vulnerable people to be leastimpacted by CHOGM; and if possible, torece i ve some sho r t and l ong te rmbenefit. For all service providers, there wasthe challenge of commencing additionalservices where it was clearly not going tobe possible to continue post CHOGM. Theconclusion at the end of the HomelessnessResponse was that it was important towork proactively to support vulnerablepeople during a major civil society event;to trial new forms of service delivery anduse the learning from those services forfuture advocacy; and as much as possible,to work towards long term benefits as wellas the short term service. ■

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Total Total TotalDay Date Presentations Meals Overnight Stays

Thursday 27/10/11 47 27 18

Friday 28/10/11 52 256 17

Saturday 29/10/11 174 196 22

Sunday 30/10/11 251 368 30

Total 524 847 87

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Perspective 1

Tom Fisher House: Can Architecture beResponsive to Homeless Service Delivery?Stephen Hicks Architect, CODA Architecture andUrban Design

The Tom Fisher House is a new acutehomeless night shelter in the inner city

suburb of Mount Lawley, WA. The 10-bedshelter, designed by CODA in collaborationwith the cl ient group (Department ofHousing, Department of Child Protection,Vincent Care), will provide chronicallyhomeless people with safe and supervisedovernight accommodation. Located behinda new commercial development on thesame site, and nestled between existingresidential buildings, the building will be anunobtrusive, referral-only centre in whichconsumers can access accommodation,

support and resources, ablution and kitchenfacilities, and basic first aid.

The centre is planned around a flexiblecommunal space with courtyards at itsnorthern and southern ends. All bedroomsopen directly into the communal area, withs t a f f a n d s e r v i c e a r e a s g r o u p e dindependently. The saw-tooth roof allowslight to permeate through the internalspaces, creating a bright and upliftingenvironment. The use of exposed naturalmaterials such as plywood further enhancesthe mood and br ings an e lement ofunexpected warmth to the centre. Thebuilding can be zoned flexibly, with thecommunal area split into two independentareas (with associated bedrooms) if required.

The centre has been designed with twoprimary focuses:

• safety, for both consumers and staff,through rigorous planning developedover a prolonged period; and

• high-quality communal and privatespaces in which natural light isabundant (brought in through high-level northern glazing) and externallandscaped areas are visible from allrooms.

Tom Fisher House exemplifies CODA’scommitment to providing community-based projects in which people feel safeand welcome, and that are both dignifiedand optimistic. ■

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Elevation 2 1:200

Elevation 1 1:200Elevation 1 1:200

Elevation 2 1:200Elevation 2 1:200

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1. External covered area 12. External covered area 23. Store room 4. Group counseling room5. Staff bathroom6. Staff lockers7. Small activity room8. Staff lounge9. Staff office10. Reception11. Clothes/linen store12. Laundry13. Tea prep. bench14. Large activity room15. Bathroom16. Medical room17. Counseling room18. Cleaners store19. Kitchen20. Double bedroom (U.A. compliant)21. Bedroom22. External waiting area

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f lockersfSta6.f bathroomfSta5.

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Group counseling room

External covered area 2External covered area 1

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Double bedroom (U.A. compliant)20.Kitchen19.Cleaners store18.Counseling room17.Medical room16.Bathroom15.Large activity room14.ea prep. benchTTe13.

Laundry12.Clothes/linen store1.1Reception10.

ficeff ofSta9.f loungefSta8.

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Key Themes in the Response toHomelessness in Western AustraliaA: Responding to Domestic and Family ViolenceHaving the Violence Leave: A Choice or a Right?Angela Hartwig Women’s Council for Domestic andFamily Violence Services and Donna Chung University of Western Australia

Introduction

This paper reviews the impetus for theS a f e a t H o m e ( S A H ) p r o g r a m

developments that have emerged andpresents findings from Angela Hartwig’spost-graduate research about the WA SAHprograms which commenced in 2010. Inexamining the rationale for the programsand the research findings the implicationsfor policy and program developments areconsidered.

Impetus forSafe at Home ProgramsIn WA it was not until 1986, that the ‘Breakthe Silence’ report squarely placed domestica n d f a m i l y v i o l e n c e o n t h e s t a t egovernment’s policy agenda. The reportwith over one hundred recommendations,called for swift and immediate action in thearea of legal reform and greater levels ofsupport to women and children as victimsof domestic and family violence.

It was a time when advocates were callingfor recognition that so called ‘privateviolence’ that was occurring for women andchildren in their own homes at the handsof violent partners (behind closed doors)was indeed of public concern. Since thistime research and data collections clearlyshow that thousands of women and childrenare seeking homelessness services as aresult of having to flee their homes eachyear (Homelessness Australia 4 July 2012);and many of these women also face losing

their employment if the perpetrator continuest o s t a l k a n d h a r a s s t h e m a t t h e i rworkplace (Australian Domestic and FamilyViolence Clearinghouse 2011), indicatingthe ongoing impact of men’s violencefollowing separation.

Historically, the only option available towomen and children experiencing domesticand family violence at the hands of theirpartners was to flee their homes. Themajority of these women and childrencont inue to have di fficulty in findingalternat ive accommodation which isaffordable, appropriate and safe. It is typicallyof a lower standard to their previous housingand they often have insecure tenure.

This forced homelessness and transiencehas significant social and economic costsfor a woman and her children which includesdifficulty in maintaining employment andeducation and isolation from full participationin the wider community. There are also long-t e rm i n t e rgene ra t i ona l impac t s o fhomelessness with children who experiencehomelessness at an increased risk of long-term poverty, unemployment, chronicill-health, and other forms of disadvantageand social exclusion (Culter, Faulkner et al.2008).

In response to this continuing injustice,advocates from the early 1990s until thepresent day have maintained that womenshould have the right to stay in their ownhomes following domestic and familyviolence and that perpetrators should bethe ones to leave (Chung, Kennedy et al.2000; Domestic Violence and IncestResource Centre 2002; McFerran 2007). Itwas always recognised that women’s rightto remain in their homes was not a universaloption, for a number of women this not asafe option, some women do not wish to

remain in a place where such violence andabuse took place and other women werenot in a financial position to remain in thehome.

Calls for the right to remain were heardand over the last decade, a number ofSAH models have been introduced acrossAustralian states and territories. Since 2010six SAH and six Domestic Violence Outreach(DVO) programs have been operating inWestern Australia, as part of the NationalPartnership Agreement on Homelessness(NPAH) (Department of Families HousingCommunity Services and Indigenous Affairs2008). These innovative programs areframed around early intervention andprevention and aimed at breaking the cycleof homelessness for women and childrenescaping domestic and family violence; andconnecting victims and perpetrators withservices providing ongoing support,counselling, advocacy and assistance(Department for Child Protection 2010).

SAH not only challenge men’s entitlementto the family home but begs the question‘why doesn’t the violence leave?’ Accordingto McFerran, police and courts, have ‘showndeep reluctance over the years to removea man from his Home’ and Chung highlightsthat ‘responses to family violence havetypically constructed women as victims whoneed protection and seclusion rather thancitizens with rights which can be enforced’(Murray and Powell 2011). Edwards’ (2003)research also highlighted that when courtswere considering orders for excluding malepe rpe t ra to r s f r om the home a keyconsideration was often whether they hadalternative accommodation, not renownedas a consideration given to women andchildren seeking safety. This highlights theparadox where the community often asks;‘Why do women stay if the men are violent’?

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However, there is little concern about wherethey might go, nor is the question asked;‘Why are men able to continue to useviolence against women?’

The very real or impending lack of financialsecurity can and does influence a woman’sdecision to return to a violent partner orex-partner. It is therefore vital that theprovision of SAH programs are not onlyembraced but become part of the necessarypolicy framework that continues to be partof an integrated and multi-agency responseto ensuring women and children can remainsafely in their own homes, as both achoice and as a right. SAH initiatives musttherefore always be more than just theprovision of hardware — changing of locksetc. — as whilst this is critical, without theintegrated community responses the safetyof women and children is compromised andopportunities to stop further violencenegligible.

Having the violence leave is a relatively newshift in thinking over the last decade andcan only be made possible by ensuring thatthis response is entrenched within policyand practices of police, courts and otheragencies and be driven by a legislativeframework that supports women andchildren to live free of violent and controllingpartners. This requires policy and decision-makers to have a clear understanding whatof constitutes domestic and family violencein its various forms, which includes physicalviolence and the range of controlling andcoercive behaviours used by perpetratorsto violate, intimidate and harass theirpartners or ex-partners.

For example, Tasmania legislation whichforms part of the SAH strategy includesoffences of economic and emotional abusewhich can incur fines of up to $5,200 orimprisonment of not more than two years.The offences formal ly recognise thegendered understanding of domesticviolence as an ongoing power imbalancethat is not just about physical violence orthreats (which are already crimes), butinclude patterns of controlling behaviour inother areas of life. The economic abuse hasparticular relevance when examining how

we can prevent domestic violence relatedhomelessness for many women andchildren. This requires a massive shift inbeliefs, values and violence-supportiveattitudes about women’s status, particularlyin relation to gender inequality and socialdisadvantage compared with their malecounterparts.

Supporting victims of violence to remain inthe i r own homes and remov ing theperpetrator requires the implementation ofsystemic mechanisms such as a strong ‘notolerance’ approach to domestic and familyviolence; one which priorities the safety ofvictims and holds perpetrators accountablefor the violence. The SAH program provides‘ w r a p a r o u n d ’ i n t e n s i v e c a s emanagement and support for up to twelvemonths, through working collaborativelywith a range of agencies to assist womenand children to maintain stable housing andmake a fresh start free from violence(Department for Child Protection, 2010).

The SAH program now provides a realoption for some women and children toremain in their own homes where it is safeto do so. Research to date has found thatthere is far less disruption to women’s livesand they are far more likely to maintain theirhousing, employment, children’s schoolinga n d s o c i a l s u p p o r t s w i t h i n t h e i rcommunity (McFerran 2007). Women andchildren who have to leave their homes asresult of domestic and family violence furtherexacerbates feelings of dislocation fromtheir communities and disadvantages themboth financially and socially.

Whilst making a total fresh start away fromtheir community may be the safest andpreferred option for some women andchildren; the decision to remain in theirhomes and have the violence leave is oftena choice that women wish to explore andprograms such as SAH have beendeveloped to enable women to have thisoption. The growing policy interest in therights of women and children to remainhas led both nationally and internationallyto the development of service responsesdesigned to prevent their homelessness(Blandy and Spinney 2011).

The uniqueness of the WA SAH models isthat they are all auspiced by Women’sRefuge services and this has proven to beinvaluable in terms of the ability to providespecialist seamless services to the womenand children who become SAH clients.During the service design phase it wasidentified that a key benefit of attaching aSAH site to a refuge services was therecognition that women often face ongoingrisks from the perpetrator, which maychange from ‘low’ to ‘high’ very quickly,therefore the opportunity for women toaccess addit ional crisis support andaccommodation through the refuge systemwould be streamlined and continuous.

Safe at Home:Research FindingsThere are six WA SAH sites, the programcommenced in July 2010. From this timeuntil 30 June 2012, there have been a totalof 3,230 referrals of women to the programwith 63 per cent from Police; 19 per centfrom Women’s Refuges; six per cent fromVictim Support Services; five per cent fromthe Department of Child Protection and theremaining from other agencies such as theDepartment of Housing and CommunityLegal Services. A total of 1,640 men havealso been referred through to Communicare’sBreathing Space who provide a range ofinformat ion and support serv ices toperpetrators who may be seeking help withinformation, referral and/or counsellingsupport for their use of violence.

In relation to expenditure, SAH modelsare attractive, annual funding to theseprograms in 2010–11 was $200,000 formetropolitan services and $210,000 forrural sites for two full-time employees andoperational costs. An additional $25,000per site was provided to assist withsecurity up-grades. It was anticipatedthat each site would support 50 clientsa n d t h e i r c h i l d r e n p e r a n n u m . I ncontrast to the high government cost andpersonal cost to women of having to fleeto a refuge and subsequently search fornew accommodation.

Women’s Experiencesof Safe at HomeSixteen face-to-face interviews wereconducted wi th women about the i rexperiences and perceptions of the SAHprogram. Preliminary findings indicate thecontributing factors that assisted keepingwomen and children safe were:

• Police referral to DV Outreach forfollow up within 48 hours.

• Security up-grades based on jointrisk and safety assessment with thewoman and SAH staff.

• Availability of brokerage fundsthrough the SAH program to assistwith security up-grades and/oressential areas of need.

• Provision of emotional and practicalsupport to women as part of twelvemonths case management support,

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Rebecca West House — part of the Patricia Giles Centre. RWH was opened in October 2012 and accommodates single women and women with children to 18 years.

Three separate 2-bedroom units with natural playground and solar panels and a bore.

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liaparticularly with obtaining a VROand/or breaches of a VRO.

• Intensive case management supportfor up to twelve months.

• Skills and expertise of the SAHworkers to facilitate referral andassistance mainstream agenciessuch as police, housing, legal,education and counselling.

• Child-focused responses in relationto referral to schooling, counsellingand/or ongoing safety concerns forchildren and young people re:contact arrangements withperpetrator.

• Employer support when theperpetrator is harassing victims atthe workplace.

• Being able to remain in their ownhome and have the violence leavecombined with continued support ifthey remained or if women decidedthey wanted to relocate when riskswere too high or too many badmemories and wanting a fresh start.

Women reported that remaining safe athome was compromised by the following:

• further acts of violence

• breaches of Violence RestrainingOrders1

• property damage

• vexatious emails to employer atvictim’s workplace

• perpetrator texting multiple times aday

• children experiencing furtheremotional/ psychological abuse andtorment during contact visits withabusive parent

• psychological abuse

• contacting victim asking them to payfor gifts that were given when in therelationship

• ringing the Post Office and localbusiness around town to getinformation on the victim.

Women’s Perceptionsof Their SafetyWomen’s perceptions about how safe theyfelt before and after being part of the programand how the SAH program has changedtheir lives is presented. When asked tocompare how safe women felt prior to andfollowing SAH involvement, there was anotable difference described by women.

Women also described important changesin their lives and those of their children.Women reported no longer using anti-depressants, the importance of stability,calmness and feeling safe. They alsodescribed improved behaviour amongsttheir children and better responses toschooling. Underpinning many of theircomments was the feeling of freedom oftentaken for granted by those living in safe andstable environments.

Areas identified for improved outcomes bywomen included:

• a greater level of awareness aboutSAH services within the community

• more SAH sites in regions that havehigher levels of reporting to thePolice

• rights for tenants spelt out clearlywhen joint tenancy or mortgage withhousing, in terms of sole occupancygiven to victims

• challenges to provide SAH in rurallocations given the time to travel towomen in towns that may behundreds of miles away.

ConclusionThere has been considerable progress fromthe early 1970s when women and childrenhad to escape to squats and sub-standardhousing to escape violence. However,demand for housing still far outstrips supply;the SAH provides an important option forsome groups of women. The women’sresponses are indicating the WA SAHinitiatives are a valuable contribution to theresponse system. The outcomes achievedfrom the SAH programs in WA, includereaching a wide number of families andchanging women’s lives.

This cannot be underestimated if we are astate and nation committed to bringing aboutthe changes required to stopping domesticand family violence, homelessness and thesocial disadvantage of women. Programssuch as SAH must be embraced not onlyas a choice but as a right, so women andchildren can be provided with the targetedsupport to enable them to stay in theirhomes, their places of employment and theircommunities, all of which can be achievedby having the violence leave. ■

Footnote

1. Thirteen women had a current VRO againsttheir ex-partners whilst in the program, onehad an Interim Order, one had withdrawnthe VRO; and one had no legal protectionas she was informed by Police she did nothave enough evidence to apply for a VRO,as the violence was ‘not physical.’ There

were however, numerous other forms ofabuse and harassment such as abusivetext messages towards one of the womensuch as psychological and emotionalabuse; and property damage (kicking downof a back gate). The woman took her ownsteps with the support of the SAH programand had a ‘safe room’ installed within herhome.

ReferencesPersonal Safety Survey, Australian Bureau ofStatistics 2006, Canberra, ACT.

Domestic Violence and the Workplace,Employee, Employer and Union Resources2011, Australian Domestic and Family ViolenceClearinghouse, University of New South Wales,Sydney.

Blandy, S and Spinney A 2011. ‘Homelessnessprevention for women and children who haveexperienced domestic and family violence:innovations in policy and practice.’ AHURIPositioning Paper 140.

Chung, D and Kennedy R et al 2000, ‘HomeSafe Home: The link between domestic andfamily violence and women’s homelessness’,Social Policy Research Group, University ofSouth Australia, Adelaide.

Culter, C, and Faulkner D, et al 2008, ‘Women,Domestic and Family Violence andHomelessness’, Institute for Housing, Urbanand Regional Research, Flinders University,Adelaide.

Department for Child Protection 2010, JointCommonwealth/State Homelessness NationalPartnership Agreement Fact Sheet. WesternAustralian Initiatives information up-date,Government of Western Australia, Perth.

Department of Families Housing CommunityServices and Indigenous Affairs 2008, TheRoad Home, Homelessness White Paper,Canberra, ACT.

Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre2002, ‘Family violence and homelessness:Removing the perpetrator from the home’,Discussion Paper, (No 3) Melbourne.

Edwards R 2003, Staying home/Leavingviolence, Beyond the Divide: NationalHomelessness Conference, HomelessnessAustralia, Canberra ACT.

Media Release 4 July 2012, Still no end of roadin sight, Homelessness Australia, Canberra.

McFerran, L 2007, Bega staying home leavingviolence project: Executive Summary,Australian Domestic Violence Clearinghouse,UNSW, Sydney.

McFerran, L 2007, Taking back the Castle:how Australia is making home safer for womenand children, Issues Paper 14, AustralianDomestic Violence Clearinghouse, UNSW,Sydney.

Murray, S and Powell A 2011, DomesticViolence: Australian Public Policy. AustralianScholarly Publishing Pty Ltd, Melbourne.

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Pre-SAH‘I wasn’t sleeping at all, I was reallyscared. He threatened to comearound and have me killed, raped infront of my children.’

‘I didn’t feel safe in my own home,cause I constantly felt on edge andhaving to check out the windows all thetime and stuff because I was aware hewas sitting outside house in car on anight and climbing over the back fenceinto the garden and stuff’

‘He knew I was disabled and I couldn’tprotect myself from the size of him. Iwas scared to close my eyes, I was justworried I was not going to wake up ‘

Post-SAH‘Oh it just feels good to be able toknow you’re not going to, you know,have someone come bashingthrough your door or, it’s just goodto not have to worry so much and tostress all the time.’

‘When we got the alarm put in thatgave me a bit of reassurance, we havesince moved to a new property, butalways aware of the risk of somebodydropping our address and phonenumber as he had been charged withbreaching a VRO 42 times.’

‘With SAH workers guidance and that,and since I got advice what to do, itmade me stronger and know what tolook for in a man.’

The Safe at Home Program: Keeping Women and Children Safely HousedStacey CollinsManager, Non-Goverment Funding— Homelessness, Department forChild Protection WA

The Safe at Home (SAH) Program wasf u n d e d t h r o u g h t h e j o i n t

Commonwealth/ State National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH). Thedevelopment of the SAH initiative wasundertaken as a partnership between theDepartment for Child Protection (theDepartment), the Women’s Council forDomestic and Family Violence Services(WA), and the WA Police.

In 2009, extensive consultat ion wasundertaken with the non-governmentcommunity service sector agencies thatwould deliver the services, the Department,Family and Domestic Violence Unit, the WAPolice, Department of Housing, Women’sLegal Service, Tenants Advice Service, andother Domestic and Family Violence Servicesto develop the service specifications andprogram guidelines. The relevant mainstreamagencies continue to be closely involved inthe establishment and ongoing operation ofthese services, with WA Police a key partner.

Domestic and family violence is theprincipal cause of homelessnessamong women. Fifty-five per cent ofwomen with children and 37 per centof young single women who seekassistance from specialisthomelessness services do so toescape violence (AIHW, 2008).

The SAH Program aims to intervene earlyto keep the victims of domestic and familyviolence, primarily women and children, int h e f a m i l y h o m e a n d r e m o v e t h eperpetrators of violence, providing it issafe to do so. This provides women with

an option to stay housed as an alternativeto entering the traditional homelessnessservice system. SAH consists of fourmetropolitan based and two country regionalservices and are co-located with existingdomestic violence accommodation andsupport services to maximise serviceintegration and program outcomes.

Objectives• All women referred to SAH services

receive information and support toenable them to make choices toenhance their safety and wellbeing.

• Women, with or without children, aresupported to remain in their homeswhere it is safe to do so.

• Women, including children andyoung people, are individuallyassessed for risk and safety.

• Women and children receivesupport, security upgrades andsafety planning to ensure confidenceand safety.

• Partnerships are made with a widerange of mainstream services,including legal services, that willassist women and their children tomaintain stable accommodation.

• Women and children are linked toservices that address theirexpressed needs.

The SAH Program provides risk and safetyassessments, outreach, information, casemanagement, active referrals and support towomen and any accompanying children whoare escaping domestic and family violence.The delivery of the program is to be clientfocused and respectful of the needs andrequirements of women using the service.

Safety for women and children is of primaryconcern. Risk assessments and safety

planning are discussed at all stages ofcontact with women including children. Thethoughts and decisions of women whouse the service in relation to their safety isrespected at all times and used to informsafety plans and the management of risk.

Close links and partnerships with externalagencies including WA Police and legalsupport services are essential to ensurewomen and children are able to retain andmaintain their residence in the family home.

The SAH Program provides another optionfor women escaping domestic and familyviolence and is by no means the only option.Women referred to SAH services are providedwith information on their options and assistedto access support relevant to their needsshould they choose not to remain in theirhomes. The SAH Program has been shownt o w o r k w h e r e w o m e n a n d a n yaccompanying children have a strongconnection to the home and wish to remainthere. The purposeful co-location of SAHwith domestic violence crisis accommodationand support services has also increased theopportunity for seamless referral pathways,should refuge access be required.

A significant development of the program isa Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)between the WA Police and the Department’snon-government service providers. This isan important component that ensures serviceproviders have the ful l picture of theincident before they make contact withvictims or perpetrators and embeds theprogram into WA Police procedures. Of noteis the collaborative role and information theWA Police are willing to provide to non-government service providers.

The MOU enables the WA Police to be theprimary referral pathway for women andchildren accessing the SAH Program,however they may also access SAH througha multitude of other pathways including:

• women’s refuges

• other domestic and family violenceservices

• legal services

• victims support service/FamilyViolence Court

• counselling services and/or

• women’s health services.

The SAH Program also includes a state-wide Perpetrator Response service, with anon-government community service sectororganisation offering telephone and faceto face support to the violent perpetratorof clients accessing the SAH Program andwill offer crisis counselling and support toaddress the perpetrators behaviour. ■

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liaRuah Safe at Home Program:Staying Housed and SafeClare Brady Senior Manager, Ruah Community Services

‘I dream of a life without violence, butI don’t want to be a woman with nohome.’

(M. Ponti and R. Edwards, 2003, Send Violence Packing)

Introduction

The Ruah Safe at Home (SAH) programis one of six SAH programs in Western

Australia (WA) funded under the NationalPartnership Agreement on Homelessness(NPAH). The program was established in2010 and reflects the essential principlesof WA’s Best Practice Model for programsfor victims of domestic violence, in that itis based on securing safety for victims ofviolence and placing responsibility withthe perpetrators.

The model differs from the refuge modelof support by placing the onus not onthe victim to leave their situation, but onthe perpetrator to leave the family home.The women and children to remain in afamiliar, comfortable environment wherethey have access to their existing supportnetworks. Ruah Safe at Home works withwomen and children in the South Eastcorridor of the Perth Metro area.

In WA, 13,391 Western Australians arehomeless every night (HomelessnessImplementation Plan, Department for ChidProtection, 2009) with many being womenand children fleeing their homes as a resultof violence and abuse by their partners.

Although Women’s Refuge services andSafe Houses in WA can accommodate upto 500 women and children on any givennight, many more are turned away due tothe lack of avai lable beds (WCDFVSS t a t e m e n t , 2 0 1 2 ) . W A h a s b e e nexperiencing the largest rise in housing costsin the country, a chronic and on-goingproblem that the State faces in relation tohousing affordability (Community HousingCoalition of WA, 2012). With all of this inmind, keeping women and their dependants‘Safe at Home’ is even more important.

Acts of family and domestic violence cantake many forms and are often enduredby victims and their children over longperiods of time before they seek help. Lastfinancial year, WA Police attended morethan 42,000 incidents of fami ly anddomestic violence across the State.(Response to Four Corners from WesternAustralia Police, 2012). According to WAPolice figures, in the first six months of2012, there have been 11 deaths in WAlinked to family and domestic violence.

The ProgramReferrals for SAH come from a variety ofsources: counselling services, multiculturalse rv i ces , re fuges and gove rnmentdepartments amongst others. However, themajority of SAH referrals come from thePolice through Incident Reports (IR).

Attending officers complete an IR every timepolice are called to an instance of familyand domestic violence (FDV). Followingconsent from the victim the IR is forwardedto SAH, where trained and experienced staff

contacts the victim, within 48 hours.(Another Program, Breathing Spacecontacts the perpetrators). In the last sixmonth reporting period, Ruah SAH alonehas received 1,416 IRs.

Initially clients are offered crisis counsellingover the phone and following an initialassessment they are either accepted toSAH or referred to other relevant services.Many will be sent information packs whenit is safe for this to occur. Safety planningis undertaken with as many of these clientsas possible to increase their chances ofsafety in the event of reoccurrence.

Relationships with police are a vital elementcontributing to the success of the SAHprogram. Program staff work closely withdedicated police FDV officers and strongpartnerships are essential for positiveoutcomes. This is especially important forhigh r isk cl ients, as it al lows staff toengage with clients at an earlier stage.Likewise, police are able to refer clients toSAH allowing access to services unaffiliatedwi th the po l ice , wh ich may be lessintimidating for them.

Ruah SAH is contracted to case manage50 women per year. This process involvesr e g u l a r h o m e v i s i t s a n d i n t e n s i v esupport for (on average) a three to sixmonth period around a range of issues.This process always begins with thecompletion of comprehensive security andsafety assessments. In the majority ofcases, a security upgrade to the clienthome will then be completed with theassistance of brokerage money suppliedthrough the program.

For a woman to become a client of theProgram, they need to fulfill certain criteria:

1. They wish to remain in their ownhome following an incident of FDV.

2. A Violence Restraining Order (VRO)needs to be in place (or othermeasures requiring the perpetratorto remain away from the property,such as police orders, court ordersor imprisonment).

3. The client has to be financially ableto remain in the property and willingto engage in a three to six monthcase management process.

During the last six month period, Ruah SAHhas provided case management to 65Women with 135 children and provided600 women with phone support. WithWomen’s Refuges consistently at capacity,the Safe at Home program has assistedwomen to remain within their communitiesand support networks staying safe andpreventing homelessness.

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Rebecca West House — part of the Patricia Giles Centre.

The brokerage money is integral in assistingclients to remain ‘Safe at Home’. While thisis primarily used on home security upgrades,it also has the flexibility to be used for otherp u r p o s e s a i m e d a t p r e v e n t i n ghomelessness, for example, helping clientsaccess TAFE courses enabling them toobtain work and be self-sufficient reducingthe likelihood of entering into further abusiverelationships. There is some evidence thatwomen who have lived with a violent partnerare more likely than other women to havelow levels of education. (Women’s HealthAustralia, 2005) ABS data indicates thatunemployed women were more likely toexperience both current and previouspartner violence over their lifetime than thosewho were employed or not in the labourforce. Women rel iant on governmentpensions and allowances as their mainsource of household income were also atincreased risk of violence by a previouspartner over their lifetime. (ABS, Personalsafety survey Australia, 2005.)

Case management of SAH clients addressfamily and domestic violence issues, butthe caseworkers also assist with securingfinances, attending court hearings, arrangingfor counselling support for the family,supporting education, employment etc.

Some SAH clients have never accessed ahuman serv ices agency be fore . AnInternational ‘Violence Against Women’Survey found that experience of currentintimate partner violence during the previous12 months var ied l i t t le according toeducation, labour force status or householdincome. (Women’s Experience of MaleViolence, 2004). The SAH client group spansall ages, cultural and socio-economic groupsand provides an ‘early intervention’ serviceto these women. It seeks to empower thewomen and is proving to be a cost effectivemove away from the refuge model beingthe primary means of support for victims ofdomestic violence.

Education and information provision arekey tools used by workers, who frequentlyspend many hours on the phone withclients (a fact not captured within the datar e p o r t e d ) a n d s e n d h u n d r e d s o finformation packs out for this purpose.Trained and experienced staff reflect withclients on building healthy relationshipsand advice on identifying and creatingappropriate boundaries in continuing orfuture relationships.

DiversityWithin the South East Corridor, there is alarge Culturally and Linguistically Diverse(CaLD) population accessing Ruah’s SAHProgram. Drawing conclusions regardingthe nature and extent of domestic violencein CaLD communities is difficult as studiesand su rveys have p roduced mixedfindings (Morgan and Chadwick 2011).Immigrant and refugee populations arediverse and cultural values and immigrationstatus increase the complexities normallyinvolved in domestic violence. (Pease andRees, 2008). Working with such clientswithin the SAH environment brings newcomplexities and challenges. In the six

month reporting period, January to June2012, 21 per cent of clients identified ascoming from a CaLD background.

Within the same time period, 13 per centof clients identified as Aboriginal or TorresStrait Islander. Indigenous women arereported to be far more likely to experienceviolent victimisation and suffer more seriousviolence, than non-Indigenous women.(Domestic Violence in Australia — Anoverview of the issues, 2011) Given this, itmay be surprising that just 13 per cent ofSafe at Home clients (in the last reportingperiod) identify as Indigenous. However, ahigh proportion of violent victimisation is notd i s c l o s e d t o p o l i c e a n d r a t e s o fnon-disclosure are higher in Indigenous thannon-Indigenous communities (M. Willis,2011). In addition to more general reasonsfor non-disclosure (shame, embarrassmentetc. ) which is shared with the widercommunity, there are further reasonsspecific to Indigenous communities:

• fear of repercussions andconsequences, as it is difficult tomaintain anonymity

• fear and distrust of police, the justicesystem and other governmentagencies

• cultural considerations andcoercion—rules and obligations,shame and responsibility formaintaining families may lead toIndigenous women internalising theirsuffering

• a lack of awareness of or access tosupport services. (Ibid p 4–8)

ConclusionDomestic violence is a long standing andcomplex issue. It is positive that governmentis adopting diverse programs to tackle theissue, while trying to achieve best outcomesfor clients. When women are supported toremain in their homes and communities,they are better able to maintain socialsupport networks, employment andeducational opportunities and stability ofcare for their children, all of which supportthem in their recovery. (NCRVWC, Time foraction, 2011).

Case StudyAmanda was in a relationship withJames for two and a half years and theyhad two children. Throughout therelationship he was continually violentand possessive. He had isolated Amandaand estranged her from her family andfriends. Although she had wanted to runher own business, James’ controllingbehaviour made this impossible.

As the relationship continued, theviolence and possessiveness increased,which led Amanda to leave therelationship and seek a VRO in order tokeep her and her children safe. Althougha VRO was served, James continued tocontact Amanda via the telephone.Amanda no longer felt safe within her

home and requested support from adomestic violence service. She felt thather life was in turmoil and she wasstruggling to adapt to life as a singleparent and maintaining the house.(James had refused to support the familyfinancially since being served the VRO).

Safe at Home, following an assessment,undertook a security upgrade at thefamily home, to help Amanda and herchildren feel safe at home. Jamescontested the VRO and Safe at Homelinked Amanda with Legal Aid in order tohave representation in court and topursue James for financial support of thechildren.

Safe at Home worked with Amanda andlinked her to mainstream services suchas counselling and education. She wasassisted to enroll in a TAFE course andlearn cake decorating. She was alsosupported to reconnect with her familyand friends and rebuild her supportnetworks. The program also assistedAmanda to obtain childcare rebateswhich enabled her to study, knowing thechildren were well cared for.

Amanda reported that she was able tomake positive change due to theintervention and support she receivedfrom Safe at Home and other mainstream services. She is now lookingforward to commencing with her newbusiness venture. ■

ReferencesWomen’s Council for Domestic and FamilyViolence Services (WCDFVS) Statement:Homeless Persons Week 2012.pdfhttp://www.womenscouncil.com.au/about-us.html

Women’s Health Australia, 2005, Partnerviolence and the health of Australian women,Research Centre for Gender and Health,University of Newcastle, Newcastle, p. 1.http://www.alswh.org.au/Reports/Achievements/achievements-violence.pdfABS, 2005, Personal safety survey Australia(reissue), pp. 34–35.Mouzos, J and Makkai, T 2004, Women’sexperiences of male violence: findings from theAustralian component of the internationalviolence against women survey, Research andPublic Policy Series no. 56, pp. 57, AustralianInstitute of Criminology, Canberra.Morgan A and Chadwick H 2011, Key issues indomestic violence, p. 5.Pease B and Rees S 2008, ‘Theorising men’sviolence towards women in refugee families:towards an intersectional feminist framework’,Just Policy, no. 47, pp. 39–45.http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=200803925;res=APAFT

Mitchell L 2011‘Domestic Violence in Australia— An overview of the issues’ Social Policy,Department of Parliamentary Services, pp 4–8and page 12.Willis M 2011, Non-disclosure of violence inIndigenous communities, Trends and issues incrime and criminal justice, no. 405, AustralianInstitute of Criminology, Canberra,http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current percent20series/tandi/401-420/tandi405.aspx

Ibid., pp. 4–8. In Leisl Mitchell, ‘DomesticViolence in Australia — An overview of theissues’ Social Policy, Department ofParliamentary Services 2011p12National Commission to Review the Working ofthe Constitution (NCRVWC), Time for action,quoted in E Taylor and R Mackay, BSAFE pilotproject 2007–2010 [final report], Women’sHealth Goulburn North East, Wangaratta, 2011,http://www.whealth.com.au/documents/work/Bsafe_final_report_2011.pdf

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liaDomestic Violence Service System Project:‘Working together for better Integration’Stacey Collins Manager, Non-Goverment Funding— Homelessness,Department for Child Protection WA

In 2009, through the National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH) the

Women’s Council for Domestic and FamilyViolence Services WA known as theWomen’s Council worked in partnershipwith the Department for Child Protectiont o d e v e l o p t h e S a f e a t H o m e a n dDomestic Violence Outreach Programs. Thepartnership with the Women’s Council wasinstrumental in the successful developmentand implementation of the programs anddemonstrated the strength of workingtogether to achieve good outcomes.

The partnership approach with the Women’s

Council recognises the expertise of theexisting domestic violence sector in workingwith women and children following domesticviolence. The new services are being providedby existing domestic violence refuges andthis ensures an integrated response forwomen experiencing domestic violence.

There is a continuum of domestic violenceservice responses across Western Australiafrom the intense outreach support of Safeat Home, the Domestic Violence Outreachprogram, women’s accommodation andsupport serv ices and ch i ld supportprograms. In addition, within the refugesystem there is a range of service modelsincluding 24 hour accessible services andservices working on call at night. It was alsovital to monitor the interface betweenother support services to ensure anappropriate response and a seamlessreferral process for women and children.

During 2011–12 the Women’s Councilundertook additional mapping and scopingof the domestic violence sector, includingwomen’s refuges to fully understand thediversity and specialties of individual services.A series of workshops will now explore avariety of flexible service responses to womenand children to ensure the broadest possibletarget group can access services. Thisincludes women with older sons, largerfamilies and women affected by drug andalcohol use and mental illness.

Ongoing reform will focus from a servicesystems perspective with an emphasis onbuilding a comprehensive response todomestic violence to allow ease of accessbetween services. This approach has thebenefit of placing the client within thebroader service framework and thereforeoffering the most comprehensive servicesystem with the best mix of services forwomen and children’s access and safety. ■48

The NEST: A Safe Place to StartEmma Nelson Youth Futures, WA

Introduction

The Nest is the response to a noticeablegap in service provision for homeless

young women in the later stages of pregnancyor with young parents in the northern suburbsof Perth. Innovative in its approach anddelivery the Nest focuses on providing stableaccommodat ion for young parents,coupled with intensive case management tostrengthen independence and parenting skills.Under the management of Youth Futures WAthe Nest has demonstrated a growingdemand for suitable accommodation foryoung parents and has responded byexpanding the program considerably in thefour years since its inception.

Nest clients are supported by Youth SupportDevelopment Workers to identify and developthe necessary tools to assist them inaccessing and maintaining suitable long-term accommodation. Service provisionwithin the program is limited to the amountof available funding. Relying exclusively ondonations and grants, the Nest’s existenceis assessed yearly with each fundingapplication. While successful in receivingfunding to expand the program in the pastyear, referrals have continually increased.This demonstrates the growing need foraffordable and suitable accommodation inthe Perth metropolitan area. Suitableaccommodation options for young parentsexiting Nest Accommodation is a poignantand concerning issue.

The NEST: A Safe Place to StartYouth Futures WA has a history built onstriving to identify and address gaps inservice provision affecting young peoplewho are at risk of homelessness. Afteridentifying a substantial need for crisis youthaccommodation for young people in thenorthern suburbs of Perth, funding wassourced for crisis accommodation to houseyoung people aged 15 to 19 years andTINOCA, a crisis accommodation shelter,was opened in 1988.

Whi le successfu l in prov id ing cr is isaccommodation to a significant number ofyoung people it was also identified that somey o u n g p e o p l e w e r e u n a b l e t o b eaccommodated as they did not meet theeligibility criteria. It was observed that manyyoung women attempting to access crisisaccommodation were also young mothersor pregnant. A serious concern raised was;without safe and stable accommodation manyof these young mothers were at risk of havingtheir children taken into care of the State.

Youth Futures WA implemented a uniqueprogram called ‘The Nest’ to address thelack of accommodation options for youngwomen experiencing homelessness whowere in late pregnancy, who have just givenbirth or have an infant less than 18 monthsold. The lack of accommodation optionsfor this particular target group of homelessyoung people was not isolated to referralsmade to You th Fu tu res WA; o the rcommunity services in the area wereexperiencing a similar lack of options. Thisdemand was substantiated through YouthFutures WA own research into otheragencies identifying the need for a specificmedium term accommodation service forthis unique target group.

The NEST ProgramThe Nest program enables young parentsto be accommodated and supported for aperiod of up to 18 months to develop thelife and parenting skills required to maintainstable accommodation and to fosteron-going healthy relationships, focusingprimarily on the parent and child. Youngparents in the Nest program are required toengage in intensive case managementsupport which encourages opportunitiesto develop independent living skills such asbudgeting, household maintenance, nutritionand healthcare, as well as linkages toparenting support services and mainstreamgovernment and community groups andservices. Service provision to Nest clientsalso includes practical support such astransport to doctors’ appointments, foodshopping, and support to find long termsustainable accommodation.

The Nest program initially commenced inSeptember 2008 with two adjoin inghouses a l located f rom the reg iona lcommunity housing provider. For the initialtwo positions there were 13 suitablereferrals which provided a challenge initself. Referrals are accepted from YouthFutures WA internal programs, externalservice providers including the Departmentfor Child Protection and from the youngpeople themselves.

In its initial year, only five per cent of referralsto the Nest were able to be accommodated.Subsequent years have demonstrated acontinual increase in demand with the2011/12 financ ia l year produc ing a75 per cent increase in referrals from theinitial year of operation. Due to the increasingnumber of referrals for the program and thesuccess of the initial clients, funding wassought to increase the level of supportprovided to the participants and to providean additional property. A third property wasadded in 2010 and an additional two morei n 2 0 1 2 . D e s p i t e t h e i n c r e a s e i naccommodation opt ions in the Nestprogram, the amount of referrals able tobe accommodated remains around the twoto three per cent (as at 2011/12).

Housing inWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is riding on the ‘miningboom’ and enjoying the economic wealthbeing produced within the state. Averageweekly ages have risen above $1500making prospect of living in WA appearvery attractive (Austral ian Bureau ofStatistics, 2012). The increase in wageshas fuelled the increase in the cost of livingacross the board with median rental houseprices rising to $430 per week (JuneQuarter 2012). Parenting Payments forsingle parents are approximately $663.70per fortnight with additional assistanceprovided by Family Tax Benefit A; max:$169.68 per child aged 0 to12 years andFamily Tax Benefit B; max rate: $144.34per child under five years (Department ofHuman Services, 2012). Using WACOSS’est imat ion on single parent fami l iesexpenditures (single family being madeup as parent and two chi ldren) as aguide to illustrate how single parents areexpected to spread their payments theauthor also includes the maximum rentassistance payment available throughCentrelink and rental expenditures of atypical (but scarce) low priced rental.

Income per week

Parenting Payment $331.85

Family Tax Benefit A $84.85

Family Tax Benefit B $72.20

Rent Assistance $70.90(maximum amount)

Total $559.80

Please note these figures are based oninformation taken from Centrelinks’ HumanServices website and may be affected byvarious formulations used by Centrelinkwhen assessing peoples payments(Australian Government, 2012).

Expenditures per week

Rent $333

Electricity $15.05

Gas $10.53

Water $5.77

Food and Beverage $211.29

Total $575.64Difference $ -15.84

(Electricity, Gas Water and Food andBeverage based on WACOSS estimationfor single parent family (WACOSS, 2012).

*It is important to note that the abovetables do not take into consideration thecost of transportation, health and medical,clothing, entertainment or otherreasonable daily living expenses.

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Young parents attempting to access suitableaccommodation options in the time leadingt o t h e e n d o f t h e i r s u p p o r t e daccommodation period have consistentlybeen met with a significant lack, if not,non-existent affordable private rentaloptions. While support is being received byyoung parents in the program to increaseindependent living skills and parental skillsto enhance the young person’s capabilitiesto maintain accommodation, private rentalsremain difficult to access in the first instance.Public and Community Housing waitlistsare excess ive and other supportedaccommodation options for young parentsare limited. Appropriate options for youngparents to exit to after their time in the Nest,is becoming an increasingly difficult obstacleto overcome.

ConclusionIn the context of the strong economicclimate in WA, low income single parentsa r e s t r u g g l i n g t o f i n d s u i t a b l eaccommodation options. Young parentsthat fall within the eligibility requirement ofthe Nest are perhaps one of the mostdisadvantaged groups. The Nest continuesto work alongside young single parentsbetween 16 – 19 years, who are at risk ofhomelessness to identify and address theirv a r i o u s n e e d s . S i g n i f i c a n t c a s emanagement is dedicated to increasingindependent living skills and parentingskills, whilst also linking young parents intomainstream community services to provideon-going foundations for communityengagement.

The fundamental contributing factor thatcauses the greatest disadvantage tothe positive move forward for Nest clientsis the signif icant lack of appropriate

accommodation exit options availableupon the completion of their supportperiod in the Nest. These young parentsare able to demonstrate a learnt capacityt o f o r m h e a l t h y b o n d s w i t h t h e i rchildren and maintain a safe and cleanenvironment for their families while inNest accommodation. However, the nextstep to use the tools learnt in the Nestto l i ve i ndependen t l y i s becomingincreasingly difficult due to the lack ofaf fordable sui table accommodat ionoptions available in Perth. ■

ReferencesAustralian Bureau of Statistics 2012, AverageWeekly Earnings, Australia. Retrieved fromhttp://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6302.0Feb percent202012?OpenDocument

Australian Government 2012, Department ofHuman Services. Retrieved fromhttp://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/parenting-payment

Western Australian Council for Social services(WACOSS) 2012, The Cost of Living Report.Retrieved from: http://www.wacoss.org.au/Libraries/ P_A_Cost_of_Living_Cost_of_Living_in_WA_Papers/WACOSS_Cost_of_Living_Report_2012.sflb.ashx

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Guests Colin and Sean at Homeless Connect Perth November 2012

Katie and Ariella

Stepping Through the Door: First Steps Towards a Fully Integrated Homelessness Response in Western AustraliaKaroline Jamieson Operations Manager Family Services, Communicare Inc.

Communicare has been operating in WAsince 1977 and has always had a

strong focus on the impact of family anddomestic violence on children and familiesand the well documented relationshipbetween family and domestic violence andhome lessness (Chung e t a l 2000 ) .Communicare has developed and providesa range of services across the family anddomestic violence spectrum aimed atearly intervention, integrated service systemsand breaking the cycle of homelessness forfamilies impacted by family and domesticviolence. Communicare therefore welcomedand embraced the NAHA and NPAHinitiatives and the vision, principles andkey actions of the Western AustralianHomelessness State Plan 2010–2013:Opening Doors to Address Homelessness.

Communicare services and initiativesinclude:

• Communicare Breathing Space(NAHA funded)

• Domestic Violence Outreach:Perpetrator Response (NPAHfunded)

• Partnerships for Family Safety(NPAH funded)

• Families without Fear, IndigenousFamily Violence

• Co-Morbid AOD/DV Prevention andIntervention Program

• Participation in the CoordinatedFamily Dispute Resolution Pilot.

As a member of the Women’s Council forDomestic and Family Violence Services (WA)and the sole provider in WA of residentialtherapeutic services to perpetrators of familyand domestic violence, we have longadvocated for governmental commitment toa real and sustained reduction in the levelsof domestic and family violence and theassociated homelessness risks for this clientgroup. The implementation of the State Planto Address Homelessness ‘Opening Doors’has started to address this issue.

Communicare believes that domestic andfamily violence is a complex and still oftenunderreported issue that requires aresponse that is a whole-of-communityresponsibility and, that government agenciesare stakeholders in, together with business,non-government agencies and individuals.There are roles for each to play in order forwomen and children to be protected andgiven every opportunity to be provided withsupport and means to increase their safetyand that of their children. Furthermore, anyresponse also needs to ensure perpetratorsof family and domestic violence are providedwith accommodation and interventions thatmay act as a vehicle to them takingresponsibility for their use of violence andsubsequent ly changing the i r fu turebehaviours, while enhancing the safety ofthe victims of the violence.

In March 2012, WA Labor issued a discussionpaper Violence in Our Homes: Protectingthe Vulnerable which stated that ‘in somecircumstances, i t is eas ier and lessburdensome for a single man to findaccommodation than it is for a woman andthe children. Accordingly, men’s shelterss h o u l d b e e s t a b l i s h e d t o p r o v i d eaccommodation to abusive men. These

shelters would effect a coolingoff per iod and could beequipped with counsellingservices and resources forabusive men’ (p.17).

Communicare has, in fact,a l r e a d y e s t a b l i s h e d asupported accommodationse rv i ce , Commun ica reBreathing Space (CBS),which is funded by NAHAand is currently the onlyresidential behaviour changep r o g r a m / t h e r a p e u t i c

c o m m u n i t y f o r d o m e s t i c v i o l e n c eperpetrators within Australia. As such, it isable to reach men who are at r isk ofoffending, re-offending or victimising theirpartners and families.

Communicare Breath ing Space hasoperated as a homeless accommodationand support service since 2003 providinga specialist service to men who have beenviolent in the family environment but wishto change their lives. The service providesa crisis response to domestic violence,supported case-management and a threemonth family and domestic violenceprogram in a residential, therapeutic setting.Client referrals are accepted from throughoutWestern Australia and although mostreferrals are received from the metro area,the program receives an increasing numberof referrals from rural and remote areas ofthe state.

Communicare Breathing Space (CBS) worksd i r ec t l y w i t h ma le pe rpe t r a to r s o fdomestic violence and those men who feelthey are at risk of using violence withintheir intimate relationships.

Through the therapeutic and behaviouralchange elements of the CBS residentialprogram, participants are encouraged torecognise their warning signs and triggersearlier and to seek assistance before anincident occurs, rather than after. Theprogram has lasting impacts. We seepositive results from past clients whenon-going contact occurs after they haveexited the program. This learned skill enablessafety planning and risk management totake place and works to prevent violencereoccurring or taking place.

CBS is a residential facility where mencomplete a three month program ofindividual counselling and group work toaddress domestic violence behaviours withina therapeutic community. CBS also offersa nine month after care program, crisisaccommodation and an out-reach service.The over-arching principle of the programis to prioritise the safety of women andchildren as the victims of family violencewith the long term goal of enhancing familys a f e t y a n d r e d u c i n g t h e r i s k o fhomelessness.

CBS provides 24-hour direct support form e n , p r o v i d i n g s u p p o r t e d c a s e

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liamanagement to address homelessness andother key issues, within a specialist domesticviolence program which aims to reduce theincidence of violence within the family.Clients often present to the program withmultiple and complex issues. The serviceprovides a hol ist ic or mult i-systemicapproach to its service provision andassessment. This allows for a multiplicityof supports and clinical interventions aimedat alleviating the crisis, assisting in promotingsafety and addressing the violence or abuse.While the program clearly attends to thepersonal issues and factors within eachclient’s situation, its initial focus is onassessing the safety of the family membersand implementing actions to best assistwith the provision of safety. This is inaccordance with the Best Practice Modelfor the provision of programs for perpetratorsof domestic violence in WA.

The CBS program includes both individualcounselling and group work. Upon entry,each client is assigned a counsellor andreceives a formal assessment within the firstseven days of their stay. This assessmentunderpins the counselling process of whichmen will receive ten individual sessionsthroughout their stay. Issues addressed,include, but are not limited to, an explorationof their current life circumstances, safetyand security, gender issues, family of originand explor ing what the men can dodifferently to change their circumstancesand behaviours in the future. A formalcompletion report is provided at theconclusion of the program.

Our 12 bed capacity means that we canaccommodate up to 12 men who have beenviolent within the family. Support is tailoredto the client on a case-by-case basis thusensuring the best possible service for eachindividual. The therapeutic community atCBS bases i ts foundat ion around anon-threatening environment of safety,mutual respect, fairness, responsibility,accountability and diversity where equalityis the key feature. Breathing Space providedsupport to 48 residential clients during 2011,and while engagement in the program doesnot guarantee that violence will not reoccurwithin the clients future relationships, it doesprovide perpetrators with resources and asupport network to access should they feelat high risk of re-offending.

The program encourages an overridinga t t i t u d e o f r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a n daccountabi l i ty for ones act ions andbehaviours. While it is difficult to measurethe extent to which this attitude is adoptedand its longevity with each client, it ispossible to observe the relationships formedwith clients that enable them to ask for helpbe fo re an i nc iden t occurs and theopportunities provided to develop skills andstrategies in order to manage unsafesituations. Residents who have completedthe CBS program are encouraged toparticipate in the Aftercare program and areoffered counselling, case management andsupport planning towards safe, independentliving for a further period of nine months.

Since CBS commenced, more than 25,000nights of accommodation have been

provided to men who havebeen violent or abusive int h e i r i n t i m a t erelationships, this equatesto more than 68 years oftime where women andchildren who are victims off a m i l y a n d d o m e s t i cv io l ence were ab le toremain in their homes andaccess support and plan fortheir safety whilst the menwere accommodated atCBS.

C B S i n c l u d e s t h ePartnerships for FamilySafety (PFS) program whichsupports the families of ourresidents in collaborationw i t h t h r e e w o m e n ’ ss p e c i a l i s t s e r v i c e s .Communicare developedand initially piloted the PFSproject in order to ensurethat a network of direct andindirect supports wereavailable to the victims ofthe violence perpetrated bythe part ic ipants in ourprograms.

The project is now a centralcomponent of our familyand domestic violence services and providesa broad range of supports and referral forwomen and children affected by familyand domestic violence. Through PFS thereis the potential and aim to reach partnerswho may be particularly isolated or at riskof experiencing domestic violence. PFSenables women who have experiencedviolence or are at r isk of doing so toaccess resources and build relationshipswith women’s services. This aims to equipwomen, and those affected by violence,with choices and avenues for support duringtimes of high risk, in the event of a crisisand support with the ongoing effects oftrauma and abuse.

CBS also provides the Domestic ViolenceOutreach Service perpetrator response forWestern Australia funded by NPAH, offeringaccess to crisis accommodation for menmade homeless due to the use of domesticviolence or those issued with Police Orders.When Police respond to an incident involvingDomestic Violence, the perpetrator can beissued with a 24 or 72 hour Police Order.CBS is often the first port of call for the localpolice in order to provide the perpetratorwith crisis accommodation and support;allowing time and opportunity for theirpartner and children to seek alternativeaccommodation or to seek assistance toremain in the home with the support of ourPFS workers.

The service aims to support perpetrators inremaining away from the family home, andto receive the intervention required to keeptheir families safe. Our Partnerships forFamily Safety (PFS) service makes contactwith partners or family members affectedby the abuse or violence enacted byperpetrators engaged with CommunicareDomestic and Family Violence Services. The

integrated approach between our specialisthomelessness services and mainstreamagencies including Western Australia Police,Department of Corrective Services, Drugand Alcohol Office and the Mental HealthCommission has been integral to thesuccess of this service response. Both CBSand DV Outreach receive referrals fromthroughout the state of Western Australiaincluding regional and remote communities.

In conclusion, Communicare embraces thevision, principles and key actions developedin the Western Australian HomelessnessState Plan that built on the NAHA and NPAH,and believes that the initiatives implementedhave been an effective first step throughthe door to creating a more integratedservice system, intervening earl ier inpreventing homelessness and breaking thecycle of homelessness. With an on-goingfocus on achieving these outcomes andbuilding on the strengths of existing services,WA will continue to progress forwardtowards a fully integrated homelessnessresponse that achieves lasting reductionsin homelessness and family and domesticviolence. ■

ReferencesChung, D, Kennedy, R, O’Brien, B, Wendt, S,November 2000 ‘Home Safe Home’: the linkbetween domestic and family violence andwomen’s Homelessness’. Social PolicyResearch Group, University of South Australia,Adelaide.Domestic Violence Prevention Unit, January1998, Best Practice Model for the Provision ofPrograms for Victims of Domestic Violence inWestern Australia, Department for ChildProtection 2010, Western AustralianHomelessness State Plan 2010–2013, OpeningDoors to Address Homelessness, Governmentof Western Australia, Perth.WA Labor Discussion Paper ‘Violence in OurHomes: Protecting the Vulnerable’, March2012, page.17.

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Safe at Home:Working to Prevent HomelessnessAnne Moore Executive Officer, The Lucy SawCentre Association Inc, The Centre for the Prevention andIntervention of Domestic and FamilyViolence

With over a 160 referrals a month to ourSafe at Home (SAH) program it is clear

there is a demand for homelessness initiativesin Western Australia. Since the introductionof National Partnership Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) funding we have seenthe SAH program flourish into a servicedelivery area that has surpassed ourexpectations in meeting the demand of thesevulnerable clients and their children .

This program has not only enhanced thel i v e s o f women and t he i r ch i l d r enexperiencing domestic and family violenceit has also supported them in retainingtheir housing and therefore preventinghomelessness. With refuge accommodationbeing in high demand it is often the realitythat women cannot be accommodatedwhen a crisis occurs.

The basic criteria for a SAH client is thatshe i s a woman who i s a v i c t im o fdomest i c / fam i l y v io l ence and whowishes to live in her own home without theperpetrator of the violence. Having securetenure in the home and a v io lencerestraining order are significant but notessential criteria. However, each case isassessed on an individual basis taking intoaccount the specific circumstances of theclient. Staff safety must also be takeninto consideration as home visits and safetyevaluations are conducted by SAH staff.S a f e a t H o m e S o u t h W e s t M e t r oencourages clients to access mainstreamsupport services where possible as thise n c o u r a g e s t h e c l i e n t t o b e c o m eindependent in the wider community.Clients have reported that they have feltsupported and were generally happy withthe service provided.

Through the SAH program we have seenimproved relationships with governmentagencies and other NGOs. It has broughtabou t be t te r commun ica t i ons andresponses to domestic violence.

The close partnerships that have beenformed with the WA Police and especiallythe Family Protection Unit (FPU), theDepartment for Child Protection (DCP) andother government agencies has certainlyincreased safety for victims. It has also servedhas a forum for updating non-specific familyand domestic violence (FDV) services withemerging issues and trends that informsthem better about risk and safety planning.

With brokerage funding also availablefamilies have been given much neededfinancial support to secure their homes bychanging locks or installing security lights;brokerage is also used for cl ients tomake repairs to damaged property andperhaps pay a one off rent bill to ensurehousing is maintained.

Staf f act ive ly case manage 50 plusclients per year and also provide a triages e r v i c e t o t h e 1 6 0 p l u s d o m e s t i cviolence intervention (DVI) referrals frompolice each month. With the 50 casemanaged cl ients two staff membersmake an initial home visit and do a riskassessment and assess security of thehome and make recommendat ionsaround improving security.

Safe at Home at a glance PoliceReferral in the past six monthreport (POP)

Number of referrals: 854 women

Number of accompanying children: 1142 children

Overview of the ProgramThe target group in the Safe at Homeprogram: Police referrals are the victimso f F D V w h o h a v e r e c e i v e d p o l i c eintervention during a FDV incident. Theseclients are then referred through by emailto the SAH program by the FPUs for thisarea. The catchment area is from Singleton(Rockingham) through to the Fremantlearea comprising both Peel and SouthMetropolitan regions. Of the 854 referrals,840 were female and 14 were male(same sex attracted abuse or male to malef a m i l y a b u s e ) . T h e r e w e r e 1 , 1 4 2accompanying children.

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liaThe number of referrals has increased overthe last four reporting periods:

Figure 1: Police referrals forfamilies over four reporting periods

Our r e f e r r ed c l i en t s i nc l uded 115(13.46 per cent) who were culturally andl inguist ica l ly d iverse (CaLD) and 56(6.55 per cent) identified as Indigenous. Theremaining 693 (81.14 per cent) clientsidentified as Anglo-Australians or from anEnglish speaking background

The age range of female cl ients wasreasonably spread throughout the agegroups but with a greater concentration ofclients fitting into the 20 to 44 years agegroup . The ma jo r i t y o f c l i en ts 630(73.77 per cent) were victims of intimatepartner violence, with 224 (26.22 per cent)families affected by family violence whichwas perpetrated by other family members.

Of the 14 males referred, 13 were the targetof family violence and only one male referralwas the subject of intimate partner violence.

Changes Since theLast Reporting PeriodSafe at Home continue to receive high qualityreferrals full of vital information through thenew referral process which began at thebeginning of 2011. Provision of appropriateinformation gives SAH staff a better chanceof making contact with and appropriatelyassisting the referred client.

Communication with both Peel FPU andSouth Metro FPU is improved by having anAdvocate working in both the Rockinghamand Fremantle police stations alongsidethe FPU.

Services ProvidedSAH Advocates provide a supportivetelephone call, crisis phone counselling,safety planning and referral to eachclient contacted as needed on a case bycase basis.

Staff made a total of 1,933 direct calls toclients, an average of 322 calls per month,or 2.26 calls per person, although manyclients are phoned and assisted with a singlecall. There were 352 (41.21 per cent) womenwho agreed to information packs being sentout as well as phone contact. Feedback forevery client is sent to both FPUs with detailsof the contact, support, information providedand referrals made, as well as any safetyconcerns held by staff. Clients who are notcontactable are referred back so the FPUcan conduct welfare checks if appropriate.

Consent has already been obtained by thereferring police officers so most clients are

willing to take advantage of the supportoffered by SAH. However, clients have theright to withdraw consent and decline ourservices. On initial contact, there may bediscussion of the incident that led to thereferral, and information given to the clientabout restraining orders, victim support,counselling options and legal services. Staffrequest permission from the client to sendan information pack to a safe address.

Our information packs comprise resourcematerials and contact details for governmentagencies, DV support and legal services.Counselling options, Family Violence Service(victim support) and other brochures areincluded depending on the needs of theindividual client.Figure 2: Support provided toclients in this reporting period

Referral PathwaysWomen and children can be directly referredfor specialist domestic violence counselling,children’s counselling and alcohol and otherdrug (AOD) counselling. All of which isavailable through the Lucy Saw Centre andSouth Coastal Women’s Health Service(SCWHS) and Serenity Lodge with anmemorandum of understanding in place tosupport the process. Clients are alsoreferred to other support, outreach andcounselling services in the Rockinghamand Fremantle areas.

Internal referrals can be made to the LucySaw Centre’s Outreach program, Safe atHome program (long term clients), and theCase Management Coordination Service(CMCS) and the refuge if it is unsafe forclients to remain in the home.

The Lucy Saw Centre provides the Safe atHome program for managed risk in thislonger term FDV support. High risk, recidivistcases can be re fe r red to the CaseManagement Coordination Service (CMCS)which is also part of the Lucy Saw Centre.

SAH advocates endeavour to contact thevictim in a timely manner and return thereferral promptly if unable to contact them.If a (24- or 72-hour) police order is in place,a well-timed intervention allows staff totake the best advantage of the situationand increases the safety of women andchildren affected by domestic violence.Staff take particular note of high levelviolence and repeated incidents leadingto multiple police referrals and expresstheir concerns to FPU and any relevantagency such as DPC.

Raising DV awarenessAs an early intervention process, thePolice Order project aims to deal with theimmediate crisis of FDV but is also the firststep in raising the clients’ awareness of FDVand increasing their knowledge and skillsto prevent future abuse and reducing theharmful effects of DV.

The Safe at Home program: Police referrals’aim is to provide crisis intervention foreach family contacted. This includes safetyplanning to avoid further abuse; anddissemination of information and referraloptions to increase awareness of family anddomestic violence for every client. Due tothe cyclical nature of domestic violence, themost successful option for making long-term changes for the client is througheducation and awareness. ■

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Homeless Connect Perth November 2012

B: HousingThe Changing Face of Homelessnessin Perth,Western AustraliaMichael Beard Community Housing Coalition of WA(CHCWA)

WA is experiencing strong economicgrowth, driven by the booming mining

and resources sector. However, the fruit ofthis rapid growth in the State’s economyhas been distributed unevenly and has comewith significant social costs — especiallyfor low and moderate income households.

Ground zero is Perth’s private rental market.Escalating rents and extremely low vacancyrates bear testament to a private rentalmarket that has been swamped withdemand not least due to the high levels ofmigration into the State. It is low andmoderate income households, that havetraditionally found long term housing tenurein the private rental market, that are bearingthe brunt of this market failure. Suchhouseholds are, with increasingly regularity,the new face of homelessness in WA.

The Failure of Perth’sPrivate Rental MarketDuring the last year CHCWA has drawnattention to the failure of the private rentalmarket in Perth on numerous occasions.The deleterious impact of the market failurehas increased over the last 12 months withsignificant hikes in the median rent and at ightening vacancy rate (CommunityHousing Coalition of WA, 2012).

WA’s high rate of migration has been a keydriver of demand for rentals. Approximately1200 overseas and interstate migrants arecoming to live in WA each week to sharethe prosperity being generated by the state’sstrong economy with many choosing to livein the Perth metropolitan area. Migrants relyheavily on the private rental market foraccommodation (Department of Immigrationand Citizenship, 2010, p.4). Evidence fromthe Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA) alsosuggests that at the same time that demandfor rentals has increased supply has fallenwith baby boomers selling their investmentproperties as they enter retirement.

Figure 1 shows the relationship betweenPerth median rent and the rental vacancyrate over the last decade. Over the lastyear alone rents have increased by 14 percent to $450 per week and the vacancyrate has plunged well below the point ofmarket equilibrium of three per cent. TheHousing Industry Forecasting Group (2012,p.20) predicts Perth’s rental market will

remain tight through to at least 2014 whennew housing supply is expected to catchup with demand.

High house prices and increasing rentshave inevitably lead to higher demand forsocial housing. Figure 2 shows the numberof applicants on the Public Housing Waitlisthas increased significantly as house priceshave remained h igh and rents haveincreased — particularly in the wake ofthe global financial crisis. Community needfor social housing remains at all-time highsd e s p i t e t i g h t e r i n c o m e e l i g i b i l i t yrequirements for public housing andgreater waitlist monitoring by the WADepartment of Housing (DoH).

The Changing Faceof HomelessnessThe perfect storm of rising rents andtightening supply in the rental market, lowlevels of public and community housing, aninundated State social housing list and crisisand transitional homelessness servicesoperating at capacity has created a situationwhere some individuals and families in Perthare unable to access any accommodationat al l , let alone affordable long-termaccommodation. Research undertaken byCHCWA in March found that approximatelyhalf of one per cent of private rentals, basedon the 30/40 rule, was affordable to anindividual or household on the WA adultminimum wage. The rentals that were

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Figure 1: Perth median rent and vacancy rate June 2003 — September 2012 (Source: REIWA)

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liaavailable were almost exclusively sharedaccommodation (Community HousingCoalition of WA, 2012, p.19).

Consequently, crisis and transit ionalhousing providers are seeing an increasingfrequency of working families seekingassistance because they were unable tofind accommodation. These groups are atrisk of becoming homeless and are beingforced to live in their cars, caravan parksand tents, or are staying with friends andfam i l y wh ich c rea tes s i t ua t i ons o fovercrowding. Of particular concern is thatthese families do not necessarily requireassistance in relation to issues generallyassociated with a period of homelessness.Rather, they are simply unable to accessor maintain accommodation that they canafford on their incomes.

Anglicare WA’s General Manager of SocialInclusion, Andrew Hall, observed that manypeople, even those fully employed, arehaving greater difficulty keeping up with theexpense of the private rental market:

We have people who are workingfamilies, who are going to work, whoare on an income who can’t affordthe rental house that they were inbefore.

St. Patrick’s Community Support Centre,located in Fremantle, in Perth’s southernsuburbs is similarly dealing with an increasingnumber of people who do not fit thetraditional image homelessness. St Pat’sDirector Homelessness and HousingServices, Victor Crevatin, noted that:

The face of homelessness ischanging rather dramatically, longgone are the days of the

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Figure 3: Increases in Perth’s median rent compared to incomes (source: REIWA, ABS, WA Department of Commerce)

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stereotypical homeless person beingthe image of an old man swinging awine bottle in a paper bag. It’s notlike that anymore. It would blow youaway in terms of who you’d see onthe street in Fremantle who doesn’tlook homeless, who are trying to holddown a job, who are sending theirkids to school after sleeping in theircar all night. It is madness out there,absolute madness.

Figure 3 shows increases in Perth’s medianrent compared to average incomes andthe WA adult minimum wage. BetweenJune 2003 and June 2012 median rent inPerth surged 174 per cent. This compareswith the WA average weekly income whichincreased by 71 per cent and the WA adultminimum wage which increased by just40 per cent. As a result, increasing rentsare affecting not just those who are relianton Centrelink benefits but pushing thoseon higher incomes into housing stress andhomelessness.

Figure 4 compares Perth median rent toaffordable rent for people on the WAaverage weekly earnings (all persons) andt h e W A a d u l t m i n i m u m w a g e . I nSeptember 2012 an individual or family onthe average wage, renting at the medianprice, would have had to pay 37 per centof its income on rent. In June 2003 themedian rent required just 23 per cent ofthe average weekly earnings. Individualsa n d f a m i l i e s s o l e l y r e l i a n t o n t h eminimum wage are much worse off. InSeptember 2012, a household earning theminimum wage would have had to pay72 per cent of its income on rent. As such,they would be in severe rental stress payingmore than 50 per cent of their income onhousing. In June 2003 the same householdwould have been paying 35 per cent ofits income on rent — half the proportionthat is currently needed.

Implications ofFailure of Perth’sPrivate Rental MarketWorryingly, homeless sector experts sucha s A l i s o n L a w r i e , M a n a g e r o f t h eAccommodation Program at FremantleMulticultural Centre and Victor Crevatinfrom St Pat’s warn that while many of thetraditional causal factors of homelessnessare absent from these individuals or familiesat the time of entrance into homelessness,any period of homelessness can havedevastat ing impacts on a fami ly orindividual’s wellbeing. It is extremelydifficult to maintain employment, healthyfamily relationships and self-esteem in astate of homelessness. This pressurecan lead to increased occurrence of familybreakdown, domestic violence and drugand alcohol abuse.

This new cohort entering the homelessnessservice system has an inevitable flow oneffect to the ability of organisations to deliverservices to those who require more intensiveassistance. Situations are now arising inwhich services at capacity are being forcedto turn away people who may have serious

issues contr ibut ing to thei r state ofhomelessness and vulnerability due to aninflux of those presenting who are part ofthe ‘new face of homelessness’.

CHCWA’s interviews with housing providersprovide a damning critique of the notion ofan ‘affordable housing continuum’. Thecontinuum seeks to progress people’shousing careers, through cr is is andtransitional accommodation, social housing,private rental to home ownership. Thecontinuum, however, can only be effectiveif there are accessible transition points alongthe continuum. Andrew Hall of AnglicareWA noted the lack of housing stock as aserious barrier to the ability of homelessnessservices’ to transition people into moreindependent accommodation:

If I think of the Perth Metropolitanarea, I think there’s a large need forsome housing stock to be madeavailable for families who areexperiencinghomelessness….There are fewproviders in the Metro area…andbecause of the market people can’tmove through or move intoanything else or can’t affordanywhere else, so those modelsbecome blocked up. So there’ssome interplay between having avery expensive housing market anda very tight rental market and thenhow people who are experiencingdifficulties or who are unable toafford the marketplace, if they comeor gain assistance from any agencythey may well not have the ability tore-enter the marketplace.

In other cases, the perceptions or prejudicesof rental professionals can also work toexclude families or individuals from theprivate rental market. Swan EmergencyAccommodation Executive Officer, DonTunnicliffe, has observed this exclusion overa period of several years:

Most of our clients aren’t wellreceived by the private rental market,so it turns out that most of ourpeople end up going on the

Department of Housing prioritylisting. Community housing is startingto take up some accommodationneeds, but private rental is down thelist because of access for our clientgroup. It’s gone from difficult to justabout impossible.

This has had a direct impact on the servicesSwan Emergency Accommodation is ableto deliver and the number of clients theyare able to assist. Don reported that a lackof housing supply forces people to stay intransitional accommodation for much longerthan necessary, despite being in a positionwhere they are otherwise willing and ableto progress their accommodation situation.

Conclusions:Tackling the ProblemUnfortunately there are no easy solutionsto failure of Perth’s rental market and thechanging face of homelessness in WA. Solong as demand side pressures outstripsupply of affordable rental accommodation,these issues wi l l pers is t . What th isunderscores, however, is the need for alllevels of government to invest in increasingthe stock of social housing. ■

ReferencesCommunity Housing Coalition of WA (2012).The failure of Perth’s private rental market andwhy it matters. A position Paper. April 2012.Available online:http://community.webvault.ws/ wp-content/uploads/ 2012/05/The_Failure_of_Perths_Private_Rental_Market_April_2012.pdf

Department of Immigration and Citizenship(2010). How new migrants fare: Analysis of theContinuous Survey of Australia’s Migrants.Available online: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/ publications/research/_pdf/ csam-results-2010.pdf

Housing Industry Forecasting Group. (2012).Forecast dwelling commencements in WesternAustralia. October 2012. Available online:http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/dop_pub_pdf/HFIG_October_2012_Report.pdf

This article is based on a larger research paperby the Community Housing Coalition of WA(CHCWA) on The changing face ofhomelessness in Perth, Western Australia. Thispaper will be available on the CHCWA websitelater this year www.communityhousing.com.au.

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WA Department of Housing stall at Homeless Connect Perth, November 2012

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liaThe Anglicare Western AustraliaTenancy Support Program:Early Identification InterventionandTenancy PreservationLiz Kerry Anglicare WA

Angl icare WA’s Tenancy SupportProgram (TSP) works with Department

of Housing (DoH) tenants who are in dangerof eviction. The aim of the program is tosustain current and newly al locatedtenancies and reduce instances of eviction— thus lowering homelessness levels.

The program operates across much of WA,including metropolitan and rural and remoteregions. Current locations are: Halls Creek,F remant le , Kw inana , Rock ingham,Mandurah, Peel, Bunbury, Busselton,Manjimup, Collie, Narrogin, Katanning andAlbany. As a preference, Anglicare WA seeksto employ suitably qualified local staffthroughout the regions.

Early intervention is an effective strategy forsustaining tenancies and providing clientswith positive outcomes in the long term.High levels of complexity, entrenchedbehaviours, and extreme financial situationsare sometimes impossible to rect i fysuccess fu l l y . Ang l i ca re WA workscollaboratively with the DoH on a regularbasis, to ident i fy and faci l i tate ear lyintervention referrals for the program.

Although tenants, and prospective tenants,are referred to the program directly by theDoH, referrals from other services andorganisations and the tenants themselvesare also encouraged.

T h e p r o g r a m r e g u l a r l y r e c e i v e scommunication from the DoH, highlightingtenancy concerns they may have forindividuals, couples or families they maybe working with.

The program encourages referrals as partof a collaborative, direct, multi-supportapproach to tenancy preservation.

A comprehensive assessment is conductedwithin seven days of a referral, commencinginitially with an introductory visit to the homeof the tenant, where the reasons for thereferral are discussed. The client’s personaland family details are confirmed, supportmechanisms both formal and informal areidentified, along with other agency andservice interactions. Tenancy history andany relevant associated information arealso discussed.

The Tenancy Support Workers visit the clientonce per week for three weeks. During thesevisits, the client and worker build rapport,and an active work plan is devised andagreed upon. Agreement to work togetherand a document authorising TSP to act onthe client’s behalf are also signed.

Workers commence regular, scheduledhome visits, to encourage the completionof the agreed tasks. These tasks are brokendown into small achievable incrementalactions, tailored to match the client’s levelof capability and need. During these visits,clients will be given an opportunity to learnhow to best manage their tenancies. Clients

are provided with cleaning tips, financialinformation and instruction on how to ‘quietlyenjoy the property’.

Case plans may be broad ranging and directlyreflect the tenancy preservation needs andtake into account the clients abilities. Theprogram is arranged to fit the needs of theclients. Case plans may focus on stabilisingincome issues: such as the creation ofCentrelink Centrepay, arrangements for rent,tenant liability, water, vacated debt orprevious bond payment debts.

Financial plans are not limited to DoHpayments. Clients are often supported,

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assisted and encouraged to address powerbills, gas bills, fines, and other outstandingdeb t s t h r ough appo i n tme n t s w i t hFinancial Counselling. Clients are assistedwith power payment support mechanismssuch as Power Assist and the HardshipUtility Grants Scheme (HUGS). The returnof power to the property enhances thelikelihood of improved cleaning regimes.

The range of issues facing DoH tenantsvaries greatly and includes personalproblems, family disputes, health or mentalhealth complications, domestic violence,drug and alcohol abuse, and financialburdens. The worker identifies many of theseissues during the assessment period andwhere appropriate refers the client toexternal agencies and services.

Anglicare WA Housing Support Workersare highly trained individuals. They are drawnfrom a variety of backgrounds and manyhave areas of expertise and interests suchas drug and alcohol or domestic/familyviolence. Anglicare WA is a registeredtraining organisation and is committed toproviding ongoing core training to new staffand refresher courses to existing staff toensure clients receive the best servicepossible. A small amount of BrokerageFunding is allocated to each client. Caseworkers match the use of this money againstclient’s willingness to interact with theprogram, and are often used as an incentiveto achieve optimum outcomes.

The program utilises a variety of charts,tracking records and mapping devices todepict clients’ progress. These chartsand maps are discussed with the clienton a weekly basis to ensure they are ontrack with the agreed tasks contained inthe case plans. Progress is monitoreddur ing the two week ly superv is ionsessions which take place between theH o u s i n g S u p p o r t W o r k e r a n d t h eCoordinator/Team Leader. Alternativeapproaches to solving problems arealso discussed and encouraged.

In addition to this Housing Support Workers,the Program Coordinator, and the DoH meeton a regular four weekly basis to discussclient progress and identify emerging issuesor other developments.

Joint home visits from the DoH and AnglicareWA Housing Support Workers can bearranged if deemed necessary or supportiveto the client’s success. Anglicare WAoperates within a case managementapproach to all client work.

Housing Support Workers work collectivelywith the Disruptive Behaviour ManagementUnit (DBMU), a sub group of the DoH, whoserole it is to investigate anti-social complaintswhich may have been received against thetenant. These complaints can lead to thetenant receiving a strike against theirtenancy. DoH has three major ‘substantiatedstrikes’ and you are out policy. The ‘out’,

refers to eviction. The Housing SupportWorkers work c losely wi th both theDisruptive Behaviour Management Unit andthe client to improve understanding fromboth sides preserv tenancy.

Referrals to the program are graded intothree support categories, low, mediumand high. Clients anticipated to requirelow level intervention are expected to needup to three months support, medium levelclients receive six months support, andhigh level clients up to 12 months support.Worker caseloads comprise a mixture ofall three up to a maximum of 15 activecases across a six month period. Thissystem encourages early intervention, thatis, the case is identi f ied prior to thedevelopment of enmeshed issues requiringmore complex and lengthy support. Lowi n t e r v e n t i o n c a s e s c a n b e m o v e dthrough the program with successfuloutcomes allowing another referral to beallocated a support worker.

A facet of the assessment period is theidentification of exit indicators (when a clientis ready to exit program). Readiness for exitis discussed at a four weekly Departmentof Housing/Tenancy Support Programmeeting. The Housing Support Worker andclient review meeting occurs when allthree parties are confident the tenancy issecure and no longer at risk. Once identified,exit is discussed with the client and theExit Support Plan is reviewed.

The Exit Support Plan — referred to as AfterCare — provides the potential for threemonths additional client contact and supporton a monthly basis.

After care can take the form of worker homevisits or can be determined by the client.Should the client need further positivereinforcement to sustain their tenancy, theworker is at hand to provide that support.It is anticipated, that once reaching theAf tercare stage, c l ients are ab le tomanage all facets of their tenancy.

Client feedback is an integral function inmapping program delivery and success. Allclient feedback is disseminated and usedto improve service delivery. Clients areencouraged to provide information abouttheir experiences of the program, theeffectiveness of the program for them,service delivery, and the appropriatenessof the program for their needs.

Key success factors of the TSP:

• prompt referrals

• comprehensive assessment

• home visits/one to one servicedelivery

• a wrap-around program

• defined outcomes

• working in a case managementsetting

• review, with the flexibility to modifycase plans

• an agreed exit with up to threemonths additional individualsupport. ■

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liaDisruptive Behaviour Management StrategyScott Campbell Manager, Housing Policy, Department of Housing WA

The Disruptive Behaviour Strategy isunderpinned by policy principles offairness and due process. Its earlyresults show an increasing, deterrenteffect on disruptive behaviour. TheWestern Australian Government hasmade a further $12 million investmentin responding to clients with difficultbehaviours to resolve disruptivebehaviour and maintain tenancies.

The Disruptive Behaviour ManagementStrategy (DBMS) operates on the

premise that while the majority of publichousing tenants are cons iderate ofneighbours and respect the community inwhich they live, the behaviour of a smallnumber of tenants does disturb the peaceand safety of their neighbourhood. Aftera spate of anti-social activity in publichousing tenancies in 2009 the WesternAustralian Government decided to developa tenancy management policy that wouldhold public housing tenants to greateraccount when their ‘antisocial behaviour’disturbed neighbours.

In October 2009 the Disruptive BehaviourManagement St rategy (DBMS) wasendorsed by the Cabinet with its primaryfocus on a strikes-based policy applyingsanctions based on the severity andfrequency of proven complaints abouttenants’ behaviour. In May 2011, thepo l i c y was r e v i sed to app l y s t r i c tsanctions on disruptive tenants as astronger deterrent to unacceptableb e h a v i o u r . A t t h e s a m e t i m e t h eDepartment of Housing (DoH) establisheda Disruptive Behaviour Management Unitin the metropolitan area as a specialist

response to disruptive tenancies.

The DBMS approach is consistent withprevious approaches to public housingtenancy management in Western Australia— managing disruptive behaviour is aboutachieving a balance between the rights ofpublic housing tenants to a fair go, notingt h a t i n m a n y c a s e s t e n a n t s a r edisadvantaged in some way, and the rightsof neighbours to quiet enjoyment of theirhomes. Put simply, the government of theday decides where this line is drawn. In thisinstance the government determined thatmore emphasis on the obligations of tenantswas needed to achieve a fair balance.

Balancing Rightswith ObligationsBalancing rights and obligations, recognisesthe provision of taxpayer-subsidised housingis conditional. The right to the opportunityof public housing, and the right to anequitable and reasonable service comes oncondition that the tenant meets theirresponsibilities to pay rent, look after theproperty, and respect their neighbours.Persistent failure in meeting responsibilitieswill lead to withdrawal of the opportunity.

A firm approach to dealing with breachesof the tenancy agreement is consistent withthe principles of sustaining tenancies.Ignoring disruptive behaviour and tenantresponsibilities sends the wrong message.The absence of consequences compoundsthe issue and denies the opportunity totenants to address the disruptive behaviourthat is causing concern to their neighbours.

PolicyThe Disruptive Behaviour ManagementPolicy (DBMP) defines three levels ofdisruptive behaviour: Dangerous Behaviour,Serious Disruptive Behaviour and Minor

Disruptive Behaviour. The Departmentresponds in a fair and reasonable mannerto all complaints by its timely investigationof complaints while observing due process.If the Department is satisfied the incidentoccurred it will take appropriate action.

Applications to the court are made underthe Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (RTA).The onus of proof is on the landlord andthe ‘balance of probability’ is the civilstandard of proof that applies.

Under Section 62 of the RTA a breach noticemust be issued after any proven incident.It was this provision, that social housinglandlords had relied on in the past, thatlapsed after 14 days and in some casesa l l owed behav iou r to con t i nue fo runreasonably long periods. This promptedthe DoH to rely on Section 64, whichprovides for terminations ‘without grounds’,which had effectively limited the scope ofthe court’s discretion.

A new section of the RTA, 75A, commencedon 30 July 2012 whereby the Magistratescourt can determine: ‘Has nuisance orinterference been established?’ and ‘Doesthe behaviour justify termination of thetenancy agreement?’ This change allows thecourt to focus on the primary issue, whichis a shift from the legal mechanisms previouslyapplied. The determinants of a case involvethe severity and frequency of disruptions andthe strength of the case, based on theevidence presented to the court.

Responsive RegulationThe DBMS is a fo rm o f respons iveregulation1 that enables a hierarchy ofresponses starting from a base of self —regulation, then enforced self-regulation,followed by command regulation withdiscretionary punishment, and finallyc o m m a n d r e g u l a t i o n w i t h n o n -discretionary punishment.

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BEHAVIOUR

Dangerous

Serious Disruptive

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DESCRIPTION

Dangerous behaviour is characterised byactivities that pose a demonstrable risk to thesafety or security of residents or property; orhave resulted in injury to a person in theimmediate vicinity and led to subsequent Policecharges or conviction.

Serious disruptive behaviour is defined asactivities that intentionally or recklessly causedisturbance to persons in the immediate vicinity,or which could reasonably be expected tocause concern for the safety or security of aperson or their property.

Minor disruptive behaviour is defined asactivities that cause a nuisance, orunreasonably interfere with the peace, privacyor comfort, of persons in the immediate vicinity.

RESPONSE

Immediate proceedings will be taken underSection 73 of the Residential Tenancies Act1987, or other relevant section where thiscannot be applied. 

A strike will be issued following an incident theDepartment is satisfied has occurred. Legalaction will proceed if another subsequentincident (of similar severity) occurs within aperiod of 12 months.

A strike will be issued for each incident theDepartment is satisfied occurred. Legal actionwill proceed if three strikes are issued within aperiod of 12 months.

In the report, Protecting Children — theChi ld Protect ion Outcomes Project ,undertaken for the Victorian Government,Chapter 4: Improving regulation, talksa b o u t ‘ r e s p o n s i v e r e g u l a t i o n a spragmatic rather than ideological — thatis. what works’.

Responsive regulation is about recognisingthat a range of approaches are neededincluding both coercive and voluntarycompliance models.

By using a hierarchy of warnings/strikes andsanctions the DBMS encourages disruptivetenants to exercise self-control early. It workswell without depending heavily on thecoercive end of the continuum.

The Victorian report2 states that regulatorsshould be able to vary their stances asthey deal with different people and issues.W e n e e d a r a n g e o f i n t e r m e d i a t eresponses between the two extremes —to be able to select from this repertoire

depending on the circumstances and tohave a range of graduated responses tonon-compliance.

The DBMS prov ides st rateg ies thatencourage self-regulation early by using ahierarchy of warnings/strikes and sanctions.It does not rely heavily on the coercive endof the continuum.

OutcomesIt is noted that only 12 per cent of allcomplaints logged resulted in a strike beingissued, which reflects that a substantialvo lume of f r i vo lous and unfoundedcomplaints are received. However, ast h e o n u s o f p r o o f r e s t s w i t h t h eDepartment, strikes cannot be issuedwithout due process being applied. Thisprotects tenants with sound investigativeprocess underpinned by the principles ofprocedural fairness.

Outcomes May 2011to April 2012The deterrent effect of DBMS is clear in thestrike statistics and the number of tenanciesterminated is still well under one per centof all public housing tenancies.

The strikes issued in the period 1 July2011 to 30 June 2012 were as follows:

First Strikes: 906

Second Strikes: 382 (42 per cent of tenants who received a First Strike)

Third Strikes: 110 (29 per cent of tenants who received a Second Strike)

Strikes reduced sequentially from first tosecond to third, indicating a progressivelyincreasing, deterrent effect, which is thedesired outcome of the policy.

In the 2012–2013 budget $12m over fouryears was allocated to the DBMS. Thisis the largest ever government investmentin public housing tenancy management.These funds wi l l a l low more robustinvestigation, management of complaintsand better engagement with all parties.As a result DBMS will become a moreh o l i s t i c a p p r o a c h t o t e n a n c ymanagement, engaging them with theoppor tun i t y to r eso l ve i ssues andmaintain their tenancy. ■

Footnotes

1. Protecting Children: The Child Protection OutcomesProject. (Allen Consulting, 2003)

2. ibid.

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Disruptive Behaviour PolicyHigh-risk behaviour

Nuisance/interference

Dangerous Behaviour — Immediate Termination

Serious Disruptive Behaviour — Termination following two incidents in 12 months

Minor Disruptive Behaviour — Termination following three incidents in 12 months

Response regulation — enabling a pyramid ofresponses to encourage self-regulation

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Outcomes — Complaints vs Strikes, May 2011 – April 2012

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liaHousing Co-operatives: An Affordable OptionGary Robins Co-ordinator, Federation of Housing Collectives WA(FOHCOL)

Beyond short term temporary andc r i s i s a c c o m m o d a t i o n f o r t h e

homeless , one opt ion deserv ing o fconsideration is the housing co-operativemodel. This article seeks to highlight whatthis model is about in Western Australia andthe benefits it brings to those who becomepart of it. While it is acknowledged that itdoes not address the immediate needs ofthe homeless, it is a concept that withengagement from local government, stategovernment departments, not-for profitgroups and interested people, has thepotential to bring the homeless into a strongvibrant community housing context withsecurity of tenure.

FOHCOLThe Federation of Housing Collectives WA(FOHCOL) is the peak body for housingco-operatives in Western Australia. It is anot-for-profit organisation established in1987 fully self-funded by membership feeswhich are set at four per cent of memberhousing co-operative rental income.Housing co-operatives have a long historya round the wor ld and the hous ingco-operatives sector in WA is part of thatbroader movement.

Housing Co-operativesA housing co-operative, is a not-for-profitorganisation owned and run by its members.They are about self-help, democracy, socialresponsibility and caring for one another. Itis formed when people join with each otheron a democratic basis to control the housingin which they live.

Types of HousingCo-operativesHousing Co-operatives can be classifiedinto three groups on the basis of the amountof equity the members contribute to theventure.

One of these is the ‘Common Equity(Non-equity) Rental Housing Co-operativeModel’ which looks very similar to renting.The public housing authority vests housingi n t o t h e h o u s i n g c o o p e r a t i v e v i amechanisms such as head leases or deedsof trust. Members are usually from lowincome backgrounds and rentals arecapped at a percentage of gross income,usually 25 per cent. The basis of the housingcooperative is security of tenure andse l f -managemen t . As t he hous i ngcooperative does not own any real estate,

it does not build any equity. This modelinvolves a direct relationship with the publichousing sector. Tenants are able to alsoclaim Commonwealth Rental Assistance.

In Western Australia, most of the housingco-operatives fall into the non-equity modeland are funded by the Department ofHousing. This type of housing cooperativeis a strand of the community (also referredto as social or affordable) housing sectorand the primary focus is to provide affordablerental housing to people on low to moderateincomes. Prospective tenants must meetcommunity housing eligibility criteria.

Benefits of HousingCo-operativesThere are many benefits of co-op housing,both for individual members and for thebroader community. For the individual, someof the benefits include:

• long term security of tenure in qualityhousing

• affordable housing

• being part of a supportive andfriendly community

• the opportunity to choose wherethey wish to live and to contribute tothe design of their home; includingthe provision of innovative designand construction

• the opportunity to benefit fromeducation and training aimed athelping members to effectively runthe co-op and gain confidence intheir abilities and skills

• escaping from the dependency on‘others’ by running things forthemselves;

• being part of a democratic andconsensus-based organisationwhich values all members and theircontributions.

Waiting for a HouseThis is always the most difficult question toanswer. Some people may wish to join anexisting co-op and may be able to moveinto a house quite soon (although the smallnumber of co-ops means this is unlikely).On the other hand, people may wish to setup a new co-op. This can be frustratinglylong, but ultimately a rewarding process.‘Co-operation Housing’ was set up in WAin 2010 with the ‘... principal object of ...owning or leasing of residential propertiesto provide housing assistance for low tomedium income households who chose tolive in co-operative housing communities,with the flow on benefits this housing option

provides.’ (Co-operation Housing StrategicPlan 2011–2013).

In Conclusion‘When dwellers control the majordecisions and are free to make theirown contribution to the design,construction or management of theirhousing, both the process and theenvironment produced stimulateindividual and social well-being.

When people have neither controlover, nor responsibility for keydecisions in the housing process, onthe other hand, dwellingenvironments may instead become abarrier to personal fulfilment and aburden on the economy’

(from ‘Freedom to Build’ by John F.C. Turner 1972) ■

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Precarious Housing forCulturally and Linguistically DiverseandAboriginal HouseholdsDr. Shae Garwood Shelter WA

The Housing Crisis Committee forCulturally and Linguistically Diverse

Communities (HCCCaLD) was formed inOctober 2006 in response to increasingreports of difficulties faced by humanitariancommunities in the metropolitan area ofPerth in access ing and mainta in inga c c o m m o d a t i o n . A s a m e m b e r o fHCCCaLD, Shelter WA recently released abriefing paper on Housing Affordability forCulturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD)and Aboriginal households. The followingis a summary of that briefing.

The high cost of housing in Perth has madeit difficult for people on low to moderateincomes to secure safe, a f fordableaccommodation for themselves and theirfamilies. In addition to the shortage ofavailable affordable accommodation, peoplefrom culturally and linguistically diversebackgrounds, Aboriginal people and otherdisadvantaged groups may face additionalb a r r i e r s i n a c c e s s i n g s u i t a b l eaccommodation in Perth. These barrierscan include a shortage of housing toaccommodate larger families, an inability tosecure accommodation close to transportand other services, and discrimination inthe housing market.

One in four of Australia’s 22 million peoplewere born outside of Australia (DIAC 2012).Between June 2011 and July 2012, 127,460people from 200 countries settled inAustralia. Most were born in one of thefollowing four countries: New Zealand(20.2 per cent), China (11.5 per cent), UnitedK i n g d o m ( 8 . 6 p e r c e n t ) a n d I n d i a(8.3 per cent). Humanitarian entrantsmake up a small portion of migrants toAustralia. In 2010–2011 a total of 13,799visas were granted under the Departmento f I m m i g r a t i o n a n d C i t i z e n s h i p ’ sHumanitarian Program, of which 8,971 visaswere granted under the offshore componentand 4,828 visas were granted under theonshore component.

The reasons for migrants’ relocation, theireduca t i on and sk i l l l e ve l , and t hecircumstances surrounding their arrival,influence the type of accommodation theyrequire. Initially, overseas immigrants oftenrequire accommodation in the privaterental market. Economic migrants, incontrast to humanitarian migrants, willoften move quickly into home ownershiponce they have settled in to their newregion. For humanitarian migrants fromnon-English speaking countries, theirhousing options will be influenced bywhether or not they have a social networkof friends and family, their employmentprospects, and what type of support theyare eligible to receive.

Abor ig i na l househo lds i n WA faceparticular challenges in exercising theirr ights to appropriate and affordablehousing. Poverty, lack of economicopportunities, language, literacy, culturalpractices, inadequate housing historiesand discr iminat ion a l l contr ibute toinadequate housing options for someAboriginal people in WA. In 2011, therewere 69,665 people in WA who identifiedas be ing of Abor ig ina l or ig in in theCensus, representing 3.1 per cent of theto ta l popu la t ion o f the s ta te (ABS2012). The 2011 Census reported that63 per cent of Aboriginal households rentthe i r homes (30 per cen t f rom theDepartment of Housing, six per cent froma community housing provider and 26per cent in the private rental market); 32p e r c e n t a r e h o m e o w n e r s o r a r epurchasing their homes.1

CaLD and Aboriginal households experiencehousing stress at disproportionate rates. In2006, over 8,000 Aboriginal households inAustralia were in housing stress (paying

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liamore than 30 per cent of their gross incomeon housing costs). In WA, 55.6 per cent ofAbor ig ina l peop le not in rece ip t o fCommonwealth Rent Assistance were inhousing stress; 20 per cent were payingover 50 per cent of their income on housingcosts resulting in extreme housing stress.Migrant households from non-Englishspeaking countries experience housingstress at higher rates (20 per cent) thannon-migrant households (14 per cent) (ABS2008). High rates of housing stress canhave a detrimental effect on the health andwell-being of individuals, families andsurrounding communities.

As of 30 June 2012, there were 23,411households on the waiting list for publichousing in WA. Even with priority status,many of these households will have to waityears to secure accommodation. Thosewithout priority status may eventuallysecure accommodation in public housing.However , most w i l l have to obta inalternative housing to avoid homelessness.Therefore, programs are needed toassist people in securing alternativeaccommodation, to prevent homelessnessand minimise overwhelming homelessnessserv ices , wh ich a l ready operate a tcapacity. A major challenge for CaLDand Aboriginal families is that they maynot be able to secure social housing, eitherdue to the long waiting list or because theyare over the income limits. Conversely,they may not earn enough to accessappropriate housing in the private rentalmarket or to purchase a home.

Some Aboriginal and CaLD households facediscrimination in accessing or maintainingtheir housing. It is unlawful under the EqualOpportunity Act 1984 for an owner or agentto discriminate against someone seekingprivate rental accommodation because oftheir race, religious or political conviction,impairment, age, sex, pregnancy, maritalstatus, gender history or sexual orientation.

Although racial discrimination is illegal,private landlords are not prohibited fromdiscriminating against people based onincome (that is, Centrelink recipients) andhousehold composition. The WA EqualOpportunity Commission received 70complaints in 2010–2011 alleging housingdiscrimination among CaLD and Aboriginalpeople related to accommodation (EOC2011). It is well known that most people donot report discrimination, so it is reasonableto assume that this number does notadequate ly represent the extent o fdiscrimination in the housing market,particularly in a tight rental market with lowvacancy rates.

Aboriginal people experience homelessnessat higher rates than the non-Aboriginalpopulation (1.9 per cent of the Aboriginalpopulation compared to 0.5 per cent ofthe non-Aboriginal population). At the timeof the 2006 Census, over 9,000 Aboriginalpeople were experiencing homelessness inAustralia, which included 1,496 people inWA. The majority of the Aboriginal homelesspopulation in WA (57 per cent) wereconsidered to be experiencing ‘secondaryhomelessness’, which includes people living

in temporary shelters or living with othersbecause they do not have adequate housingof their own.2

AIHW (2012) reported that the top threecountries of overseas-born people seekinghomelessness assistance in the Decemberquartile of 2011 (Australia wide) included1,036 people born in Sudan, 1,517 born inNew Zealand and 802 born in the UK.Of these, most had arrived in Australiabetween 2002 and 2007.

Many people in need of emergencyaccommodation are unable to access theservices they require. On any given night,48.6 per cent of those seeking services fromgovernment-funded homelessness servicesare turned away (AIHW 2011). Of thoseturned away from government-fundedhomelessness services, 13.7 per cent werefrom a non-English speaking background.Fifty-three per cent (53 per cent) of thoseturned away were of Aboriginal or TorresStrait Islander origin (AIHW 2011).

The Shelter WA briefing paper includesrecommendations to address the housingchallenges that CaLD and Aboriginalhouseholds experience in Perth. ShelterWA’s recommendations include ways toincrease the supply of affordable housing,improve housing affordability, make keyreforms to soc ia l hous ing, addressdiscrimination in housing, provide assistancet o h o m e b u y e r s , e x t e n d t e n a n c ylegislation to people in marginal tenures,and make changes to the delivery ofhomelessness services and the settlementgrants program. The full report, includingdeta i led recommendat ions, can bedownloaded from the Shelter WA websiteat www.shelterwa.org.au. ■

Footnotes

1. Percentages do not add to 100 due torounding, other tenure types, and ‘Tenurenot stated’.

2. The ABS is in the process of revising itshomelessness data for 2006. The reviseddata that has been released so far suggeststhat 28.9 per cent of people experiencinghomelessness in Australia were Aboriginalor Torres Strait Islander in 2006. Thisequates to 25,950 people in Australia. Thisdoes not include people who were living inovercrowded or other marginal orimprovised dwellings (ABS 2012b).

References

ABS 2008, Migrant Summary Tables bycountry of birth and year of arrival ofhousehold reference person, Migrants,Survey of Income and Housing,2007–08.ABS (2012) Census of Populationand Housing — Counts of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Australians, 2011,No. 2075.0, Available from www.abs.gov.au

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011,People turned away from government-fundedspecialist homelessness accommodation2010–11: appendix. Cat. no. HOU 261.Canberra: AIHW.Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012,Specialist Homelessness Services Collection:December quarter 2011. Cat. no. HOU 263.Canberra: AIHW.Australian Government Treasury 2010,Australia’s Future Tax System, Available fromwww.taxreview.treasury.gov.au/Content/Content.aspx?doc=html/home.htm

Department of Immigration and Citizenship(DIAC) 2012, Immigration factsheets, Availablefrom www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/66hss.htm

Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) 2011,Annual Report 2010–2011, Equal OpportunityCommission, Perth.Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) andOffice of Multicultural Interests (OMI) 2011,Report of outcomes of the recommendations ofAccommodating Everyone, Perth.

64

Helping Clients to get a Private Rental:The Challenges and PitfallsSteve Thrussell and Tania HennahMercyCare

It is a well-known fact that WA hasundergone a housing boom that has

caused significant issues for people tosecure a property in the private housingmarket. MercyCare operates a number ofs e r v i c e s f o r p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n ghomelessness in both National AffordableHousing Agreement (NAHA) and theNat ional Partnersh ip Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) and we workprimarily with homeless and at risk youngpeople who find it particularly difficult toobtain housing in the private rental market.

It would be prudent to list briefly the reasonsthat make getting a private rental so difficultfor our clients:

• Affordability — The prices ofrentals have increased dramaticallywhile government paymentshaven’t. Rents from September2011 to September 2012 rose15.4 per cent for house and 11.4per cent for units which wasalmost 10 times the inflation rate.The medium weekly rent for a unitin Perth is $390.1 It is almost

impossible for a single person toafford a rental and so we workmostly with couples, singlemothers and families in acquiringaccommodation.

• Prejudice — age, race, familystatus — Young people,Indigenous and Culturally orLinguistically Diverse (CaLD)people and single mothers are allgenerally discriminated against.

• Lack of rental history — Rentalreferences are like gold and thismakes it hard, particularly foryoung people, if they have neverrented before and hard for peoplewho have rented but do not have agreat history.

• Access to internet — Mostvacancies are advertised on theinternet and our target group don’talways have ready access tocomputers and the internet.

• Competition — Many rental homeopens attract significant numbersof people and the high numbersand competitive nature makes iteven more difficult if any of theabove issues are also in play.

However, despite the doom and gloom allis not lost and MercyCare’s Youth Servicesstaff has been working hard developingstrategies that assist clients to secure privaterentals. We have assisted 16 clients in thelast financial year obtain private rentals.

While we cannot do anything to bring thecost of rents down, we can assist youngpeople to prepare and present well for therental market. Firstly we need to be veryclear with our clients that in order for themto afford rent, their budget will be extremelytight, corners will need to be cut and theywill need to stick to their budget if they areto obtain and maintain a rental.

MercyCare promotes three strategies tosecuring that rental. The first is the ‘sell’.We have to support our clients and givethem the tools to sell themselves to theagent or landlord as the best person for thatrental. The second strategy relates toresearching the rental market. The thirdstrategy is support to sustain the rental.

A major part of the ‘sell’ is the rental resume.We all use a resume when looking for work,to put ourselves forward in the best lightand to show off our knowledge and skills.Using a rental resume in the same way ata home open and with an application hasproven very successful for our clients.

Before applying for a rental we prepare ourclient as much as we can. Through weeklymeetings, of about two hours duration, weprovide tenancy training and ready rentalcertificates. The Youth Affairs Council of WAhas a training program for clients under 25,called Roofs for Youths, which is endorsedby the Real Estate Industry of WA. It coversall areas of tenancy, from finding a home,applying, what a client is responsible for,what the landlord is responsible for, cleaning,resolving conflict, strata issues, to the evictionprocess and court. On completion of thiscourse a certificate is then issued. Thesecertificates are an excellent addition to arental resume.

Often our clients don’t have a rental historyor more accurately don’t have rentalreferences. While they have housing historyand gained a wealth of experience, theyhaven’t had their name on a lease. A letterattached to an application, or in a rentalresume, filling in the blanks can be veryuseful. The letter can introduce the clientand provide an explanation about their pastexperience including, periods of housinginstability, staying with friends, or sharingand not having their name on a lease. Itcan also highlight that the client is now ina better position to take up the rental andis completely committed to being a fantastictenant and that their number one priorityis to pay the rent on time, always. The letter

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can also indicate that they know:

• how to clean the inside of an ovenand extractor fan

• how to pull out weeds and kill ants,etc.

• if the lease says four people can liveat the property then only four will asthis demonstrates maturity and agood understanding of theirresponsibilities.

It is also useful to mention that the client hasnowhere permanent to l ive and if notsuccessful with this property, would like tobe considered for any other rentals in theprice range that they may have. This letterforms the first page of the resume.

Other documents that should be in theresume include, a cover page with nameand contact details, agency certificatestating tenancy training completed, writtenreference from support worker, a copy ofident i f icat ion and a proof of incomestatement or wage slips.

The second strategy in the preparation ofclients is to actually find out what propertiesare on the market. Most of the vacanciesare now advertised on the web, to whichour cl ients often have no access. Toovercome this, MercyCare staff have createdaccounts with realestate.com, reiwa.cometc. and have set up alerts for properties.As soon as a new property matching thealert comes up it is emailed to the workerwho can then call or text the client therelevant details. We also support clients bysupporting them to create their own advertsif looking for rentals, or house sharers etcand submit these online on relevant sites.We role model and practice the phoneprocess a number of times with clients.

Success all comes down to the tiny tenminute opening when the client has to maketheir impression on the agent or landlord.They may have to compete with 30 otherpeople so obviously we need to be fullyprepared for this, so at MercyCare staff spend

time talking about this, role modelling andpracticing this.

As first impressions are everything we ensurethe client has clean smart clothing andpreferably leave the children at home. Weask that our clients make contact with theagent, introduce themselves and gush aboutthe home and how perfect it is, saying howbadly they need a home for their family. It isat this point that the client introduces thesecret weapon, and asks if the agent wouldlike their rental resume, purposely bringingit up to the face of the agent, so that theyremember the client. Hopefully the resumehas made the agent remember the client.

Preparat ion is again the key for theapplication form. At one of the preparationsessions with the client, we get them to fillout a blank form. When the application formasks how soon do you want the property,the client is encouraged to write down‘ASAP, please’ and when it asks ‘For howlong?’, ‘as long as possible, please’ issuggested. Where rental references arerequired the client is encouraged to write‘please refer to attached letter’. Thiscompleted form then becomes the ‘template’so that when the client finds a propertythey wish to apply for, they can copy thedetails immediately onto the application formand give it to the agent immediately.

The dreaded option fee! Rarely do clientshave $300 cash lying around so brokeragefunds are a great way to assist clients. Forprograms with no brokerage we can loanthe client the option fee and pay it directlyto the agent. If accepted we ask that theclient repay a small amount each week,with no interest which is very similar to bondassistance.

We realise that clients may not get the firstproperty they apply for or the second or thethird, but we have found these methodshelpful.

During the sessions with clients whilst waitingto secure a home, we focus on workshopsthat will help maintain their tenancy. As

mentioned previously, budgeting is anenormous part of supporting our clients tobe success fu l i n ma in ta i n i ng the i raccommodation. We share tips on keepinghousehold bills and spending to a minimumso that there is more available for rent. Forexample, to use less hot water put emptyyoghurt pots on your hot taps, put a Velcrochild lock on the fridge door to stop the kidsopening it all the time, informing clients thatit costs 35 cents for a ten minute shower,and how quickly that can add up to hundredsof dollars in power bills if you have a half hourshower every day and using beanies, socksand blankets instead of paying up to 50 centsan hour for a heater.

Other information we give our clients is onhousehold cleaning needs and products.Some of our clients may not have lived inan environment where rental inspection‘standards of cleaning’ was role modelled.We make an extensive list of all houseand garden needs and then work out whatneeds to be done daily, weekly, monthly,as necessary, for inspection etc. andintroduce the idea of a roster, to assistclient get into a routine. To assist with thiswe give our clients a garden tool kit, glovesand a bucket, a tool kit ($12 from IKEA)and help them purchase cleaning productswhen they get a place.

Other tenancy training includes informationprovision and role modelling on conflictresolution, useful for negotiating withneighbours, agents, and partners or children(which can be helpful if domestic disputesare causing your neighbours to complain!)

Securing a place is only half the battle!Once housed, we now need to support ourclients to maintain their accommodation andmove to a level of independence over thecoming months.

At MercyCare this means, we do actualcleaning and gardening demonstrations. Theprevious workshops provided informationand ideas but now they have a private rental,showing and teaching the client is important.Demonstrating how to clean the oven,extractor fans, window tracks, making acheap casserole in the slow cooker,making baby food and toys are somethings undertaken. Signing up for Centrepaywhere possible will help the client have morefunds for rent. Assisting client’s to feel partof the community, linking in with local doctors,check out the local shops, schools, day-care, doctors, parks and library etc. helpclients towards independence. Findingsupport services (for example, financialcounsellors, mental health support groups)to help stay on track are valuable and whenthe client is stable, support to get into workor training.

With perseverance and determination fromboth MercyCare staff and clients gaining aprivate rental has been possible with someclients who are now l iv ing within thec o m m u n i t y a n d e n j o y i n g t h e i rindependence. ■

Footnote1. Wright S. ‘Housing Shortage, Perth rents

soar on rising population’ The WestAustralian 11th October 2012.

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Affordable Housing for Life: A New Beginningfor VulnerableYouth in Our CommunityFrank Strever Manager of Affordable Housing, MercyCare

The Affordable Housing For Life Programin Western Austral ia (AHFL) is an

exciting new Joint Venture Partnershipbetween MercyCare and Marist Youth Carethat is designed to improve social andemployment outcomes for at-risk youngpeople by fast-tracking them into vocationaltraining, open employment and secureaccommodation via the construction ofsoc ia l and a f fordab le hous ing. Theprogram’s focus is on:

• Providing nationally accreditedvocational training and skillsdevelopment.

• Engaging young peoplein sustainable employment— carefully matched to a youngperson’s aptitude, skills and abilities.

• Providing tailored individualisedsupport — to help young peopleovercome barriers to training andemployment.

• Constructing affordable housing andan opportunity for some at riskyoung people to live in the housethey build.

The program was originally established in2009 by Marist Youth Care, as a directresponse to crippling intergenerationalunemp loymen t and home lessnessexperienced by youth in the WesternSuburbs of Sydney. Its success dramaticallychanged the lives of some of young people

involved in the program, improving thequality of their relationships, expanding theirsocial networks and giving them theconfidence to work through day-to-daychallenges in the workplace. The program’ssuccess attracted national interest; fromthe Department of Education Employmentand Workplace Relations, Federal Ministers,and the Australian Broadcasting Corporationto name a few.

The Western AustralianContextHomelessness in Perth and regional WA isan issue that workers at MercyCare are all-too-familiar with. They see a growing numberof young people at risk of homelessnessand grapple to deal with the demand fortheir medium term youth accommodation.WA is leading the mining boom, and thetwo-tiered economy it has created has seenrental prices soar, resulting in many moreyoung people living on the streets. Newsolutions to homelessness are desperatelyneeded.

In WA, the AHFL program will provideaffordable and social housing in the Perthm e t r o p o l i t a n a r e a t o a d d r e s shomelessness and the shor tage inaffordable housing identified by the WAState Government. The AHFL program inWA will bring together individuals, groupsand businesses with differing skills andknowledge, to form working partnershipsto supp l y goods , se r v i ces and /o ropportunities which assist disadvantagedand unemployed young people on anindividual or group basis. In partnershipw i t h o t h e r s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s a n dbus inesses , the AHFL w i l l p rov ideemployment opportunities, accreditedt r a i n i n g , s k i l l d e v e l o p m e n t s a n dindividualised personal support for veryv u l n e r a b l e y o u n g p e o p l e i n o u rcommunity. Youth eligible for support willinclude those experiencing homelessnessor unemployment, as wel l as youngpeople in foster care or those who arenewly-arrived CaLD refugees. Crucial tosuccess of the AHFL in WA will be thesupport provided to help disadvantagedy o u n g p e o p l e e n g a g e i n f u l l t i m eemployment and training.

MercyCare is a leading not for profit providerof health, aged, family and communityservices and has a well-established systemto support people in need. MercyCare canprovide participants with access to arange of Community Support programsi n c l u d i n g , fi n a n c i a l c o u n s e l l i n g ,accommodation support, addict ionssupport and assistance to gain employment.Furthermore, MercyCare’s experienced

case managers are able to access othersupport services to assist young participantswith health services, psychological services,mental health services and behaviour andconflict management services should theybe needed.

Program PartnersThe individuals, groups and businesses thatare involved in the AHFL program comefrom a variety of backgrounds. Theseinclude:

Training and Skill Providerssuch as:

• Job Services Australia Agencies

• Group Training AustraliaOrganisations

• Registered Training Organisations

• Trade Colleges

• Apprenticeship Centres

• TAFE Centres

Land Owners

The AHFL will encompass a forward worksprogram planned for over the next ten yearsin WA. MercyCare is seeking access tofreehold land for use by the program for theconstruction of social and affordablehousing.

Land and PropertyDevelopers and Builders

The AHFL program will seek to involvemedium to large property developers andbuilders who have targets to include sociala n d a f f o r d a b l e h o u s i n g i n t h e i rdevelopments. These parties will designand develop the land sourced for theAHFL p rogram and then cons t ruc tappropriate housing on the land, utilisingthe assistance of the young trainees involvedin the Program and the building productsof supply partners.

Invitation to ParticipateThe Joint Venture partners are seeking theinvolvement of other interested parties toparticipate in the Affordable Housing ForLife program. Anyone with an interest inaiding and supporting disadvantaged andunemployed youth so they can grow,develop independence and participate withthe community, is welcome to get involved.Resources such as suitable land, effectiveproperty development expertise and theprovision of social and mentoring personnelwould be of significant assistance to theprogram. ■Please contact Frank Strever, MercyCare’sManager of Affordable Housing for furtherinformation.

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liaFrom Renting to Homelessness: Challenges in the Western AustralianRental Market and the Risk of HomelessnessStephanie Bachman Shelter WA

Introduction

Shelter WA held a series of tenantinformation forums in May 2012 to

provide an opportunity for tenants to voicetheir concerns about housing in Perth. Thefo rums a lso p rov ided tenants w i thinformation about affordable housing optionsand support serv ices avai lable. Theforums were free and open to the generalpublic and were held in various metropolitanlocations including Perth city, Rockingham,A r m a d a l e a n d C l a r k s o n . O v e r 7 0participants attended the four forums andincluded tenants in social housing andprivate rentals, home owners, peoplee x p e r i e n c i n g h o m e l e s s n e s s ,non-government sector workers andgovernment representatives. These forumswere developed and presented as part ofShelter WA’s Community Consultation andEngagement Strategy and were open toanyone with an interest in the rental housingsituation in Perth.

ContextRents in the private rental market in WAhave increased steadily over the past year.As of August 2012, median rent for a housein Perth was $450 and median rent for aunit was $430. This is an 18.4 per centincrease since June 2011. Such high rentalprices present difficulties for low andmoderate income households to keep upwith other household expenses and savefor emergencies.

Many low income renters in WA experienceh o u s i n g s t r e s s a n d a r e a t r i s k o fhomelessness. Housing stress exists whena household in the bottom two quintiles ofincome distr ibut ion pays more than30 per cent of its gross income on housing.In 2009–2010, 35.8 per cent of low incomerenters were in housing stress comparedto 28.9 per cent the previous year (Reporton Government Services 2012a). High levelsof housing stress can have a detrimentalimpact on the hea l th and v i ta l i ty o fhouseholds and communities, and meansthat households are at risk of homelessness.

As of March 2012, the vacancy rate in thePerth metro area was 1.9 per cent, the

lowest in the preceding five years. By August2012, it had dropped to 1.8 per cent. Thecompetitive nature of this low vacancy ratein the rental market leads to increases inrents, and bidding by prospective tenants,which makes it particularly difficult for lowincome households to secure affordablehousing. There is greater competition forthose rental properties available, with attimes in excess of 70 or 80 people attendinga home open. Many people are finding itproblematic to secure and maintain housingthat meets their needs.

The existence of affordable properties doesnot always mean they are available to lowand moderate income households. TheNational Housing Supply Council (2012)found that in 2009-2010 a total of 1,256,000private rental properties were affordable forthe 857,000 private renter households inAustralia on a very low or low income. Ofthese, 937,000 properties were occupiedby households with a higher income. Thisresults in a change from an ‘apparentsurplus’ of 399,000 affordable propertiesto a shortfall of 539,000 affordable andavailable properties. In other words, over60 per cent of all private rental propertiesaffordable to low income households arenot available to those households becausethey are occupied by people in higherincome brackets.

Some low income households are eligiblefor Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA),which is available for renters in the privaterental market and in community housing(but not in public housing). CRA is crucialfor many households to secure affordablehousing; however a study by the TenantsUnion of Victoria (2010) found that CRA hasnot kept pace with increasing housing costs.They found that, in all capital cities and forall categories of CRA recipients, CRAcovered a smaller proportion of rent in 2009as compared with 1995. Furthermore, ofhouseholds receiving CRA, 41.4 per centstill experienced housing stress even afterreceipt of CRA (Report on GovernmentServices 2012b).

Thousands of households rely on socialhousing, which is an essential componentof the affordable housing continuum in WA.However, demand for social housing faroutweighs the supply. For example, therewere over 23,411 people on the social

housing waiting list in Western Australia atthe end of June 2012, and the limited supplyis such that most of these people will haveto wait in excess of eight years before beingoffered a social housing property.1

This high figure on the social housing waitlist does not in fact reflect the extent of needfor this type of housing. The income eligibilitycriteria for public housing in WA, whichhas not changed since 2006, has noti n c r e a s e d i n l i n e w i t h t h e c o s t o faccommodation and living expenses. Thismeans people who earn minimally morethan the criteria are ineligible to apply forpublic housing, but are also not able toafford median rental prices, or run ahousehold without experiencing rentalstress.

Key IssuesShelter WA’s tenant forums provided anopportunity for people across all types ofhousing tenures to discuss their concernswith Shelter WA staff. The forums wereinteractive and provided information ona f fo rdab le hous ing opt ions and anopportunity for community members todiscuss the issues they are experiencing astenants, or in trying to access affordablehousing. Participants at the forums identifiedthe following key concerns:

• Lack of affordable privaterentals: The main issue of concernfor many participants was theshortage of affordable rentals in WA.They cited the lack of choice, whichleads to people taking inappropriatehousing to avoid homelessness.They identified numerous barriers tosecuring affordable housingincluding tenants lacking thenecessary references, languagebarriers for tenants from culturallyand linguistically diversebackgrounds, and particularconcerns for seniors in accessingand maintaining appropriatehousing. Participants wereconcerned about how the lack ofaffordable housing impacts onhealth and wellbeing and leads tosocial isolation.

• Social housing: Many participantswere concerned about the long

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waiting lists (sometimes up to eightyears) in order to secureaccommodation in social housing.They also identified the restrictionson the location of social housing aspeople wanted to be located closeto services, amenities, publictransport and their social networks.Forum participants suggested thatthere needed to be greatereducation for tenants and thegeneral community about theDepartment of Housing’s policies,such as the Disruptive BehaviourManagement Strategy.

• Crisis accommodation servicesare at capacity: Some of theservice providers noted that they areseeing a ‘changing face ofhomelessness’ in terms of the typesof people in need of their servicesincluding many families and seniors.Once someone is able to receiveassistance from a specialisthomelessness service provider theyare often unable to transition intoalternative accommodation becausethere are no available affordable exitpoints.

• Tenants’ rights: Many participantswere concerned aboutdiscrimination in housing andexpressed confusion about tenants’rights. They shared their experiencesof conflict with property managers,continuous rent increases and a fearof being evicted if they complainedabout the increasing rents or lack ofmaintenance and repairs.Participants also discussed cases ofexploitation where agents were

charging a viewing fee ($120) to lookat a property to rent.

• Marginal tenures: There are manypeople who are not covered underthe Residential Tenancies Act (1987)making them particularly vulnerableand at risk of homelessness.Boarders and lodgers haveinadequate legal protections.Participants were concerned aboutissues for caravan park residents,the costs of remaining in a caravanpark, and the lack of legalprotections for caravan parkresidents.

RecommendationsForum participants discussed a variety ofrecommendations to improve conditionsfor tenants in WA, particularly those at riskof homelessness. These included changesto how affordable housing is financed,i nc reases to Commonwea l t h Ren tAssistance to alleviate housing stress,increasing the number of tenant advocates,and providing education of the ResidentialTenancies Act to tenants and real estateagents. Some people suggested rentcapping regulations to minimise rentincreases. Others offered innovativesuggestions about encouraging schoolleavers to undertake building industryapprenticeships with TAFE to performmaintenance for the Department of Housingor for skilled people out of work to performmaintenance in exchange for rent.

Some of the issues cited by participants,such as excessive option fees, will beaddressed in new regulat ions to theR e s i d e n t i a l T e n a n c i e s A c t ( R T A )Amendment Act. The WA Parliament passed

the RTA Amendment Act in 2011. Changesto the Act’s regulations are being made andmost of the new regulations are expectedto be in place by early 2013. Nevertheless,much work remains to be done to ensurethat tenants can secure and maintainappropriate, affordable accommodation insocial housing and the private rental market,and in order to ensure that more people arenot at risk of homelessness.

Shelter WA has prepared reports andsubmissions to the WA State Government,including recommendations for change invarious areas which impact on housingaffordability. This includes proposals fornew strategies to address the housing crisisin Western Australia, particularly that withinthe private rental market. ■

Footnote

1. The joint waiting list was created in 2010 toenable applicants listed for Department ofHousing, Foundation Housing, AccessHousing and Great Southern CommunityHousing Corporation to be listed in a jointwaiting list held by the Department ofHousing. Applicants may be offered aproperty when they reach their turn on thewaiting list by any of these agencies.

ReferencesNational Housing Supply Council 2012,Housing Supply and Affordability, KeyIndicators 2012, Canberra, available atwww.nhsc.org.au.

Report on Government Services 2012a, TableGA.9, available athttp://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/rogs

Report on Government Services 2012b, Table16.A.66, available athttp://www.pc.gov.au/gsp/rogs

Tenants Union of Victoria 2010, Falling Behind:The growing gap between rent and rentassistance 1995–2009, Prepared by RMITUniversity.

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Perth MetropolitanHomeless ResponseWorkshop: Developing a Coordinated ApproachAmong Local Governments, Law Enforcement,Government Agencies and Service ProvidersDr. Shae Garwood Shelter WA

The Parks People Project WorkingGroup (PPPWG) was developed in

response to the difficulties associated withsupporting Aboriginal people and otherspresenting with homelessness issues inP e r t h p a r k s . I t a i m s t o f a c i l i t a t eco l laborat ion between government(including local government) and non-government agencies working with thisgroup and to investigate and developoptions to address identified needs. ThePPPWG was adopted as a project by theCentra l Reg iona l Managers HumanServices Forum (CRMHSF). The CRMHSFis one of six interagency collaborativeforums in the Metropolitan area aimed atd e v e l o p i n g e f f e c t i v e i n t e r a g e n c ycoordination between human serviceagencies providing health, education,training, housing, child protection andfamily support, disability services, policeand corrective services.

Current members of the PPPWG includethe City of Vincent, City of Perth, WA Police,Depar tment for Ind igenous Af fa i rs ,Department for Child Protection (DCP),Department of Correct ive Serv ices,Department of Housing, Nyoongar Patrol,1

Ruah Community Services and Shelter WA.

The PPPWG coord inated the Per thMet ropo l i t an Home less ResponseWorkshop in August 2011, which wasattended by over 100 representativesf r o m g o v e r n m e n t a g e n c i e s , n o n -government organisations and other keystakeholders, and facilitated by ShelterWA. The purpose of the workshop wasto encourage collaboration amongst keys t a k e h o l d e r s t o w a r d s d e l i v e r i n gappropriate support and accommodationoutcomes for Aboriginal people andothers who are experiencing primaryhomelessness (rough sleeping) in parks

and inner city areas of the City of Perthand the City of Vincent.

Participants discussed options to addressthe long term homelessness of peoplefrequenting the parks and homelessnessamong people who move to the city fromremote locations. Funding to coordinate theworkshop, develop background materialsand prepare the final report was providedby the City of Perth, City of Vincent and theDepartment of Indigenous Affairs.

Workshop participants acknowledged thataddressing homelessness in Perth andVincent required the joint commitment oflocal governments, relevant State andFederal government agencies, serviceproviders, advocacy non-governmento rgan isa t ions (NGOs) , and peop leexperiencing homelessness to worktogether to determine the best way. Thefollowing recommendations were identified:

Urgent Need fora Night ShelterMany of the attendees articulated an urgentneed for a night shelter. It was recognisedthat a night shelter is a necessary part of abroader system to address homelessnessin the c i t i es o f Pe r th and V incen t ,alongside assertive outreach, preventativeprograms, transitional housing and longer-term solutions. Participants suggested thatthe shelter be:

• centrally located

• low-barrier entry, including accessfor people who are intoxicated, havebeen banned from other services

• Aboriginal staff and/or culturally-competent staff trained to work withAboriginal clients

• integrated with the Nyoongar Patrol

• owned and managed by an

Aboriginal corporation — building onlessons from Kalgoorlie night shelter

• provide accommodation for men,women, and families.

Recommendations

• Seek funding for a 35 bed facility orseveral smaller facilities toaccommodate diverse needs oftarget population.

• Seek support from localgovernments for the development ofa night shelter through their planningprocesses.

• Seek funding for a feasibility study todetermine the need for a nightshelter to provide accommodationfor homeless women with or withoutchildren, that is not restricted towomen experiencing domesticviolence.

I n t h e 2 0 1 1 – 1 2 b u d g e t t h e S t a t eGovernment provided $5.4 million overfour years to build and operate a 10 bedovernight shelter for the most vulnerablerough sleepers. The DCP is workingwith St Vincent de Paul Society to developthe shelter.

Develop aDirectory of ServicesMany participants voiced concern overt h e l a c k o f a n e a s i l y a c c e s s i b l e ,comprehensive directory of availableservices. This posed a chal lenge forservice providers and the clients theysupport. Participants said that a directorywould faci l i tate information sharing,networking and referrals. Participantsidentified several options for a directoryeither as a centrally-held, professionallymaintained directory or as an on-line wiki,where service providers could update theirown information as needed.

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Recommendations

• The City of Perth to continueproviding the Homeless Services inthe Inner City directory and updateinformation as it becomes available.

• Homelessness service providers togive information to the City of Perth,as requested, in order to provideaccurate and up-to-date informationabout their services.

Since the workshop, the DCP has producedan on-line state-wide directory of all DCP-funded services including accommodationand support services, available on the DCPwebsite.

Better CoordinationAmong ServicesA common concern amongst participantsw a s t h e n e e d f o r i m p r o v e dcommunication and coordination amongservice providers (including Street to HomeServices, Nyoongar Patrol, etc.) and Police,the Department for Child Protection,Department of Corrective Services and theDepartment of Health.

Recommendations

• City of Perth and City of Vincent tocontinue to facilitate roundtablediscussions for organisations toshare information about programsavailable and develop ways to worktogether.

• The CRMHSF and Parks PeopleWorking Group to liaise with HealthDepartment Patient AssistanceTravel Scheme (PATS) to ensurepeople discharged from hospitals,and their carers, have safeaccommodation and/or are assistedto return to country.

• The CRMHSF and PPPWG tocontinue to promote and supportcoordination and collaborationamong agencies.

Expand AssertiveOutreach ServicesWorkshop pa r t i c ipan ts sugges tedexpanding assertive outreach teams,particularly with a focus on engaging peopleexperiencing homelessness who havecomplex needs and/or do not typicallyaccess services. In particular, there is aneed for an Aboriginal outreach team towork with Aboriginal people experiencinghomelessness.

Recommendations

• Existing assertive outreach teams towork with the Nyoongar Patrol tobuild trust with Aboriginal peoplesleeping rough and deliver culturallyappropriate services.

• Seek funding to support additionalassertive outreach services,particularly focused on chronichomelessness among Aboriginalpeople sleeping rough in publicspaces.

• Maximising existing assertiveoutreach service responses andcapacity to respond to at risk andhard to engage Aboriginal peopleexperiencing primary homelessness.

Develop Visitor(short term)AccommodationS o m e o f t h e p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n ghomelessness in Perth and Vincent aretransient, visiting from remote Aboriginalcommunities and unable to secure shortt e r m a f f o r d a b l e a c c o m m o d a t i o nappropriate to their needs. Workshopparticipants cited the need for visitoraccommodation in Perth specif ical lydesigned to accommodate people fromremote communities coming to Perth formedical appointments and procedures, toattend funerals, and for various other

reasons. Some participants articulated aneed for a cultural centre and other safespaces for Aboriginal people in the Perthcentral district, including for those visitingfrom remote communities.

Recommendations

• Expand hostels to cater toAboriginal and other visitors.

• Liaise with the Department ofHealth’s Patient Assistance TravelScheme to determine the extent ofneed.

The Perth Homeless Response Workshopwas successful in identifying the issuesand developing dialogue among keystakeholders to address homelessnessin the City of Perth and City of Vincent.The workshop provided a foundation forc o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d c o o r d i n a t i o namongst agencies, united in the commongoal of providing accommodation andsupport services to Aboriginal peoplea n d o t h e r s e x p e r i e n c i n g p r i m a r yhomelessness.

Since the workshop, the PPPWG hascontinued to progress the recommendationsto develop greater collaboration amongststakeholders and develop a coordinateda p p r o a c h t o r e s p o n d t o p r i m a r yhomelessness in public parks in Perth andVincent. In addition, the report from thePerth Metropolitan Homeless ResponseWorkshop was adopted as the Perth areaRegional Homelessness Plan. ■

Footnote

1. The Nyoongar people are thetraditional custodians of the land in thePerth metropolitan area and southwestof WA. The purpose of the NyoongarPatrol is to provide early street levelinterventions to local and remoteIndigenous people frequenting publicspaces in nominated locations. Thetarget groups are people at risk ofcoming into contact with the criminaljustice system due to various socialand welfare issues.

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Ho m e l e s s n e s s i s a p h e n o m e n aexperienced by people throughout

Australia in many similar ways. Not havinga place to call home, or somewhere to putyour own bed, or for that matter, having asafe environment that allows you to escapethe gaze of others, is a problem faced bymany Australians. What does vary acrossAustralia, are the reasons why people findthemselves homeless and the responsesthat regions have developed over time tomeet those varying needs.

The Kimberley region of Western Australiais a case in point. The Kimberley is a hugeremote region of Australia broken up intothe West and East Kimberley. It offers peoplea range of homelessness and allied servicesthat are delivered from major populationcentres of Broome, Kununurra, Derby, HallsCreek and Fitzroy Crossing. Homelessnessin the Kimberley region is predominatelyan Indigenous issue, with over 85 per centof people presenting as homeless, being ofIndigenous descent.

The Indigenous population in the farnorthwest of Australia is extremely mobile.There is a constant movement of people toand from communities dotted throughoutthe Kimberley, mainly to major regionalcentres like Kununurra and Broome. Thismovement of people is in part due to health,family, employment, education and culturalreasons, but is also amplified by largenumbers of people moving from communitiesand town centres to avoid alcohol restrictionsand bans. These are people with low or non-existent English literacy levels who largelycommunicate using traditional languages.

This means that people living in communitieslocated across the Dampier Peninsular,Tanami Desert, Fitzroy Valley, and MitchellPlateau regions can, and will travel up to1200 kilometres to stay in places likeBroome. Once in Broome they have twooptions, they can sleep rough and campout where ever they can find a quiet spot,or they can go and stay with family or friendswho have a house. This places a hugepressure on town communities and puts alot of tenancies at risk, due to overcrowding,violence, anti-social behaviour, propertydamage, and, extreme substance use.

So you have a twofold affect, one, where alarge transient homeless population is placingdemand pressures on l im i ted townhousing stock, whilst at the same time beinga cause of town homelessness, as peoplelose tenancies due to having met a culturalobligation associated with sharing with familyand other members of language and skin

groups. Supporting a community to addressthis issue means that many homelessnessservices in the Kimberley region can spenda lot of time assisting clients to get familyand friends, who are not on a lease, to leaveproperties to help clients sustain the tenancy.

Working to prevent people from becominghomeless is one of a number of strategiesthat are employed by homeless services inthe Kimberley region. Because there is aconstrained capacity to support people intoshort and long term housing there is a verystrong focus on the physical and social healthand wellbeing of people experiencinghomelessness. As an example a freebreakfast is provided at Centacare’sHomeless Drop-In Centre in Broome threedays a week. This service, while providinga nutritionally balanced meal also acts as aconduit used by a range of support servicesto maintain contact with a large number ofpeople experiencing homelessness.

Working from the Homeless Drop-in Centrethe Broome Regional Aboriginal MedicalService’s Health Mob conduct full healthchecks every Monday. On Friday Centrelinkattend the centre to help people withp a y m e n t i s s u e s , w h i l e t h e M o n e yManagement Mob from Broome CircleHouse talk to people about better managingmoney. To assist people to access housing,Cen taca re ’ s Na t i ona l Pa r t ne r sh ipAgreement on Homelessness (NPAH)Homeless Outreach team attend thebreakfast everyday day to ensure thatpeople’s needs are being met and to engagein case managed support with a core groupof rough sleepers.

To build on this health and wellbeing focusCentacare’s Breakfast Program is workingclosely with the Kimberley Aboriginal MedicalService on developing a more nutritionallybalanced and culturally appropriate menu,

and, on delivering workshops on healthychoices and lifestyles. Given that people inpublic housing tenancies can also findthemselves in financial hardship they alsobenefit from the breakfast, so Centacare’sNPAH Public Tenancy Support Serviceattends to provide support, information andadvice to people who feel they may be atrisk of losing a public housing tenancy.

Working in a joined up manner is pivotal tothe success of homeless services in theKimberley region. A significant number ofpeople experiencing homelessness havenever managed a tenancy, which is quiteunique given that the average age ofCentacare Kimberley’s homeless clientgroup is well over 35 years of age. Whilesupporting people to get a tenancy, or aplace to call home can present someparticular challenges, once they are housedthe main game becomes supporting andassisting them to maintain and sustain thathome. This means case planning will involvea lot of life and living skill development thathas to occur both before and after peopleget a place to call home.

What you have read is a snapshot writtento shine a light on a small part of theK i m b e r l e y ’ s o v e r a l l r e s p o n s e t ohomelessness.

Across this vast but beautiful regionthere are dedicated homelessness serviceslike Marnja Jarndu working with womenand children escaping domestic and familyviolence, while organisations such asNirrumbuk Indigenous Corporation andBurdekin have tailored service responsesfor youth. Despite having quite distinctclient groups with unique reasons foraccessing homelessness support al lservice face the same type of challengebeing once a client has got a home howdo support them to keep it. ■

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The Health Mob

Indigenous Visitors AccommodationMaxine Chi Principal Policy Officer, Department of Housing WA

Short stay accommodation in WesternAustralian regional centres to cater for

Aboriginal people from remote communitiesaccessing a ‘service centre’ on a periodicbasis is much needed.

Aboriginal people visit major regional townsand large cities for many and varied reasons— to access health services for themselvesand their children, do their shopping, visitrelations and friends and attend Native Titlemeetings, sport carnivals, social functions,celebrations and funerals. This regular andsignificant movement to regional centrescan i nc r ease a t own popu l a t i on ’ sdramatically impacting on permanentresidents and the visitors alike.

Across the State there are increasing needsfor short stay facilities due to regional servicecentre’s increasing populations. TheAustralian Bureau of Statistics census dataindicate that up to ten per cent of Indigenouspopulations in regional centres are made upof temporary residents from discrete remotecommunities. In addition, it is estimated thatthe Indigenous population will increase inpopulation share from 38 per cent to 42per cent across the wet tropics area (CapeYork to the Kimberley)1 by 2016.

Now let’s take a moment to take a walkin another person’s shoes…

You may be a:

• young pregnant woman withchildren

• middle aged person and in need ofhealth care

• young person seeking employmentor training

• school aged child seeking a highschool or university course

• single person looking for a partner.

Where would you stay in a town or city?With family? In a hotel or backpackers?

How would you pay for it? Could youafford to pay for accommodation on topof paying rent at home in community?Could you get a subsidy? Where wouldyou get it from?

Would you feel comfortable, acceptedand at ease?

Would you sleep rough?

With limited alternatives, people from remoteAboriginal communities do stay with familymembers and some ‘doss down’ or campon public open space or vacant land. Thishas been the practice for many years.

Very few would stay in a hotel or backpackeraccommodation unless they had theiraccommodation paid or subsidised for them— affordability is a common issue. Manypeople from communities are expected tolive and travel on a Centrelink income whilecontinuing to pay rent for their home andsupport family back in their community. Anyaccommodation that is offered, therefore,needs to be affordable and provide anenvironment that is socially and culturallycomfortable.

Short stay accommodation for Aboriginalpeople visiting town should provide safe,clean and secure accommodation at low

cost (with the option of prepared meals) ina managed environment, close to transportand amenities.

The visitors’ centre model provides anadditional option and a safer choice beyondover-crowded living arrangements withextended family or camping or roughsleeping with exposure to the weather,elevated health and safety risks, andpossible exposure to victimisation throughanti-social behaviour.

Looking atthe South AustralianExperienceWA has modelled its facilities on the Cedunaand Port Augusta Indigenous VisitorsAccommodation Centres which include unitand camping accommodation. Thesef a c i l i t i e s a r e w e l l u s e d a n d c o s tapproximately $1 million per annum tomanage. The two centres are open toAboriginal people needing support andprovide accommodation for approximately70 people at any one time. The centrescater for families and individuals, aresupervised twenty four hours, seven daysa aweek by staff with local knowledge andlanguage skills.

Accommodation units and tents areavailable for short to medium term stays.The centres have a ‘no tolerance’ approachto v io lence, a lcohol and other druguse. People are encouraged to utilisepathways to improved health and wellbeingby l inking them to appropr iate localgovernment and non-government serviceagencies. When the time comes, help toreturn to community is also available.

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KalgoorlieVisitors’ CentreKalgoorlie is the closest large regional townto the Spinifex Lands and offers a widerange of services. It is important thatIndigenous visitors to the town are providedwith affordable and culturally appropriateaccommodation during their stay.

In June 2008, the Department of Families,Hous ing , Commun i ty Serv ices andIndigenous Affairs released $2 million to theDepartment of Housing to construct a shortstay visitors’ accommodation facility inKalgoorlie–Boulder. An additional $1 millionin funding was secured from the Departmentof Regional Development and Lands throughthe Royalties for Regions program. TheDepartment for Child Protection manages

a service level agreement with the AustralianRed Cross to manage the Kalgoorlie–Boulder facility.

The Kalgoorlie Visitors’ AccommodationCentre opened was by the Minister forHousing, Terry Redman, in September2012. It provides safe and comfortable shortterm accommodation and ancillary supportservices for up to 41 visitors from Indigenouscommunities who come to town for family,health, business or cultural purposes.

The Kalgoorlie Indigenous Visitors’ Hostelis the first of its kind in Western Australia.

Consultation with the Spinifex people (thekey user group) has been an importantsuccess factor for this project. Consultationwith stakeholders and users of this facilitywill continue regarding the service model.

The resolution of the homelessness issuein Kalgoorlie is consistent with governmentalp r i o r i t i e s a d d r e s s i n g A b o r i g i n a ldisadvantage. This initiative is a terrificexample of Commonwealth, State and LocalGovernments working together to addressperiodic and longer term homelessnessfor Aboriginal people in WA.

What do we Know?Lessons learned from other jurisdictionsindicate the following factors are critical tosuccess:

• Planning and funding for IndigenousVisitors’ Centres in regional townsneed to include an appropriate levelof integrated service provision.

• Indigenous Visitor Centres need toprovide a safe, managedenvironment and offer affordableand varied accommodation options.

• Planning and ongoing review of theservice delivery model needs toinclude appropriate and regularconsultation with relevantstakeholders from the outset.

• Strategic regional planning isrequired (in tandem with IndigenousVisitors’ Centres) to address thecontinuum of housing needs.

• ABS census data is required toprovide robust Indigenouspopulation and mobility informationto inform planning for futurehousing. ■

Footnote1. Taylor, J. The Spatial Context of Indigenous

Service Delivery, CAEPR Working PaperNo.167/2002, p9.

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New houses in Warmun

Rebecca West House, part of the Pat Giles Centre

Aboriginal Women Releasedfrom Prison to HomelessnessKathy Mokaraka and Sally Scott Women’s Support Service, Ruah Community Services

Introduction

The representation of Aboriginal womenin WA prison populations fluctuates

between 48 per cent and 52 per cent. ‘Theyare currently the fastest growing prisonpopulation and are severely overrepresented’(ATSISJC 2008: 304), as stated on theAustralian Institute of Criminology website(2010). In addition, ‘Indigenous women serveshorter sentences than their non-Indigenouswomen counterparts’ and ‘the shortersentence length suggests that Indigenouswomen are being imprisoned for more trivialoffences, especially public order offences(ATSISJC 2002)’.

Indigenous Austral ians are also overrepresented among Australia’s homelesspopulation. While they comprise 2.4 percent of the population, they represent tenper cent of homelessness. Rates ofhomelessness are much higher in ruralareas, where Indigenous people are69 per cent of service users and in remoteareas, 88 per cent of serv ice users(Homelessness Australia, 2006).

Indigenous Australians are over representedin every category of homelessness.

Indigenous homelessness is due to variousreasons and according to a report byHomelessness Australia (2006) domesticviolence is at the forefront of the primarycauses of homelessness for IndigenousAustralians.

Complex Needs ofAboriginal Women inPrison in WAAboriginal women’s ongoing needs onentering the justice system and the effectof chronic homelessness are inter-relatedand interconnected with recidivism.

Many Aboriginal women in prison, who havechildren in the care of the Department forChild Protection, were in care themselvesas children. During their assessment priorto release from prison, many Aboriginalwomen state within their ‘goals and dreams’;‘having my children back and a home’.

Unfortunately, it is a common theme thatAboriginal women who are in domesticviolence relationships and who have a longhistory of trauma and abuse (sometimesfrom birth), turn to drugs to cope. They maybe coerced into this behavior by a violentpartner, but their actions ultimately lead torece i v ing c r im ina l conv ic t ions and

incarceration. The loss of their children is aturning point where the women completelyself-destruct. Research into addictions andself-medicating indicate that it is an incrediblycomplex issue; even without perspectivesof trans-generational trauma and a historyof oppression and ongoing grief and lossfor Aboriginal women.

In prison, many women detox from their drugof choice while others cannot give up theirdrugs. This is a reality; but for those thatattend programs, detox completely from theaddict ive drugs and start educat ionprograms, there is a realisation and a formof healing that commences. They begin tohave motivation for change and it is in thiscrucial time where much work is achievedby those providing services to the womenin prisons. Given that many Aboriginal womenhave progressed from juvenile detention toadult prison, it is fair to say that there is agap in service provision to this population.

If we look at what happens in prison for thismotivational change, it is not hard to see thatthere is a feeling of safety whilst incarcerated.While women may have been spiraling furtherinto despair in the community, prison appearsto have ceased the spiraling. Women’s livesappear to respond to routine and structure(albeit enforced) and a form of ‘care’ givenby other inmates, workers, or prison officers.However, we also hear many complaintsagainst other prisoners and guards and aboutthe general living standards; but for many,this is preferable to an unsafe life in an unsafecommunity.

One of the biggest changes for women whilstin prison relates to the services that areoffered, with women taking up services andprograms to ‘fill in time’. In comparison, lifein the community may have been too chaoticfor women to detach from the needs of family,partners and children to access any programwhich may have been of benefit.

Given all of the above, providing a safe place(house/home) for women exiting prison andwho are ready for change is paramount.Unfortunately, the reality is very different.Many women arrive in prison homeless andare released to homelessness; and the cyclecontinues.

HousingThe Department of Housing (DoH) is themajor service provider for housing in WesternAustra l ia. Community Housing f romAccess Housing and Foundation Housingare also known as housing providers forthis client group. In Perth, there is a majorcrisis due to the lack of housing even for themainstream population. In previous years, itwas common for people to remain on theDepartment of Housing’s priority waiting listfor six months to one year. Workers in thearea now report a waiting time of three ormore years. The basic requirement ofaffordable accommodation has become aluxury monitored closely by propertymanagers.

The crisis appears to have filtered throughall sections of housing provision with longwaiting lists, maintenance issues andother ongoing complex issues with tenants,who often are not linked in a timely mannerto adequate support services, which couldassist them to maintain their tenancy. Thepressure on staff and property managersappears chronic, which in turn can leadh o u s i n g a g e n c i e s t o b e c o m e t h e‘gatekeeper’ for individual properties.Community based service providers assistclients to access housing agencies; withcounselors, caseworkers and managersunder pressure to advocate for housing onbehalf of their clients.

The situation in housing and the fact thatAboriginal women exiting from prison havecomplex needs, cul tura l issues and

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New houses in Warmun

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liaobligations means that the chronic housingcrisis is magnified. Frequently, Aboriginalclients have a negative history with housingagencies, large debts that need to berecovered, large families that are alsohomeless and obligations to families toprovide a ‘room’ that risks their own alreadydelicate tenancy arrangements. Specificprograms of support are required toaccommodate all of these issues for thisparticular group.

There are various forms of accommodationoffered through community based services.These are in the form of hostels, women’srefuges, and the like. However, they areusually only for individuals and not families.Those that do accommodate families rarelyhave vacancies and when they do havevacancies, they are filled immediately. Thereis also private rental accommodation, butthis is not a viable option for most Aboriginalwomen being released from prison, for manyreasons; including the cost of private rentalsas well as agent’s preferences for particulartenant profiles.

Service providers who work with thisparticular group are scrambling to keep upwith the demands, knowing that providinga home will be the client’s first step towardschanging their l ives. Many clients arefalling by the wayside and slipping throughthe gaps. What happens to these people,where do they end up?

The Department of Housing in WesternAustralia has a Transitional AccommodationSupport Services program (TASS) for allprisoners to access. Prisoners can submitan application for this program, which allowscase management from an organisation toengage w i t h p r i sone r s one mon thpre-release, to support their application andassist with furniture and other things, toestablish a temporary six month propertytenancy.

There is a long list of inadequacies that rollout of the TASS program for Aboriginalwomen clients. The most common is thelimited stock (properties) and the issue ofclients maintaining the property to a level

that is satisfactory to the Department ofH o u s i n g . I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d t h a taccessing a TASS property is entirelydependent on vacant properties at the timeand leading up to the client’s release. Aswith most programs related to housing,TASS cannot keep up with demand forhouses. Ruah’s Women’s Support Service,coordinates the TASS program for womenin metropolitan Perth and have an allocationof nine properties at any one time. Thereare over 350 women incarcerated in thePerth area who are eligible to apply for thisprogram prior to their release.

Caseworkers assist the client to maintainthe property and represent and advocatefor them with the Department of Housing.Frequently, properties through TASS arenot allocated until a day or two pre-release;or on occasions, following release. Withonly six month tenancies being offered,the issue of obtaining a permanent tenancyputs an additional stress on the clients earlyin their tenancy; as they have to seek furtheraccommodation options, on top of themyriad of other issues they are addressingin the post release period.

Due to the limited stock available, staff andclients are often under pressure to acceptthe first property offered. At times there maybe factors around the allocated house thatare not in the best interest of the client; butthe house is accepted, as it is a better optionthan homelessness.

Staff working with Aboriginal women inprison state every client is requestinghousing via TASS due to homelessness. Itwas confirmed that in the last six months,May–October 2012, there have been 72nominations to the TASS co-coordinator atDepartment of Corrective Services of which47 are re fe r red to TASS (Ruah) fo rassessments with only nine tenanciesavailable in this period (Department ofC o r r e c t i v e S e r v i c e s p e r s o n a lcommunicat ion: October 31, 2012).Somet imes there are less than ninetenancies available because we just cannotget houses allocated to the program fromthe Department of Housing.

Case StudyA 33 year old Aboriginal woman (Mary)has served two years in prison. She hasthree children and transferred tominimum security to keep her youngestchild. She has a broken relationship withher 13 year old daughter who is withfamily members and her ten year old son,who lives with another family member.

Mary engaged well at the low securityprison, accepting counselling for a historyof violence and trauma and thiscontinued on her release. She wasallocated a TASS property for herself andher children. Maintenance needs for theproperty were not completed prior tomoving in. However, she moved in onrelease with her youngest child, makingplans for other children to join her later.

Not long after moving in, her homelesscousin started to live with her. Being asingle mother, lonely and only justreentering the community; she thoughtthis would help her with additionalmoney, companionship and support withfood. Soon after, there was a disturbanceinstigated by the cousin and an officialcomplaint was made resulting in a ‘firststrike’ being issued by the Department ofHousing. Although not the primaryinstigator, Mary understood that underthe Tenancy Agreement, she wasresponsible and she was sorry for thedisturbance to her neighbours.

Mary often missed appointments due tofamily obligations, as she would return toher family in the country and grieve withfamily over the death of her mother.

A few weeks later, there was anotherdisturbance at the house involvinganother family member. The Departmentof Housing investigated, decided to issuea second strike notice and announcedclearly at a meeting with workers, thatunder ‘anti-social behavior’ and ‘zerotolerance’, she would be asked to leavethe property once her six months tenancyhad expired. They would not considerkeeping her in the property or transferringto another property.

These are the type of issues and the realitythat Aboriginal clients deal with daily, wheretheir tenancy obligations conflict with theirfamily obligations.

‘The most basic of all human needsis the need to understand and beunderstood. The best way tounderstand people is to listen tothem’ — Ralph G. Nichols ■

ReferencesAustralian Institute of Criminology 2010, Dataon Prisons. Retrieved October 18, 2012, fromhttp://www.aic.gov.au/en/publications/currentper cent20series/rpp/100-120/rpp107/06.aspx

Homelessness Australia 2006, Homelessnessand Indigenous Australians. Retrieved October18, 2012, from http://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/ UserFiles/File/Fact percent20sheets/ Homelessness per cent20andper cent20 Indigenous per cent20Australians per cent202010-11 percent20LR.pdf

Nichols, R G 1980, The Struggle To Be Human

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WSS artwork created by BWP prisoners facilitated by WSS staff, 2012

My Tenancy My Home: A Collaborative Approach toManagingTenancies in Western Australia’sRemote Aboriginal CommunitiesMonique Berkhout Manager, Aboriginal Housing Policy, Department of Housing WA

Background

In 2008 the Commonwealth and StateGovernments s igned the Nat iona l

Par tnersh ip Agreement on RemoteIndigenous Housing (NPARIH) which madesignificant new funding available for housingin remote Aboriginal communities. To securefunding, the State Government was requiredto deliver robust and standardised tenancymanagement of all remote Indigenoushousing that ensures rent collection, assetprotection and governance arrangementsare consistent with public housing standards.

Western Aust ra l ia ach ieved th is bypassing the Aboriginal Housing LegislationAmendment Act 20101 — which allowedthe Department of Housing to negotiateHousing Management Agreements (HMAs)with remote Aboriginal communities.

HMAs are voluntary and negotiated withAboriginal entities with the power to leaseland for a period of 40 years. Once in placethe Department, or its authorised agent, canstart managing housing on Aboriginal landon behalf of an Aboriginal entity or community.

Importantly, a HMA has no impact on landtenure and does not create an interest in

the land. Rather it is the mechanism bywhich the Department of Housing (DoH) orits authorised agent, and tenants take onthe rights and responsibilities under theResidential Tenancies Act (RTA) 1987 overa 40 year period.

Tenancy management in Abor ig ina lcommunities with a HMA are provided byHous ing Of f i ce rs emp loyed by theD e p a r t m e n t o r t h e D e p a r t m e n t ’ sauthorised agent, for example a RegionalService Provider (RSP). Their work withtenants is guided by a new tenancymanagement support system known asMy Tenancy My Home.

My Tenancy My HomeMy Tenancy My Home is a managementtool designed to support change. It guidesa collaborative conversation betweenhousing officers and tenants regarding theirrespective tenancy rights and responsibilitiesas defined by the RTA (1987).

I t is an informative, educational andpreventative approach to property andtenancy management and supports thethemes of pride in home, change and earlyintervention.

The Tenancy Management Support Systemkit includes:

• a Tenant Matrix

• Housing Officer Matrices x six

(Rent, Going Away, Home, Yard,Tenant and Household and Visitors)

• a Household Map Template — todetermine who lives in the house ona permanent basis and the amountof rent to be paid

• an Action Plan Template — used tointervene early or when an issue hasthe potential to compromise atenancy

• Tenant Matrix, Household map andAction Plan triplicate pads.

All matrices are used as a ‘storyboard’ todescribe the nature of a tenancy; to explainthe expectations of both the tenant and theDepartment or its agent; and describe howthe tenancy can be supported if issues arise.

All the materials are designed to be visuallyappea l ing, easy to understand andencourage conversation about the variousaspects and stages of a tenancy.

The Tenant Matrix is guided by the followingprinciples:

Culturally relevant — Aboriginal culturalrights and values are respected and takeninto account to ensure that tenancymanagement is effective for Aboriginalpeople. Policies and practices recognisethat parts of Aboriginal culture may differfrom region to region and/or community tocommunity.

Collaborative — Documents are designedas ‘storyboards’ to promote discussion andagreement to help a tenant reach andmaintain a successful tenancy.

Consistent — Everyone uses the same setof documents when discussing a tenancy— the tenant, Housing Officer, AboriginalCommunity Council and, if relevant, a tenantsupport service.

Strengths based — The Tenant Matrixeducates tenants about their rights andresponsibilities under the RTA to enablethem to reach and maintain successfult e n a n c i e s a n d u l t i m a t e l y b e c o m eself-sufficient. Everyone works on theassumption that any issues can be resolvedthrough negotiated agreement.

Transparent — The matrices provide atransparent approach that encouragesmutual trust and open communication. It

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The Department of Housing officer, Maureen O’Meara, consults tenants at Woolah Community about the

Tenant Matrix, the Household Map and the Action Plan during its development phase.

enhances relationships between stakeholdersb y d e fi n i n g m u t u a l g o a l s a n d k e yresponsibilities. A written record of theconversation and any subsequent actions isprovided to tenants at the end of each visit.

A picture paintsa thousand words…With every new tenancy, the Tenant Matrixis placed between the tenant and theHousing Officer and guides the conversationabout Rent, Going Away, Home, Yard,Household and Tenants and Visitors.

The Tenant Matrix has a six stage continuumfrom the ideal ‘I am Deadly’ stage (at the top)to the worst ‘No House’ stage (at the bottom).

Each stage gives a brief description of whata tenant needs to do to remain ‘Deadly’ ineach domain or move up the continuumtowards ‘Deadly’ and what may happen ifthey fail to take action.

The Tenant Matrix is designed to be usedcol laborat ive ly wi th tenants — as astoryboard — to promote discussion aboutthe Department’s and tenant’s rights andresponsibilities under the RTA. It encouragesthe use of story-type examples to highlighthow issues can arise and/or be resolvedand how your tenant can achieve and/ormaintain a ‘Deadly’ tenancy.

It is used with ingoing tenants, at the annualproperty inspection and each time a HousingOfficer needs to discuss tenancy issuesrelating to one or more of the domains. Forexample, at the beginning of a tenancy,the parties look at the Tenant Matrix togetherand discuss where the tenant is placed onthe six stage continuum for each domainto establish a baseline score.

This exercise is repeated over t ime,providing a score on each occasion. Resultsare recorded and entered into a simplepurpose built data base. Each tenant isgiven a copy of the agreed outcomes andnegotiated actions.

This reporting allows us to evaluate thesuccess of the Tenant Matrix on its own.I t is env isaged that any t rends in acommunity or region will identify a need(or otherwise) for additional effort in servicedelivery, tenancy education or supportactivities. We can also gauge the successof our housing management service, andany tenancy suppor t o r educa t ioninterventions that are in place.

Every household is given multiple copieso f t he Tenan t Ma t r i x . Tenan t s a reencouraged to use these as placemats topromote discussion with other people livingin and visiting their home, about theirrights and responsibilities as a tenant andwhat will happen, to the tenant and everyoneliving in the home, if tenancy issues ariseand are not resolved.

The series of Housing Officer Matrices areused when there is a particular problem inrelation to the tenancy such as rent arrears,maintenance issues or disruptive behaviour.It sets out the key steps that must betaken and defines the specific role of theCommunity Council.

An Action Plan template is used to documentthe specific actions to be taken by the tenantand/or the Housing Officer to resolve theissue(s) by a certain time. The processenables the Housing Officer to negotiate anindividualised contract which focuses on theproblem, defines a solution and negotiatesa pathway to ‘get back on track’.

My Tenancy My Home is currently beingtrialled in the East and West Kimberleyregions of WA and has been implementedv i a t h e S o c i a l H o u s i n g P r a c t i c eImplementation Project with training beingdelivered to all front line staff. The TenantManagement Support System is to bereviewed in June/July 2013.

To date, the Tenant Management SupportSystem kit has been well received and earlyresponses are encouraging: ■

The new system is awesome —in my view, this is what I call culturallyappropriate. Well done guys.

Madeleine Anderson, Co-chair, Department of Housing

Reconciliation Action Plan Working Party

(Inhouse 23 August 2011)

The Tenant Matrix is a great exampleof thorough consultation and anexcellent step in the right direction.

James Butterworth, (then) Director Aboriginal Housing

Services (Inhouse 23 August 2011)

For more information contact Monique.Berkhout@housing.wa.gov.au

Footnote1. Aboriginal Housing Legislation

Amendment Act 2010 is underpinned byHousing Management Agreements. Ashouses are brought up to ResidentialTenancies Act 1987 standards over time,they will be included in a remoteAboriginal community’s HMA andtenants will be managed in a‘mainstream-like’ fashion under theResidential Tenancies Act 1987.

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D: Responding Young PeopleExperiencing Homelessness

Reflections on the Response toYouth Housing and HomelessnessinWesternAustraliaChantal Roberts Executive Officer, Shelter WA

Shelter WA held two workshops ony o u n g p e o p l e , h o u s i n g a n d

homelessness on 14 June 2012 and 29August 2012. The aim of the workshopswas to address the barriers faced by youngpeople in accessing safe and secureaffordable housing. Shelter WA hasidentified youth housing and homelessnessas a critical issue in the sector. The purposeof the workshops was to build upon whathas been done already and to identify waysforward to deal with new and emergingissues in the sector.

BackgroundChildren and young people make upalmost half the homeless population inWestern Australia, many of whom areaccompanying children in supportedaccommodat ion serv ices, inc ludingwomen’s refuges and medium to long-term family accommodation. Young peopleexperiencing homelessness are ofteninvisible and remain uncounted becauseof their mobility. They tend to move aroundfrom one friend or acquaintance to another,because they do not want to overstay theirw e l c o m e . T h e y m a y a l s o a c c e p t‘protection’ from others who in fact takeadvantage of them in various ways. Theymay never even attempt or dare to accessmainstream services — they may not knowabout these services, or they may just betoo frightened to approach them in casethey are reported and either taken intocare or into custody.

Young people are the most vulnerableand mobi le group in the Aust ra l ianhomeless population, but they are nothomogenous. Therefore there is no singleideal accommodation type to addressall their needs. Housing and supportservices, then, need to be responsive tothe va r ious reasons young peop lebecome homeless, whether they are partof a family group, or on their own. Theirexperiences will determine the type of

accommodation and support they need.For example, they may have experiencedabuse or racism and discrimination, orjust can’t afford the escalating rents inthe private sector. They may also lack theliving skills that will allow them to maintaina successful tenancy, or just don’t havethe history required to supply referenceson their housing application.

Whatever the reasons for their inabilityto find safe, secure affordable housing,we in this sector have a responsibilityto make sure children and young peoplehave the opportunity to enjoy the rightsafforded them by the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Childto which Australia is a signatory. Thatincludes the right to safe and secureaccommodation, the right to have theopportunity to enhance their healthand well-being, and the right to accessq u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n t o f u r t h e r t h e i remployment opportunities.

In Apri l 2009, the Rudd governmentreleased the White Paper, The Road Home,wh i ch se t a t a rge t t o ha l ve s t r ee th o m e l e s s n e s s b y 2 0 2 0 a n d o f f e rsupported accommodation to all roughsleepers who need it. In order to meet thattarget, homelessness funding increasedby 55 per cent. This represented anadditional $800 million over four years.

In WA, the joint Commonwealth/StateNat ional Partnersh ip Agreement onHomelessness (NPAH) is administered bythe WA Department for Child Protection.

The NPAH made a commitment towardsthe fol lowing intermediate targets by2013:

• A decrease of 7 per cent in thenumber of people who arehomeless

• A decrease of a third in thenumber of Aboriginal peoplewho are homeless

• A decrease of 25 per cent in thenumber of people sleepingrough

The WA Department for Child Protection’s(DCP) At Risk Youth Strategy 2011–2014describes the three programs funded underNPAH, which are focused on young people.

• The Oxford Foyer — a specificallydesigned program for young peoplewho are homeless or at risk ofhomelessness. It aims to providesecure, stable, supported housingwith a focus on life skills, education,training and other opportunitiesleading young people toindependent living. A purpose builtFoyer, due for completion in late2012, will accommodate up to 98young people.

• Support for Young PeopleLeaving Child Protection —assists young people who havebeen in the child protectionsystem to obtain their own stable,long term accommodation. Theprogram offers intensive casemanagement and support todevelop individual living skills.

• Housing Support Workers,Corrective Services — assistsyoung people leaving juvenilecorrectional facilities who arehomeless or at risk ofhomelessness to obtain andsustain their own tenancies.Housing Support Workers provideintensive case management;assist in the development of lifeskills and links to employment andtraining.

The At Risk Youth Strategy 2011–2014acknow ledges tha t the ne twork o fservices for at risk young people does nothave a sufficient resource base to ensureviability of all services and the capacity totarget at risk young people effectively. Thereport states the need to support the viabilityand capacity of services for at risk youngpeople, by enhancing their focus on theneeds of those young people who are mostat risk and by enhancing flexibility for locallybased service solutions.

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liaWhat’s Working?Government init iatives to respond tohomelessness in Western Australia havehad a significant impact. The NationalHousing Agreement on Homelessness(NAHA) and associated National PartnershipAgreement on Homelessness representeda much needed boost in homelessnessfunding for services and programs in WA.With these new funding arrangements,WA has made significant strides in providingaccommodation and services to peopleexperiencing homelessness including youngpeople. The NPAH and NAHA servicesprovide valuable services to young peoplein need in WA, and have resulted in manyinnovative and successful programs toalleviate homelessness.

The Shelter WA workshops on Youth,Housing and Homelessness highlightedsuccesses in reaching young people atrisk of homelessness and the passion andcommitment of youth sector workers wasev ident . The number and scope o fprojects in WA represents a significantinvestment in young peop le . Manyp r o g r a m s h a v e b e e n p a r t i c u l a r l ys u c c e s s f u l i n c l u d i n g s o m e o f t h eprograms that offer a safe environmentfor young people away from family conflictand other issues that impact on their wellbeing. The networks that are developedby these serv ices are inva luab le inassist ing young people. While someservice providers cited difficulties workingwith various government agencies, severalpeople identified their relationship withthe Department of Human Serv ices(Centrel ink) as a particularly positivedevelopment. The Department of HumanServ ices has developed successfu loutreach mechanisms to meet with youngpeople on the streets, through theirCommun i t y Engagement p rogram.Homeless service providers noted thatThe Department of Human Servicesstaff in that program treated clients in apositive, respectful manner that helpedbuild trust and relationships for furtherengagement.

What Should We beDoing Differently?Workshop participants made a number ofsuggestions to improve the provision ofservices to young people experiencinghomelessness and those a t r i sk o fhomelessness in WA. The following aresome of the comments made at theworkshops:

1. Early Intervention

• Participants noted that becauseissues are presenting earlier, weneed more resources (participationcoordinators/Reconnect) for youngerchildren. As one person put it, ‘themore preventative we can be, theless challenging our work will belater.’

• Services are seeing young peoplegetting to a crisis point at 12 years.Reconnect starts at 12, which is too

late for many young people.Participants said that they need tostart support and interventionbetween 10 and 12 years.

• Service providers reported that aslong as a young person (particularlyif aged 12 or older) has a roof overtheir head and there is no sexual orphysical abuse, DCP will generallynot get involved, even when there isfamily relationship conflict and a riskof potential homelessness.

2. Crisis accommodationfor families

• There are very few crisis services orfacilities for homeless families,including men with accompanyingchildren, and couples with children.This demographic is often unable toaccess refuge accommodation,which is specifically for women onlyand predominantly for womenescaping domestic or familyviolence, and the available sheltersand crisis accommodation placesare not suitable for men or coupleswith children. There is a significantneed for more crisis facilities forhomeless families, which isadequately staffed to support bothparents and children, and assistfamilies to access transitional,supported or long-termaccommodation, according to theirindividual needs.

• Participants expressed a desire forimprovements to the crisis databaseon available beds. This wouldprevent workers from having to ringnumerous places to hopefullyaccess a bed on behalf of a client. Asuggestion was made that it couldbe an integrated approach where apostcode is entered in the databaseand all the services availableincluding bed counts are listed.

3. Flexibility in Funding

• Participants said they require greaterflexibility in funding agreements,particularly in relation to targetedages (older or younger than thetarget age group).

• In order to accommodate thisflexibility, some contracts wouldneed to be resourced differently toallow for specialist staff to beemployed to work with youngerchildren.

4. Transition points

• Young people should be involved inplanning for their exit from care, buta workshop participant reported thatyoung people are often unaware ofan exit plan or haven’t taken anactive role in developing their plan.

• Participants discussed the need formore independent living skillsdevelopment for young people inhigh schools (including healthyrelationships, sex education,maintaining a household or tenancy).

5. Changing demographics• Participants reported emerging

social issues in relation to somefamilies with a Fly-in-fly-out (FIFO)parent, such as conflict,inconsistent parenting, andchildren pushing boundaries.

• The Department of Immigrationand Citizenship has specialprograms for unaccompaniedminors. There also needs to be anexpansion of the settlementgrants program to acknowledgethat this group requiresspecialised housing support.

6. Improving how weprovide services

• Participants expressed the needto get out of the office and meetwith parents in their ownenvironment. Parents are oftentime-poor and may be reluctant toengage with a service on a formalbasis in an office setting. We needmore outreach services whichalso engage parents whensupporting young people.

• The Department of Housingshould allocate a quota of priorityhousing for young people andconsider shared housing optionsfor this demographic. Programslike Yes! Housing could beexpanded to acknowledge thebarriers young people face inaccessing housing.

Shelter WA acknowledges that addressinghomelessness and housing affordabilityfor young people in this current climate isa substantial challenge. However, it is achallenge which must continue to be metif Western Australia is to meet the demandsof our increasing population vis a vis our(relative) static public housing sector. Almost50 per cent of the homeless population ischildren and young people.

In addition, the cost of the housing crisisto the community may be quantified byintensification on demand for all existinghousing and support services, includingcrisis services, emergency relief, financialcounse l l o r s , t enancy suppor t andwomen’s refuges, as well as the increasesin social housing waiting lists. There arealso hidden costs on society, such asi nc reased emergency depa r tmen tattendances in hospitals, increases incrime and offending behaviours, includingfami ly v io lence and interrupt ions tochildren’s education and the issues whichemanate from that.

Shelter WA will continue to work with thehousing and homelessness and youthservices sector to monitor the responseto youth housing and homelessness inWA, ident i f y gaps in serv ices , anddevelop recommendations to meet theneeds of young people in WA. ShelterWA’s full report on Youth Housing andHome lessness w i l l be r e l eased i nDecember 2012 and available on ourwebsite, www.shelterwa.org.au. ■

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Assisting Homeless and at Risk Young People in BroomeSarah Sihlen and Danielle Roberts Burdekin Youth in Action, Broome

Burdekin Youth In Action Inc. (BYIA) isa community based, not for profit youth

support service that has operated in theShire of Broome since 1994. BYIA providessupport and advocacy for young peoplewho a re home less o r a re a t r i sk o fhomelessness. While BYIA provides supportpredominantly to Indigenous young people,it also however works with non-Indigenousyoung people.

Young people living in Broome have limitedaccommodation options and are oftenforced to live in overcrowded conditions.Unfortunately, overcrowding has beeninfused into young people’s lives as commonpractice from a small age. Subsequently,young people either don’t recognise theyare experiencing homelessness, or feelhopeless in their attempts to obtainadequate, safe and suitable housing.

Countless amounts of homes where youngpeople are residing are unsafe and unstable.Many of our young clients live with adults,or other young people, who are displaying

problematic alcohol and drug use oftenresulting in domestic violence situations.They move between extended family andfriends and do not have access to their ownroom, clean clothes or a safe place to leavepersonal belongings. The impact this hason their health, educational needs and socialand emotional wellbeing is detrimental totheir overall quality of life.

In addition, homelessness within Broomeincreases over the wet season due toflooding up on the Dampier Peninsula andinland as far as Fitzroy Crossing. Familieswho visit Broome during this time face thedifficulty of returning back home to theircommunities when weather prohibits themin doing so. Subsequently, there is anincrease in primary homelessness in Broome.

Within the shire of Broome there is nocr i s i s o r shor t - te rm home lessnessaccommodation facility available for youngpeople (or adults). A women’s refugeaccommodates women and their youngchildren to escape from family and domesticviolence situations. Broome also has aSober-up shelter that provides overnightaccommodation for those under theinfluence of alcohol. Unfortunately, themajority of young people within Broome

do not meet the criteria to use these servicesto escape homelessness. Another servicei n B r o o m e i s t h e B r o o m e Y o u t hAccommodation Service. A Youth HousingProgram that last year was given four housesto distribute to our youth at risk. In 2012they were given six houses, an increase forsure, but still a long way from covering thetremendous demand in our community.There is a long waiting list to acquire housingfrom Department of Housing.

Reconnect youth workers at Burdekin YouthIn Action Inc. work alongside young peopleon a case management level. Staff workproactively and holistically to address thebarriers young people are experiencingwhich include homelessness. Young peopleare encouraged to par t ic ipate wi theducational and employment programs thatwill further them into obtaining long term,stable accommodation.

The goal of BYIA is to engage with youngpeople and their families in ways that aresustainable, build resilience and ultimatelyachieve lasting change in their lives. Burdekinalso works closely with many other youthfocussed agencies within Broome to offersupport and to the address the issues youngpeople are facing. ■

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liaExperiences of HomelessnessforYoung Care LeaversKatherine Browne and Amber HallWA CREATE Foundation

Recent publicity of the affordable housingshortage in WA has raised renewed

concerns of the vulnerability of children andfamilies. The increasing numbers of peoplestruggling to afford housing is a nationaltrend. It is not isolated to WA. However, asthe Community Development and JusticeStanding Committee (2011) report states,housing prices are outstripping disposableincome and this means that rental returnsneed to be higher to cover mortgages. TheCommittee (2011) also reports that publichousing funding and availability has reduced.This is not good news for young people whoare leaving statutory care.

As at June 2012 there were over 3,750children and young people in care inWA,with 480 of these young people agedbetween 15 and 18 (Government of WesternAustralia, 2012). For many young peoplein care, turning 18 means moving out or‘ageing out’ of care. It means that the Stateno longer has legal guardianship, carerstypically cease to receive funding and oftenyoung people no longer have a place tostay. Many young people leave their finalplacement before the age of 18 andtherefore don’t ‘age out’, but they arenone-the-less vulnerable to homelessness.

The WA housing crisis is a barrier for manyyoung people attempting to access secure,affordable housing. In 2010, the rate of youthhomelessness in WA was the secondhighest in the country (Shelter WA, 2011;Western Austral ian Council of SocialServices, 2010). A recent survey of 158people experiencing homelessness inWestern Australia found that 23 per centof the respondents were under the age of25, and that half of the young people hada care experience (Ruah CommunityServices, n.d.). Importantly, this project doesnot appear to cover the entire homelesspopulation — it identified mainly thoseexperiencing primary homelessness andlocated in public places (see AustralianBureau of Statistics, 2006; HomelessnessAustralia, n.d.)

A national study conducted in 2009 foundthat 50 per cent of young people in carehad to leave their placement when theyturned 18, with 40 per cent of these youngpeople not knowing where they would beliving after this time (McDowall, 2009).

Most young people face barriers anddifficulties accessing housing, howeverthese issues are often compounded foryoung care leavers because of reducede d u c a t i o n a l o u t c o m e s , r e d u c e d

employment options and income, a generallack of independent living skills, few havingthe option to remain in their current livingarrangement past the age of 18, a lack offamilial support and not having a ‘safety net’to fall back on once they have left their carers(Hall, 2012; Natalier and Johnson, 2012;Nat iona l Youth Commiss ion, 2008;Johnson, et al, 2010; Greenen and Powers,2007; Moslehuddin and Mendes, n.d.).

One young man, who we will call Liam (inorder to protect his identity), left his finalplacement at age 17. He reported toCREATE Foundation that the struggle was‘more or less finding people willing tosupport you, and carers can sometimesshut the door on you.’ Liam describesspending five months ‘moving from placeto place....once or twice a week I could staywith a mate’ after he left his final placement.

However, the rest of the time he wassleeping out on the streets. He says ‘it waspretty rough’. Liam is not alone in hisexperience of exiting care and enteringhomelessness.

The 2008 homelessness White Paper TheRoad Home introduced a ‘no exits intohomelessness’ policy for young peopleleaving care (Commonwealth of Australia,2008). Despite this foundational policy,young people continue to report leavingcare and experiencing homelessness.Research indicates that young people areoften not involved in their leaving careplanning process, or do not have a copy oftheir plan when exiting care (McDowall,2011). The Department for Child Protectionhas recently introduced a new policy thatencourages leaving care planning to beginfrom the age of 15.

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It is essential that care planning occurs wellbefore the young person leaves their finalplacement as it gives stakeholders moretime to develop and implement properlythought out plans that equip young peopleleaving care for adult life (Government ofWestern Australia, n.d.). However, thereneeds to be a strong commitment fromgovernment, workers and other keystakeholders to actively involve youngp e o p l e i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n dimplementation of their leaving care plan,because without this, it becomes less of aplan, and more of a reflection of bureaucraticprocess (Hall, 2012).

Many young people, including Liam believethat transition plans need to ‘be moreone-on-one with the young person, it needsto reflect their needs for their living situation,and look at what kind of income they haveor will need to support it....and try to set upa back-up if it all doesn’t go well.’ Liam alsofeels that the government needs to ‘helpyoung people look for a place, rather thansaying, ‘you’re 18 now, see ya.’

Young people in care and those leavingcare need to have the living skills requiredby young adults in our society. Far too manyyoung people leave care without knowinghow to cook, how to budget and how to

apply for rental accommodation and manyof them do not have reliable adults they canturn to for support.

The CREATE Your Future independent livingskills program, aims to provide young peoplewith some of the basic living skills they willneed upon leaving care. There are others e r v i c e t h a t p r o v i d e d i r e c t c a s emanagement and support to care leavers,however there is little doubt that learningbasic living skills should form a part of thecare regime whilst in care.

CREATE encourages the WA governmentto invest more significant resources intoensuring that all young people in WAtransition from care with the benefit of anindividualised leaving care plan and throughcontinued commitment to those servicessupporting care leavers. After all, it is thepost care outcomes that are the truemeasure of the effectiveness of the careand protection system. ■

ReferencesAustralian Bureau of Statistics 2006, 2006Census: People experiencing homelessness.http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/d3310114.nsf/51c9a3d36edfd0dfca256acb00118404/34b1ea06ea93fe8aca25715e0028a3db!OpenDocument retrieved on 12 June 2012.

Cashmore, J and Paxman M 2006, Predicting

after-care outcomes: the importance of ‘felt’security, Child and Family Social Work, no.11,pp.232–241.Cashmore, J and Paxman M 2007,Longitudinal study of wards leaving care: fourto five years on, Report of Research Projectcommissioned by the NSW Department ofCommunity Services.Community Development and Justice StandingCommittee, 2011, A Fading Dream —Affordable Housing in Western Australia.Legislative Assembly, Parliament of WesternAustralia, Perth.Dworsky, A, Dillman, K, Dion, M R, Coffee-Bordon, B and Rosenau, M 2012, Housing forYouth Aging Out of Foster Care: A Review ofthe Literature and Program Typology. U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment, Office of Policy Developmentand Research.Government of Western Australia, 2012,Department for Child Protection Annual Report2011–2012, Department for Child Protection,Perth.Government of Western Australia (n.d.a),Leaving Care Policy. Department for ChildProtection, Perth.Government of Western Australia (n.d.b),Leaving care to independence: A guide forcarers supporting young people leaving careand transitioning to independence. Departmentfor Child Protection, Perth.Greenen, S, and Powers L E 2007, ‘Tomorrowis another problem’ The experiences of youth infoster care during their transition intoadulthood. Children and Youth ServicesReview, 29, pp. 1085–1101.Hall, A 2012, ‘It’s not a transition plan if theyoung person wasn’t involved’ DevelopingPractice: The Child and Family Work Journal,no. 33 Spring.Homelessness Australia. (n.d.) AboutHomelessness.http://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/site/about.php Retrieved 1 July 2012.Johnson, G, Natalier, K, Mendes, P, Liddiard,M, Thoresen, S, Hollows, A and Bailey, N2010, Pathways from out-of-home care.Australian Housing and Urban ResearchInstitute.McDowall, J 2009, Report Card 2009:Transitioning from Care: Tracking Progress.Sydney: CREATE Foundation.Moslehuddin, B, and Mendes, P (n.d.).Graduating from the Child Welfare System:Young People Leaving Care and Homelessnessin Victoria. Council to Homeless Personshttp://www.chp.org.au/parity/articles/results.chtml?filename_num=00274 retrieved 12 June2012.Natalier, K, and Johnson, G 2012. HousingPathways of Young People Who Have Left Out-of-Home State Care. Housing, Theory andSociety, vol.29, no.1, pp.75–91.National Youth Commission 2008, Australia’sHomeless Youth: A Report of the NationalYouth Commission Inquiry into YouthHomelessness, National Youth Commission.Brunswick, Victoria.Pecora, P. J, Williams, J, Kessler, R C, Downs,A C., O’Brien, K, Hiripi, E, Morello, S 2003,Assessing the Effects of Foster Care: EarlyResults from the Casey National Alumni Study,Casey Research Services.Ruah Community Services. (n.d.), PerthRegistry Week 2012, Less Homeless.http://content.ruah.com.au/cms/change/001464.pdf

Shelter WA2011, State of Affordable Housing inWestern Australia.http://www.shelterwa.org.au/documents/State_of_Affordable_Housing_2011_Final.pdf

Western Australian Council of Social Service,2010, Issues and Funding Pressures in theCommunity Services Sector: Housing andHomelessness. Issues Paper — Excerpt:Companion to the WACOSS Pre-BudgetSubmission.http://www.wacoss.org.au/Libraries/P_A_Essential_Services_Housing_and_Homelessness/Housing_affordability_and_homelessness_in_WA_ per cente2 per cent80per cent93_WACOSS_2011–12_ Issues_Paper_Nov_2010.sflb.ashx

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liaThe Foyer Deal: Conditionality as Part of the Foyer ModelJethro Sercombe Manager, Foyer Project, Anglicare WA

The ‘Foyer Deal’ is said to be one of thedefining features of a Foyer program.

This ‘something for something’ agreementis designed as a motivational tool to assistyoung people out of homelessness and intoeducation, work and ultimately stablei ndependen t hous ing . Cond i t i ona lagreements in supported housing arenothing new, and equally, mutual obligationarrangements are the norm in the provisionof welfare to work programs.

However, the idea that housing is a humanright sits uncomfortably alongside ac o n d i t i o n a l s u p p o r t e d h o u s i n gagreement, especially at the point that theclient is unable to meet its requirements.For Western Australia’s first Foyer program,Foyer Oxford, the process of making the‘Foyer deal’ explicit, including through theuse of a written contract between serviceand young person has a l lowed there-examination of this mutual obligation styleagreement. It has allowed the team to ask:If the obligation is mutual, what obligationsshould be placed on the young personand what obligations are the Foyer’sresponsibility?

Foyer Oxford is a large scale Foyerinitiative established by a consortiumcomprised of Anglicare WA, FoundationHousing and the Central Inst i tute ofTechnology. Scheduled for completion inmid-2013, Foyer Oxford will house 98 youngpeople in self-contained apartments, makingit the largest Foyer program in the country.Since September 2011, the consortiumbehind Foyer Oxford has been running asmall scale pilot with 14 residents as a wayto trial and develop the processes neededto successfully operate the program. It isthe experience of this pilot, both successesand failures that form the basis of this article.

The Foyer Deal‘In exchange for services tailored totheir needs, young people entering aFoyer are expected to activelyengage in their own developmentand make a positive contribution totheir local community… In placingyoung people at the heart of a flexible‘deal’, which in the case of Foyers isexpressed through a formal contract,it affords them the tools they need totake responsibility for their future andhelps them to secure lasting personaland social change’

Foyer Federation UK Website,www.foyer.net

Conditionality has always been part ofprivate rental agreements, matchingobligations of a landlord with the obligationsof their tenants. In supported housingmodels for young people, that conditionalityhas been even stronger with young peopleobligated to engage in case management,or attend particular activities for example.With the introduction of the Foyer model toAustralia, in some cases an even higherexpectation is placed on young people’sinvolvement.

Your Side of the Deal —Obligations of ClientsWhen implemented, the Foyer Oxfordteam’s initial take on the Foyer Deal wasmet with mixed success. The obligationsthat young people signed to include:

• the normal obligations of a tenancy(paying rent, maintaining cleanlinessin the property, avoiding antisocialbehaviour)

• following some extra Foyercommunity rules (particularly someminor controls on how friendsaccess the Foyer buildings)

• participation in case management

• the requirement to participate insome form of education, training oremployment.

The initial agreement was very clear on thefirst three of these obligations. Staff wereeasily able to explain to young people thebehaviours that would constitute meetingthe obligations of tenancy, community rulesand case management. Where lines werec rossed , such as no t pay ing ren t ,accountability was easy to provide andbehaviour rectified. As a result of the clarity,the Foyer program developed a relativelystable living environment, with very littleanti-social behaviour or critical incident.

The obligation to ‘participate in some formof education, training or employment [EET]’was not so clear. It had been intentional inthe service design that each young personwould need their own pathway and thatsetting a one size fits all arrangement wasnot going to work. A lack of clarity, however,meant that neither young people, nor staffreally understood the boundaries of the dealwhen it came to engagement in EET. Whilstthe Foyer program had a stable community,engagement in EET was low and thecommunity bordered on idle and apathetic.If the program saw itself as ‘as much anEmployment and Training program as ahousing program’, this environment wouldnot meet those EET goals. The lack ofactivity was a real concern.

In response the team tightened this part ofthe Deal and made clear to young peoplethe obligations they had to engage in EET.A minimum number of 15 hours engagementper week was set, based on a full time studyload with the Central Institute of Technology.Staff decided to assist young people bymonitoring this on a daily basis, especiallythrough case management.

The Foyer Oxford team had spent significanttime working on a strength based approach.With the int roduct ion of day to daymonitoring, the speed at which the strengthbased approach became punitive wasamazing. Day to day monitoring of the dealvery quickly became nagging, and casemanagement re la t ionsh ips becameoppositional. Young people devised waysto ‘work around the rules’ and developedways to trick the program into thinking theywere engaging. That opposition meant thatcase management could no longer do thework it needed to. A number of youngpeople exited the program and youngpeople who were succeeding in EETbemoaned the loss of a positive livingenvironment.

The reflections on this were three fold:

Accountability is important, but it’snot the role of Case Managers orsupport staff — the solution here wasnot to lose accountability all together butto change the approach of staff in themonitoring of that accountability. Thetask of accountability was moved toservice management and the Deal wasmonitored on a monthly rather than adaily basis. The case manager stoppedbeing the person who ‘kept youaccountable to the deal you had signed’and instead became the person who wastasked with ‘helping you to meet yourside of the deal’.

A deal must be through informedchoice, and changing the rules ishard — Another reflection from this wasthat bringing in new expectations to thedeal was always going to be problematic.Young people needed to be able to makea clear informed choice at the beginningof their engagement with the serviceabout whether or not the ‘deal’ wouldwork for them.

‘When Foyer changed to the 15 hourrule and started making us do stuff, itwas too hard for me to change andfit in because I had got used to doingthings at my own rate’

— Interim Foyer Resident,17 years old

A deal has two sides, higherexpectations need to flow both

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ways — In the process of providinghigher levels of accountability, we hadforgotten the obligations the programhad to the young people it served. Thestrength based approach was more thana practice method we wanted to use, itwas an obligation the Foyer Oxford teamhad to its clients. The higher expectationplaced on young people’s side of thedeal needed to be matched with higherexpectations of the staff and program tomeet our side of the deal.

Our Side of the Deal —Obligations of theFoyer ProgramConsider a mutual obligation agreement tobe a set of scales, with the ‘expectation onthe client on one side of the scale’, and the‘offer provided by the service’ on the otherside of the scale. I f we consider thejourney of the client to be easy and theexpectations on them not so great, thenbalancing the scale requires a fairly low leveloffer from the provider. If, however thejourney is understood to be a complex anddifficult one then the offer of service mustbe much higher.

In using the ‘Foyer deal’ as a lever formotivating young people towards their longterm goals, the offer must be somethingmore than just housing, support and accessto education and training. For the FoyerOxford team, Foyer’s side of the deal alsomust include the quality of that housing,support and EET access. As Foyer Oxforddevelops, there is a challenge for theconsortium in provision of this quality.

For the housing side, quality is in the safety,security and state of housing provided andin its ongoing maintenance, but also thespeed of maintenance and the efficiencyof tenancy management processes. In thedevelopment of Foyer Oxford, Foundation

Housing and contracted architects haveused this quality as a clear driver for thedesign and materials of the building. It iscertainly not an easy task economically,with clear barriers surrounding the incomelevels of young people, and therefore lowrental intake.

In Foyer Oxford, it is also clear that therequ i rements fo r e f fec t i ve tenancymanagement create a workload far beyonda standard tenancy. This is particularlychallenging for smaller scale developmentssuch as the Interim Foyer project where theprogram does not have the critical mass toallow for increased service.

For the employment and training side, thequality is in accessibility of options andensuring that in the absence of otherappropriate options that the Foyer is ableto provide a safety net option for trainingparticularly during periods where youngpeople are ‘between jobs or courses’. ForFoyer Oxford this is represented by thecreation of ‘Jumpstart’, an accreditedliteracy, numeracy and independent livingskills course run through the Central Instituteof Technology. Jumpstart is flexible,individually focussed, project based andin teg ra ted w i th case managementprocesses making it incredibly accessible.

For the support side, quality is fundamentallyin the relationship between staff andyoung people. As the quote from the FoyerFederation above states the young personmust be placed at the heart of the service.This means a highly individualised, flexibleservice provision, a focus on providingrespect and dignity and the strength basedpractice needed to inspire young peopletowards their goals. It also means providinga youth focused, fun, non-institutionalenvironment to live in. Outside of casemanagement, staff in the Interim Foyerprogram are clearly given the responsibilityof doing what they can to create a positive

communal environment, but are also giventhe freedom and support to creatively workout how to do that. It means a clear focuson staff development and accountability.

Service accountability then is also a keyagreement. First and foremost this isaccountability to the young people who stayin Foyer. This includes ensuring that ourside of the deal is written down and clear,that avenues for feedback and for youngpeople’s involvement in decision makingare provided, as is an open culture whereyoung peop le fee l they a re sa fe toappropriately criticise the service, housingand education they receive. An outcomesfocus using a Results Based Accountabilityframework has also proved useful inensuring service accountability.

And yet there is still a discomfort when weweigh up a young person’s right to safe andsecure housing alongside the Foyer Deal,because ultimately where a service fails toengage the young person, or the youngperson does not meet the requirements ofthe deal, the housing is forfeited.

That discomfort recognises that we aredealing fundamentally with a question ofjustice. If the conditions that would inspireand empower young people to thrive areable to be provided and each young personreceives an offer and environment that feelsvaluable to them, then it is likely that the‘Deal’ is one that is just and balanced. Ifthat is not able to be provided then thereis a question about whether a ‘mutualobligation’ style agreement like the FoyerDeal is appropriate. This discomfort hasfocussed the Foyer Oxford team on aspiringto provide a very high quality, persistent,accountable service to clearly meet our sideof the Deal. The responsibility to engage isthen more than a responsibility of the youngperson, but an obligation of the Foyerprogram, funders and perhaps thecommunity as a whole. ■

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liaEarly Intervention to Homelessness:Reconnect, an Innovative ApproachSteve Thrussell and MercyCare Reconnect Staff

Most people working in the youthhomelessness field in Australia would

have either had contact with or know aboutthe Reconnect program. MercyCareReconnect is the largest Reconnect serviceprovider in Western Australia having fourservices across the Perth metropolitan area.

MercyCare Reconnect is an outreachsupport service that works with youngpeople aged 12 to 18 years and their familymembers who are experiencing conflictwhere that conf l ict may lead to theyoung person becoming homeless. Theprogram aim is to prevent homelessnessthrough early intervention with youngpeople in order to improve their housings i tua t i on as we l l as the i r l e ve l s o fe n g a g e m e n t w i t h e d u c a t i o n ,training, work, family and the community.The Service provides referral, mediation,counselling, practical support, information,mentoring and brokerage. The Reconnectservice operates on the Seven GoodPractice Principles that underpins theapproaches used by the service.

• provision of accessible services

• client driven service delivery

• holistic approaches to servicedelivery

• working collaboratively

• ongoing review and evaluation

• building sustainability.

While this glossy brochure blurb looksg o o d a n d s o u n d s l i k e w e d o a ninteresting job, what makes Reconnectinnovative and successful? Commencingas a pi lot in 1997, under the YouthHomelessness Pilot Program, MercyCareReconnect has evolved and combinedwith an innovative funding program toachieve many new things.

As one Case Worker writes, there are many,many strengths in the Reconnect Programand the way this program is managed givesCase Workers an amazing capacity to becreative in how we engage with each youngperson and their family and genuinelyachieve the individual’s goals.

• We are encouraged to keep the‘human’ and ‘service’ in humanservice.

• We are able to join with family, byinvitation, in a short part of their lifejourney.

• We have the capacity to work with

compassion and to give theindividual the time they need.

• We have the guidance of the GoodPractice Principles.

• We have the capacity to interactwith clients in a way that is notpower based.

• We have the capacity work withmore.

• Consultation with the funding bodyis genuine in bringing about thedevelopment and refinement ofexcellent service provision.

There are a number of practices that makesReconnect stand out.

Case Workers will meet with clients wherethe client feels most comfortable. While thiscould be at the local fast food restaurant,school or park, it is usually in the familyhome and often in the evening when allfamily members can be present. While this

presents challenges there are significantbenefits to meeting in the family home. Thewhole family can be present and thehousehold dynamics can be observed. Thismeans that we see their world through theireyes and how they interact in their worldand are more likely to see the real personand the real issues. It also means that thismeeting place takes away the feeling of a‘c l in ica l or o ffice env i ronment ’ andnormalises the situation for the family.

Case Workers work holistically and use a‘toolbox’ approach to service delivery. Thismeans that the service is flexible and is notconstrained to a rigid service model. CaseWorkers package their support to meet theneeds of each individual client and familyand at the first meeting determine with theyoung person and/ or family members whatthe issues are and what they want toachieve. The presenting issues are diverseand vary in severity and the Case Workerscan be flexible and adaptable in theirapproach about how they work with the

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issues. Case Workers can work withindividuals or with the whole family. Workingwith the family members individually allowsthe worker to understand each individual’sperspective and their issues and how thiscontributes to the issues within the family.

Reconnect provides practical support aswell as counselling. Often to stabilise theyoung person’s situation, staff will driveclients to and from appointments, assistwith income support, arrange links into thecommunity and community based activitiesa s w e l l a s a r r a n g i n g a l t e r n a t i v eaccommodation and providing parentingsupport and skills for parents. By doing thisit gives staff the opportunity to follow throughwith clients and provide a holistic service.Case Workers will also help establish thelink to other supports and services that thefamily or young person requires and mayhelp them in the process by taking them tothe first appointment.

Brokerage is a useful tool that is availablefor staff to use and sometimes it is theessential needs that need to be met beforeother concerns are addressed, for example,purchase of toi letries for a homelessyoung person or stationery to be bought tofacilitate re-engagement with school. Havingthese funds avai lable can mean thedifference between talk and action and canspeed up the reconciliation process betweena young person and their family by solvingmaterial issues easily.

Having the opportunity to reflect on one’spractice and having the time and ability totry new strategies and ideas has been animportant part of Reconnect’s practice.Using a Participatory Action Research modelstaff are encouraged to think about theirpractice using a cyclic process of Obverse,Reflect, Plan and Act. Relevant stakeholdersincluding clients, parents and other agencystaff who may share similar concerns on theident ified issue, are included in th isprocess as they can provide differentperspectives and add to the collectiveknowledge. This means that we review ourpractice and attempt to address trends,weaknesses and other issues so that wecan accompl ish what we term ‘bestpractice’. The underpinning belief is thatwhile we are using ‘best practice’, newlearning’s in a constantly changing worldare always available if the motivation is thereto look for them and time given to explorethem. Case Workers need to be constantlyincreasing their knowledge base, adapt theirapproach and have a wide range of skills,experiences, strategies and resources todraw upon to achieve the best outcomes.

Case Workers also need to work with clientsin a way that builds their problem solvingskills and strengthens their connections toother people in the community. This meansidentifying systemic issues which need tobe addressed at a broader community level.So while working with individual clients will

assist to solve the individual’s issues,undertaking Community Capacity Buildingprojects is an interesting part of theReconnect’s ro le as i t prov ides theopportunity to assist the community to buildits capacity to solve shared social problemsimpacting on homelessness.

Case Workers will work with schools andother groups and run groups and activitiesthat help address presenting issues withthe aim of getting the school or the groupto continue on with the activity afterReconnect’s involvement.

Staff at MercyCare Reconnect enjoy whatthey do. This does not mean that they arealways comfortable with the situations theyconfront. At times they go home feelingconcerned that a young person may not besafe tonight, or may be homeless, may behungry, may be abused or may not beaccessing health care or education. Despitethis discomfort they continue to providequality support and interventions. They alsoadvocate and challenge situations of inequityand negative representations of minoritygroups.

A Case Worker penned this verse:

Hi my name is Rebecca, I work forMercyCare Reconnect

I can offer a range of things, you canaccept or you can reject.

I like to work with young people whoneed to gain support

Friends, Parents, Schools, theseissues we can sort,

I like to listen to your needs and helpyou find your way

I’ll teach you a lot of different skills tohelp you through your day

If you want to sing, draw or dance Ican link you to a Youth Centre

They have a range of things to do allday and people who can mentor

You don’t like school? Well that’sOK, let’s find out what to do

I will come to school and advocate,so we can find what best suits you

Your parents don’t understand youand you argue all the time

I’ll come out to your family home andteach you strategies and watcharguments decline

You will hear your parents and theywill then hear you

This means we have built resilienceand there’s nothing left to do

I will drive off in my car, seeing thegrowth of my time with you

The strategies and guidance hasbecome part of you. 

From that time you will go on beingthe person that you are

Glimpsing back on your time withMercyCare Reconnect, knowing youhave come far. ■

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liaE: The Law

Thinking About the Problem Rather than the Procedure: Effectiveness of Court Finesand Infringements to ReduceOffending Conduct of the HomelessAnn-Margaret Walsh Principal Solicitor and Kate NovelliVolunteer Paralegal, Street Law Centre

Street Law Centre is a communitylegal centre that provides a freeoutreach legal service to those whoare homeless or at risk ofhomelessness. The service hasoperated since October 2010.Street Law Centre currently attendstwo legal clinics per week and onelegal clinic once per fortnight athomeless centres throughout thePerth CBD.

In M a y 2 0 1 1 t h e C r i m i n a l C o d eAmendment (Infringement Notices) Act

2010 (WA)(‘the Act’) received assent. Thelegislation demonstrates lawmakers’propensity to use fines and infringementsas a means of punishing offenders andcurbing criminal behaviour. This articledraws on experience at the Street LawCentre to outline how this measure hasbeen ineffective for those experiencinghomelessness. The options available todispose of fines and infringements arelimited. Fines and infringements fail to deterb e h a v i o u r o f t h o s e e x p e r i e n c i n ghomelessness. Further, these measuresmay reinforce homelessness, creating avicious cycle.

Proposed Changes tothe Infringement Schemein Western AustraliaThe Act seeks to introduce a new schemeinto WA whereby Police officers are giventhe power to issue infringement noticesfor Criminal Code offences includingdisorderly behaviour in public (s74A),stealing goods valued less than $500(s378) and trespass (s70B).

DisproportionateDisadvantageF ines and i n f r i ngement l eg i s l a t i ondisproport ionately disadvantage thehomeless. Anecdotal evidence obtainedt h r o u g h S t r e e t L a w l e g a l c l i n i c sdemonstrates that one of the mostcommon and recurring legal issues facedby people experiencing homelessness in

WA is the accumulation of significantfines and infringements. These fines andi n f r i n g e m e n t s r a n g e f r o m s e v e r a lhundred to several thousand dollars.

For individuals experiencing homelessnessmost fines and infringements are usually aresult of the individual’s lack of housing.Street Law has found that this is becausebehaviour which may not be consideredunlawful were it conducted in a private

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residence, is punished as a result of occurringin public. In addition, mental illness or drugaddictions, which are common underlyingreasons for homelessness, also contributeto the occurrence of unlawful behaviour.

The imposition of fines and infringementson the home less does not ach ievespec i f ic deter rence, as i t does notdiscourage re-offending. The fines andinfringements are a consequence of thelarger struggles that individuals are alreadydealing with the day to day challenges ofbeing homeless. The circumstances ofthe i nd i v idua l who i s exper i enc inghomelessness usually result in a level ofdisregard or misunderstanding of the lawand its consequences. Most Street Lawclients are unaware of the cumulativeamount of their outstanding fines, andcannot recall exactly which incident the fineor infringement relates to.

Fines and infringements entrench theperson’s state of homelessness and makebreaking the cycle of homelessnessmore difficult. Under the new legislation,w h e r e a p e r s o n i s i s s u e d w i t h a ninfringement for any offence, the personcan elect to either pay the fine or havethe matter heard in court. It is unlikely thatan individual experiencing homelessnessw i l l b e f i n a n c i a l l y a b l e t o p a y t h einfringement upfront, and they may lackthe functional capacity to appeal the noticeand have the matter heard in court. It ismore than probable that the infringementswill remain unpaid and remain a burdenor increase the burden for the individualexperiencing homelessness.

Inadequate Optionsfor Disposal of Finesor InfringementsDespite the fact that people experiencinghomelessness are frequent recipients offines and infringements, the processes inplace to address their inability to pay areclearly unsuitable in the circumstances. ForStreet Law clients, paying their infringementsor court ordered fines up front is rarely apractical option. In WA, there are limitedoptions available to dispose of a courtordered fine or infringements for those whoare unable to pay out the infringement orfine in full within the designated period.

If the matter relates to an infringement theperson may apply to enter a Time to Payarrangement. Infringement notices areusually given for minor offences relating topublic transport, parking or other trafficoffences. The Time to Pay arrangementinvolves the individual paying $25 perfortnight to the Fines Enforcement Registry(‘FER’). This amount is usually derived fromthe individuals’ Centrelink allowance. Whilethis may not seem like a significant sum,experience has demonstrated that individualsexperiencing homelessness may strugglewith paying this amount.

There is an option available to negotiate alesser deduction however to be eligiblegenerally the individual needs to provideproof of their circumstances and inability topay. If the individual is unable to complywith the time to pay arrangement they riskhaving their driver’s license suspended.

Suspension of the individuals’ driver’slicence in itself may create a barrier toobtaining employment and consequentlyreduce the individuals’ capacity to earn anincome to pay the infringements.

The suspension on the l icence is notremoved until payment is made. There areno options for individuals who wish todispose of their infringements by non-fiscalmeans. Furthermore, where the person hasaccumulated thousands of dollars ofinfringements, or court ordered fines, Timeto Pay can be impractical and idealistic asit may represent years of commitment.

If the matter relates to a court ordered finemore options to dispose of the fine areavailable but the options are inadequatefor those experiencing homelessness. Courtordered fines are usually for more seriousoffences such as disorderly behaviour. Ifthe individual chooses not to commit to theTime to Pay arrangement they may havetheir property seized and sold at auction.If they do not have enough property todischarge the fine the only other alternativesare to request the fines be converted to aWork and Development or Imprisonmentorder. Work and Development orders arenotoriously strict and often prove too difficulta commitment and are generally not arealistic option for those experiencinghomelessness, who are usually not workready, and may be suffering from a mentalillness or drug addiction. Failure to complywith a Work and Development order resultsin either Imprisonment or an increased fine.I m p r i s o n m e n t o r d e r s p r o l o n g t h eindividuals’ involvement in the criminaljustice system and reduce the individualsopportunities for employment in the futurefurther contributing to their ongoing stateof homelessness.

Advancing aRestorative ApproachThe Act was introduced for the purposeof relieving the pressure on the Courtsby enabling police to issue fines andinfringement notices for offences thatw o u l d o t h e r w i s e r e q u i r e C o u r tproceedings. However, as has hopefullybeen demonstrated above, the absenceof non-fiscal means to dispose of the finesand infringements disadvantages thosewho experiencing homelessness. Theinc lus ion o f o the r r easonab le andproportionate methods of disposing ofthe fines may assist to reduce the cyclecontributing to homelessness and at bestmay allow the individual to reach out tosocial networks and reintegrate intosociety. This approach would enable thesocial, health and welfare issues that drivethe of fend ing to be addressed andidealistically reducing future offending.

While it is recognised that the justicesystem has gone some way towardsadopting a more restorative approach tothese issues, through the establishmentof court diversion programs and specialistcourts, funding restrictions mean that notal l those who need to access theseinitiatives are recieve. ■

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PARITY · Volume 25, Issue 9 · December 2012

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OpinionChantal RobertsExecutive Officer, Shelter WAGiven the current rental crisis, it is of

concern for Shelter WA to hear on theradio that there is still a perception that WAis an easy place to get work and housing.For example a ca l ler or ig ina l ly f romQueensland phoned a national radio stationrecently to say he thought it would havebeen relatively easy to get a job in the miningindustry in Western Australia. Instead, hesaid, he had self-funded his move to Perthand spent some time applying for jobs beforefinally being successful and securing workin the Pilbara.

Presumably, this person had to find a placeto live when he arrived in WA and, beingemployed from Perth, is now a fly in-fly out(fifo) worker who rents in Perth and returnsto his base during his time off. This is a storywe have heard frequently.

WA has experienced the highest populationgrowth than any other state in Australia inthe 12 months to June 2012, at 3.1 per cent.Populat ion growth for Austral ia was

1.5 per cent for the same period. Only asmall percentage of this increase is due tonatural population growth and half isattributable to overseas migration. The restof the population increase is due to an influxof people from the eastern states and NewZealand. The population in WA has grownby 14 per cent since 2006, which isexceptional for WA where the populationhas been increasing rather marginally untilnow.

Whilst this increase in the Western Australianpopulation has been marvellous for oureconomy, tourism, commerce and tradegenerally, it has also had a major impacton housing and homelessness. Theresource boom in WA has actually resultedin a multi-speed economy, with a substantialnumber of people experiencing housingstress and an increase in homelessnessand housing-related poverty. The state hasnot really been geared up to house thenumber of people who have arr ivedunprecedentedly in the west and the

demand for housing has quickly outstrippedsupply, particularly in the rental market,where there is an acute shortage ofaffordable housing. The scarcity of housingin relation to the population has also drivenup the price of rental housing, whichincreased by 58 per cent between January2006 and June 2011 to a median price of$380 per week. As at August 2012, themedian rental price had risen a further18.4 per cent to $450 per week.

In some rural areas, the population growthresulting from the resource boom has beeneven more acute. In the East Pilbara region,for instance, there has been a populationincrease of 82 per cent since the 2006Census. This has impacted on housingavailability and has driven the price of rentals

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to exorbitant levels in some regional areas,ranging from a median price of $1500 perweek for one bedroom to $2750 for fourbedroom dwellings. In some of theseregional areas there are no vacancies at allmost of the time.

The general rental vacancy rate in Perth isnow down to 1.8 per cent, and even lowerfor affordable housing properties which onlymake up about 2 per cent of all propertiesoffered for rent. The increased demand whichhas resulted from the population growth hasalso pushed the price of housing to a muchhigher level than would have occurrednaturally in the Perth metropolitan area.

Shelter WA warned of an impending housingshortage in WA several years back andproduced reports and papers to that effect.The Commonwealth Government alsorecognised the housing situation has beena major cause for concern in Australia forsome years now, hence the overhaul ofthe funding arrangements to addresshomelessness and housing affordability.When the National Affordable HousingA g r e e m e n t ( N A H A ) r e p l a c e d t h eCommonwealth State Housing Agreement(CSHA) in 2009, SAAP services becamespecia l ist homelessness serv ices inaccordance with recommendations in theWhite Paper, The Road Home. Otherinitiatives were also put in place to parallelthe commencement of the NAHA, includingNational Partnership Agreements onHomelessness (NPAH) and on other focusareas, and the National Rental AffordabilityScheme (NRAS). Much needed funds werealso injected into increasing the number ofsocia l housing propert ies and othergovernment infrastructure through theNation Building — Economic Stimulus Plan.

Many new and effective housing supportservices have emerged as a result of thefunding provided through the NPAH inWestern Australia, and the initiative has hadpositive outcomes for many service userswithin the housing and homelessness

sector. Much better coordination of servicesand collaboration between services andnon-government and government agencieshas also been a result of the NPAH. Therehave been an addi t iona l 604 NRASproperties completed to date in WA, witha further 5,423 to be completed by 2017.

Under the Economic Stimulus Plan, 2,700new dwellings have been built by theDepartment of Housing, including about2,000 which have been transferred to thecommunity housing sector. Stock transferfrom the public to community housing sectorcontinues, albeit at a slower pace.

The Department of Housing provides rentalaccommodation for approximately 36,749low-income households in metropolitan andcountry areas of Western Austra l ia,60 per cent of whom are on an age ordisability pension. The community housingsector in WA now also provides 7,700 rentalaccommodation dwellings with the recenttransfers. Together, this amounts toapproximately 44,500 social housingproperties in WA. The recent one-offincrease in the supply of social housing hasprovided much needed rel ief for thediminishing sector.

However, unless funding commitments arerenewed substantially, we will see socialhous ing cont inue to decrease as aproportion of overall housing supply. In thecurrent situation, the social housing sectorst ruggles to meet the demand nowevident in WA, particularly given the inabilityof many low-income households to continuepaying ever-increasing housing costs.

For peop le coming out o f c r i s i s o remergency accommodation, there isl imi ted long term housing, which isaffordable, safe and secure for them totransition into. The affordable housingshortage in Western Australia needs to beaddressed urgently and as quickly aspossible. Shelter WA supports the WADepartment of Housing’s aim to providean additional 20,000 dwellings by 2020

as part of its Affordable Housing Strategy2010–2020: Opening Doors.

But more will need to be done in order tomeet the extent of housing need. Buildingmore affordable housing inexpensivelyand quickly, for crisis accommodation,transitional and supported accommodationwill provide existing services with exit pointsfor current clients and allow new clients tobe supported. This housing needs to beprovided through a mix of programsincluding the continuation of NRAS, and thecontinued expansion of social housing atthe rate achieved as a result of the NationBuilding Social Housing Initiative.

Private developers, too, must realise theurgent need to build appropriately priceddwellings for small families and singles,which are affordable and suitable to theneeds of this demographic, not those ofthe developer. In this, local governmentsmust reassess planning and zoning codesto allow for a sprinkling of very small lotswithin each suburb, to increase affordabilityin all areas. This has been achieved inBrisbane, Gladstone and other places inQueensland, with the very satisfactory resultthat small, well-designed dwellings havebeen built on tiny freehold lots of between50 and 120 square metres for under$200,000. These are not units or villas, buthouses on Green Title lots.

Western Australia is one of the few statesto have developed an affordable housingstrategy in response to the Commonwealthgovernment’s White Paper — The RoadHome . We are also one of the mostprosperous states in Australia, thanks toour wealth of resources. Our governmenthas shown it can be innovative in the wayit has approached housing developmentand homelessness responses. WA needsto build upon its successes thus far throughmore visionary planning and imaginativebuilding solutions to meet the needs of itsgrowing population. ■

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