A proposed strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria ... · Web viewThe limited early intervention capacity within health, justice and human service systems, incorporating both

A proposed strategy to reduce rough sleeping in VictoriaAdvice from the Chair of the Rough Sleeping Strategy to the Minister for Housing, Disability and the Ageing – October 2017

Rough Sleeping in Victoria: Situation Appraisal Page 1 of 66

1. Preface

In January 2017, following an increase in the rate of rough sleeping in Melbourne’s central business district, the Victorian Government announced a $9.8 million emergency response package, known as Towards Home, to provide housing and support to people sleeping rough across inner Melbourne.

New initiatives to be delivered under the Towards Home program over the next two years include:

• dedicated access to 40 transitional housing units across metropolitan Melbourne • 30 new modular and relocatable homes to be established in small clusters on public land • flexible support packages to provide individualised case management and targeted supports to 40

vulnerable rough sleepers assisted into housing for up to two years.

I was appointed as Chair of the Rough Sleeping Strategy to oversee the delivery of the Towards Home package and to lead the development of a statewide strategy to tackle rough sleeping through more effective and better tailored responses to meet people’s needs sooner and over the longer-term.

The purpose of this document is to set out my recommendations for a long-term strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria. My advice is based on extensive data analysis, research literature and stakeholder consultation undertaken over the past eight months with the support of a project team based in the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes:

• the publication of a detailed situation appraisal providing a snapshot of the prevalence and characteristics of rough sleeping as it is currently experienced in Victoria, together with guiding principles for the development of a statewide rough sleeping strategy

• analysis of written responses to the situation appraisal, in addition to a series of roundtable discussions and targeted consultations to identify reform priorities for inclusion in the strategy.

The attached Rough Sleeping in Victoria – Situation Appraisal (October 2017) sets out the evidence base underpinning my recommendations and is intended to be read in conjunction with this document. It incorporates stakeholder feedback on the original version published in May 2017, as well as new insights gained through the roundtable discussions and targeted consultations.


Contents

1. Preface................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Guiding principles................................................................................................................................ 6

4. Proposed Strategy Framework............................................................................................................6Strategic objective one............................................................................................................................. 10

Strategic objective two.............................................................................................................................. 12

Strategic objective three........................................................................................................................... 15

Strategic objective four............................................................................................................................. 17

Strategic objective five.............................................................................................................................. 19

Strategic objective six............................................................................................................................... 21


2. Introduction

Both data and anecdotal evidence indicate that the number of people sleeping rough - that is, those without shelter or access to conventional dwellings who sleep on the street or in cars, derelict buildings, parks, bushland or coastal reserves - has increased in Victoria in recent years. Notably, over the five years to 2015-16, the number of clients of Victoria's specialist homelessness services who were sleeping rough when they first presented for assistance increased by 59 per cent.

By its transient and often hidden nature, rough sleeping is difficult to accurately quantify. Nonetheless, it is conservatively estimated that on any given night, around 1,100 people sleep rough in Victoria. I expect that the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimate of the numbers of people sleeping rough on the 2016 census night will indicate a worsening trend. Annually, approximately 8,600 Victorians will experience an episode of rough sleeping and make use of government funded specialist homelessness services.

Although a small subset (5 per cent) of the broader population of people experiencing homelessness, rough sleepers are among the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our community.

People who sleep rough are at heightened risk of a range of adverse impacts to health and wellbeing, including exposure to violence and other harms, disempowerment and degradation, alcohol and other drug use, poor diet and the cumulative effects of untreated health conditions. Critically, the prevalence and acuity of trauma and health-related issues, including mental illness, acquired brain injury and chronic illness and disease, increases with the duration and frequency of rough sleeping.

Rough sleeping is a statewide issue. While most visibly concentrated in Melbourne's central business district and inner suburbs, point in time data indicates that the rough sleeping population is relatively evenly distributed across the state. Hence, the majority (70 per cent) of people sleeping rough on any given night are found in the middle and outer suburbs and across country Victoria.

Rough sleeping is highly dynamic in nature and those who experience it are demographically diverse and vary in terms of the type, extent and complexity of their housing and support needs.

Most people who sleep rough (indicatively 50-60 per cent) are recently homeless and do so for a relatively short period of time - that is, for less than one month. Many will successfully resolve their homelessness, either independently, or with the assistance of specialist homelessness services. Conversely, a small minority (indicatively 10-15 per cent) are long-term, chronic rough sleepers with multiple and complex issues who are unlikely to successfully negotiate and sustain a pathway out of homelessness without intensive resources and ongoing support. A third group (indicatively 30-35 per cent) are persistently homeless and sleep rough intermittently between stays in poor quality accommodation. Over their life course, they may also progress to long-term, chronic rough sleeping.

The distribution of the rough sleeping population by duration of homelessness varies across Victoria. Larger numbers of long-term, chronic rough sleepers are more likely to be found across inner Melbourne and in larger regional cities such as Geelong and Ballarat than in other areas of the state. This is due in part to the drift of those who are unable to resolve their homelessness to these central locations from both middle and outer suburban areas and smaller rural communities over time.

Statistically, those who sleep rough are typically male, single and aged between 20 and 54 years. However, rough sleeping is also experienced by women, Aboriginal Victorians, young people, older people, families with children and members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are some significant emerging cohorts of rough sleepers across Victoria, namely older single women, families with children, young LGBTIQ+ people and individuals with no income who are ineligible for Centrelink benefits due to their citizenship status, including those from New Zealand.

Page 4 of 22 A proposed strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria

Rough sleeping is a complex social policy issue. It is driven by multiple and compounding structural factors, systemic failures and individual circumstances that cut across jurisdictions, portfolios and service delivery systems. Many of the drivers of rough sleeping have intensified in recent years.

The high cost of housing in Victoria, combined with the decline in low-skilled entry-level jobs, the casualisation of the workforce and the inadequacy of Centrelink income support for those who are unemployed are placing increasing numbers of Victorian households in housing stress and at risk of housing loss and homelessness.

Victoria's ongoing housing affordability problems continue to impact on the supply of suitable housing for low-income households, while also driving demand for social housing. As at December 2016, there were 33,940 social housing applicants on the Victorian Housing Register, of whom approximately one-third were on the priority access list. Rental affordability in the private market and the shortfall in the state's social housing stock are among the most significant barriers to the capacity of specialist homelessness service providers to assist those sleeping rough to successfully resolve their homelessness.

It is of great concern that close to one half of those sleeping rough are in receipt of either Newstart or Youth Allowance payments and are therefore deemed by Centrelink to be 'job ready'. The essential interdependence between housing and employment assistance to these people is not reflected in the manner in which it is delivered. The aspiration of those people to become employed, and the need to build their capability to do so, by and large is being ignored. As a consequence, the opportunity for them to become resilient in the private rental market by being employed is being lost and they are being put on a default trajectory to social housing which for many will simply be a mirage.

Family violence remains a key driver of rough sleeping in Victoria - not only for women and children, but also for single men who are removed from the home following a family violence incident. However, during consultation I found encouraging evidence that initiatives being put in place under the Victorian Government's Ending family violence strategy are beginning to reduce the risk of homelessness to victims of family violence.

The limited early intervention capacity within health, justice and human service systems, incorporating both routine assessment of risk of homelessness and suitable offers of housing and support, means that many vulnerable individuals - such as young people leaving out of home care arrangements, patients discharged from inpatient health settings and those released from adult or youth custodial facilities (including those on remand) - progress to homelessness and rough sleeping.

Finally, those experiencing long-term, chronic rough sleeping are not served well by the current system, which is geared towards the provision of short-term support up until the point of being housed. Flexible support that continues to be available once housed is critical to building the resilience and community connections of those who have experienced rough sleeping, and can help to identify early warning signs of potential crisis that can quickly lead to a return to homelessness. In addition, the current system is not equipped to properly resolve the complex interplay of multiple issues such as mental illness, alcohol and other drug use, poor health and trauma that perpetuates and entrenches homelessness and rough sleeping.

Clearly, this evidence points to the need for a multi-faceted, whole of government approach to the issue of rough sleeping. A comprehensive, long-term strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria must consist of targeted and coordinated effort across the intervention continuum to:

• reduce the risk of homelessness and rough sleeping• minimise the risk of harm to those sleeping rough • assist those who are sleeping rough to resolve their homelessness and reduce their risk of

experiencing recurring homelessness and rough sleeping in the future.

A proposed strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria Page 5 of 22

3. Guiding principles

In view of the issues outlined above, together with the more detailed evidence base set out in the accompanying situation appraisal, I have identified a set of guiding principles to underpin the development of a statewide rough sleeping strategy. These principles – categorised as either general, housing or service response principles – are set out on pages 50 to 51 of the situation appraisal.

The guiding principles have received widespread support from stakeholders who submitted written responses to the situation appraisal and/or participated in the roundtable discussions.

I have embedded the guiding principles within the proposed strategy framework presented as follows.

4. Proposed strategy framework

Figure 1 sets out my proposed framework for a long-term strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria. It identifies an overarching goal and six strategic objectives to guide reform efforts across the state.

Further detail on each strategic objective is provided in the following section of this document (refer pages 10 to 22), including the relevant guiding principles, a high-level summary of the key issues to be addressed and the recommended reform priorities with proposed initiatives for implementation. It is important to note the significant interdependencies between the strategic objectives and the subsequent recommended reform priorities and proposed initiatives.

The full suite of recommended reform priorities is summarised in Figure 2 on pages 8 and 9.


Figure 1: Overview of the proposed framework for a statewide rough sleeping strategy

Goal

To reduce the incidence and impacts of rough sleeping in Victoria.

Strategic objectives

Strategic objective 1:Intervene earlier and more rapidly both to prevent rough sleeping and to minimise the duration of rough sleeping when it occurs.

Strategic objective 2:Make services more accessible and ensure service responses are integrated and based on accurate information.

Strategic objective 3:Establish more appropriate and immediate housing options.

Strategic objective 4:Ensure mainstream community links are established and housing is maintained.

Strategic objective 5:Ensure the efforts of all parties are coordinated and contribute to shared objectives.

Strategic objective 6:Build the evidence base about what works in practice and be prepared to adapt quickly.


Figure 2: Recommended reform priorities for a statewide rough sleeping strategy

Strategic Objective 1:Intervene earlier and more rapidly both to prevent rough sleeping and to minimise the duration of rough sleeping when it occurs.

1.1 Strengthen specialist homelessness service infrastructure in key suburban and regional communities while maintaining the existing effort in central Melbourne.

1.2 Improve the response of allied service systems to people newly homeless and sleeping rough or at imminent risk of doing so.

Strategic Objective 2:Make services more accessible and ensure service responses are integrated and based on accurate information.

2.1 Maximise opportunities to link people who are sleeping rough to specialist homelessness services.

2.2 Ensure timely information sharing and case coordination across the specialist homelessness service system and with relevant housing, health, welfare and justice service providers.

Strategic Objective 3:Establish more appropriate and immediate housing options.

3.1 Prioritise access to social housing for people sleeping rough who are at risk of chronic homelessness.

3.2 Make better use of the private rental market to provide permanent housing for people sleeping rough.

3.3 Make existing forms of temporary housing more effective for people sleeping rough.


Strategic Objective 4:Ensure mainstream community links are established and housing is maintained.

4.1 Ensure all people with a history of chronic homelessness and rough sleeping who are housed receive support to self-manage their tenancy and build local community connections.

4.2 Assist people to become resilient to housing loss by ensuring models of practice give greater emphasis to building community connections and creating opportunity for social and economic participation.

Strategic Objective 5:Ensure the efforts of all parties are coordinated and contribute to shared objectives.

5.1 Recognise the important role that informal volunteer-run services can play in assisting people sleeping rough and encourage these services to collaborate with government funded specialist homelessness services.

5.2 Deliver a consistent and coordinated response to rough sleeping throughout Victoria.

5.3 Formalise service integration and collaborative practice between specialist homelessness service providers and housing, health, welfare and justice services through governance arrangements.

Strategic Objective 6:Build the evidence base about what works in practice and be prepared to adapt quickly.

6.1 Foster a culture of learning and adaptation across the network of organisations that deliver services to people sleeping rough.

6.2 Invest in research and evaluation to build the evidence base about rough sleeping and best practice approaches to engage, support and sustain housing outcomes for rough sleepers.


Strategic objective oneIntervene earlier and more rapidly both to prevent rough sleeping and to minimise the duration of rough sleeping when it occurs.

Guiding principles• To prevent those at risk of homelessness from having to sleep rough, earlier intervention is required

within certain service systems and where appropriate, in locations closer to the person’s community of origin.

• There is an overarching obligation to maximise the safety of people sleeping rough from risk of harm to themselves and to others.

• Responses to rough sleeping in outer metropolitan Melbourne and country Victoria may require forms of resourcing and practice that are distinctive from and additional to responses across inner Melbourne.

Key issues• Both data and anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been a significant recent increase in the

number of people sleeping rough in Victoria. The numbers of people sleeping rough are broadly consistent across inner and outer suburban Melbourne and regional/rural Victoria.

• The majority of people sleeping rough (indicatively 50-60 per cent) are recently homeless and sleep rough for a relatively short period of time – that is, less than one month.

• People sleeping rough who are unable to resolve their homelessness tend to drift from the outer suburbs to inner Melbourne and from rural areas to larger regional cities over time.

• Groups at risk of rough sleeping include people leaving institutional settings (that is, correctional and inpatient health/mental health facilities) and young people leaving out of home care.

• A significant proportion of people sleeping rough (43 per cent) are in receipt of either Newstart or Youth Allowance payments and therefore actively in the labour market.

• Rough sleeping has a range of adverse impacts to individual health and wellbeing. The prevalence and acuity of trauma and health-related issues arising from increased exposure to violence and other harms, alcohol and other drug use and poor diet - including mental illness, acquired brain injury and chronic illness/disease - increases with duration of homelessness.

• There is significant untapped potential to intervene early to prevent people from sleeping rough. Opportunities for prevention and early intervention lie in:– the specialist homelessness and housing service systems– interfacing service systems including clinical mental health, primary health, criminal justice (police

and corrections), child protection, income support and employment services – suburban and regional locations closer to the communities from which people originate.

• The limited assertive outreach capacity across outer suburban Melbourne and regional/rural Victoria is a significant barrier to the ability of specialist homelessness service providers to identify, locate and engage people sleeping rough, particularly in bushland, parks/reserves and coastal areas. Lack of access to transport is also a significant barrier to service access for people sleeping rough across outer suburban Melbourne and country Victoria.


Recommended reform priorities

1.1 Strengthen specialist homelessness service infrastructure in key suburban and regional communities while maintaining the existing effort in central Melbourne

Rationale: The majority of people first experience homelessness and rough sleeping in communities outside of central Melbourne.

Proposed initiatives:

1.1.1 Increase the capacity of specialist homelessness services to conduct assertive outreach in key suburban and regional locations supported by brokerage funds to secure accommodation for newly homeless people sleeping rough and to meet associated costs such as transport

1.1.2 Establish an advanced practitioner role in specialist homelessness services Open Doors entry points in key suburban and regional locations to undertake detailed client assessments and facilitate client referrals to allied health and welfare services as required.

1.1.3 Establish a more appropriate funding and service delivery model for specialist homeless services that addresses the inherent challenges of service accessibility across country Victoria.

1.2 Improve the response of allied service systems to people newly homeless and sleeping rough or at imminent risk of doing so.

Rationale: Interfacing service systems such as acute health, clinical mental health, Centrelink, employment services, policing and corrections are often aware of the imminent risk of homelessness faced by those in their care or custody.


1.2.1 Avoid discharging people from hospital settings into rough sleeping by reviewing, and where appropriate, scaling existing innovative health care models.

1.2.2 Ensure homelessness assessment and planning occurs across all custodial settings (both adult and youth correctional facilities, including remand) and that suitable packages of housing and support are offered to those at risk of homelessness post-release.

1.2.3 Recognise the important frontline role that Victoria Police play in interacting with people sleeping rough, and ensure there are adequate guidelines in place to facilitate consistency in these interactions and coordination with service delivery agencies.

1.2.4 Ensure that recent investments to achieve housing outcomes for vulnerable young people, including those exiting state care, are adequately evaluated; and where appropriate, take to scale initiatives that are proven to improve outcomes.

1.2.5 Engage with the Commonwealth Government regarding the inadequacy of income support as a contributing factor to the increased prevalence of people sleeping rough and urge that greater priority be placed on the provision of support and assistance to people sleeping rough by Centrelink and employment assistance services (Jobactive and Disability Employment Services).

1.2.6 Amend the Jobs Victoria Employment Network (JVEN) Program Guidelines and provider responsibilities and allocate additional resources to JVEN to ensure people who are deemed by Centrelink to be in the labour market and who have experienced chronic homelessness, including rough sleeping, receive effective assistance to obtain employment.

1.2.7 Ensure the assistance available from JVEN to people who are deemed by Centrelink to be in the labour market and who have experienced chronic homelessness including rough sleeping is integrated with the housing and support assistance referred to in 3.2.1 as a single package aimed at achieving employment and resilience in the private rental market.


Strategic objective twoMake services more accessible and ensure service responses are integrated and based on accurate information.

Guiding principles• Assertive outreach strategies are essential to engage people sleeping rough, and they need to be

complemented by responsive assessment and intake at homelessness service entry points.• Assertive outreach practice should be guided by duty of care principles that recognise the inherent

dangers involved in rough sleeping. Consequently there is a need for persistence in engagement, balanced with a genuine offer of housing and support matching individual circumstances.

• Effective rapid assessment of people sleeping rough at first contact should inform triaging for immediate housing and support to reduce the risks of harm, trauma and extended homelessness.

• People sleeping rough are not a homogenous group – different sub-groups within the rough sleeping population may require modified forms and levels of support.

• The most appropriate response for a person sleeping rough should be determined with the individual, taking into account their expressed needs and reasonable aspirations.

• Integration in the design of support models needs to extend beyond the housing and homelessness service sector: it is required across the health, human services, corrections, education and employment sectors, as well as across public and privately funded providers.

• Service responses to rough sleeping will be more effective if they are integrated, irrespective of whether they are delivered by multiple agencies. This requires consistent messages and practice through the outreach, engagement and support stages.

• A high-level, shared practice framework will assist integration of service responses, as well as create opportunities to form communities of practice.

Key issues• Assertive outreach is the most effective way to engage people sleeping rough, particularly the long-

term or chronic rough sleeping cohort who typically face multiple and complex problems.• The limited assertive outreach capacity across outer suburban Melbourne and regional/rural Victoria

is a significant barrier to the ability of specialist homelessness service providers to identify, locate and engage people sleeping rough, particularly in bushland, parks/reserves and coastal areas. Lack of access to transport is also a significant barrier to service access for people sleeping rough across outer suburban Melbourne and country Victoria.

• People sleeping rough may have contact with outreach initiatives such as mobile meal, shower and laundry services that are predominantly staffed by volunteers. These services bring valuable capability that can extend and add value to those provided by specialist homelessness service providers. However, the engagement of people sleeping rough by these ‘informal’ outreach services may inadvertently undermine or be at cross-purposes with assertive outreach delivered by specialist homelessness service providers, if the two types of services are not coordinated.

• Access to specialist homelessness services across Victoria is centralised within Department of Health and Human Services regions via ‘Open Doors’ entry points. Stakeholder consultation suggests that some regional entry points are not ‘youth or LGBTIQ+ friendly’, leading to the delayed resolution of young people’s homelessness. Further, the resourcing of ‘Open Doors’ entry points has not kept pace with increased demand, including from people sleeping rough.

• Assertive outreach services and ‘Open Doors’ entry points operate during standard business hours; people sleeping rough may actively seek face-to-face assistance after hours.


• Some people sleeping rough are reluctant to access specialist homelessness services due to range of factors, including previous negative experiences involving long wait times to receive assistance or substandard accommodation offers, a reluctance to disclose or discuss personal circumstances such as past trauma and entrenched marginalisation leading to a general reluctance to attend conventional ‘shop-front’ services.

• Open welcome initiatives such as drop-in centres can be an effective means of engaging people sleeping rough who are reluctant to access specialist homelessness services via conventional ‘Open Doors’ entry points, particularly the long-term/chronic rough sleeping cohort. Research suggests there is limited awareness of existing drop-in centres among people sleeping rough.

• The current assessment framework used by specialist homelessness services - the ‘Opening Doors’ prioritisation matrix - lacks nuance and may fail to respond to single adults when considered against the needs of families with children. Similarly, it is not considered an adequate tool for flagging rough sleeping and identifying the likelihood of long-term homelessness and risk of harm. A range of ancillary assessment and triage tools have been developed or adopted by specialist homelessness service providers leading to a lack of consistency in the collection of client data across the specialist homelessness service system.

• Around 10-15 per cent of all rough sleepers are chronic, long-term homeless who face severe and multiple disadvantage relating to the accumulation of complex issues over their life course - trauma, mental illness, alcohol and other drug use, acquired brain injury, chronic illness/disease, exposure to violence and contact with the criminal justice system, including imprisonment.

• Many of the individual factors associated with rough sleeping - and the associated support and/or treatment needs of those sleeping rough - lie beyond the specialist homelessness service system. Accordingly, the effective resolution of rough sleeping requires the involvement of a range of interfacing service systems including primary health, clinical mental health, acute health, disability, corrections, employment services and income support.

• Specialist homelessness and other service systems such as clinical mental health and acute health deliver their own specific expertise and models of practice for addressing the needs of complex clients, including rough sleepers. However, single issue systems are poorly equipped to properly resolve the interplay of multiple issues that perpetuates and entrenches homelessness. To be effective in addressing rough sleeping, services must recognise the inter-dependence between the various elements of treatment, support and assistance that people need.

• Holistic, multi-disciplinary approaches are frequently cited as the solution to chronic, long-term homelessness. While examples exist of collaborative practice between specialist homelessness and housing-specific service providers and with the broader human services system, they appear to be inconsistent across Victoria. Where they do exist, they all too often rely on the goodwill and personal relationships between practitioners rather than being the subject of formal protocols or being formally commissioned across service sectors.

• Specialist homelessness service providers operate different client information management systems (driven largely by the need to meet multiple and separate reporting obligations for other government-funded service delivery programs) often with different software and varying data dictionaries, which prevent integrated case management and support for clients.

• The absence of a consistent formal approach to client data collection and ‘real time’ information sharing between specialist homelessness service providers and with relevant health, justice and welfare services continues to inhibit effective, timely and coordinated support for people sleeping rough.



2.1 Maximise opportunities to link people who are sleeping rough to specialist homelessness services

Rationale: People who are rough sleeping may either be unaware of specialist homelessness services or reluctant to seek assistance via the existing specialist homelessness services Open Doors entry points.


2.1.1 Establish a state-wide phone line that enables community-minded people to report instances of people sleeping rough as a first step in linking them with specialist homelessness services, and which has the facility to provide feedback to the people making the reports.

2.1.2 Formalise referral pathways between informal volunteer-run outreach initiatives and government-funded specialist homelessness services.

2.1.3 Recognise the role of open welcome approaches such as drop-in centres as a pathway to access specialist homelessness services, particularly for those with a history of chronic homelessness.

2.2 Ensure timely information sharing and case coordination across the specialist homelessness service system and with relevant housing, health, welfare and justice service providers.

Rationale: Appropriate and timely sharing of client information between practitioners and service providers is essential to ensure effective and coordinated support for people who are sleeping rough.


2.2.1 Ensure the assessment process at first contact accurately flags rough sleeping and identifies the likelihood of long-term homelessness and risk of harm to self or others.

2.2.2 Establish an information management platform for specialist homelessness service providers and other relevant housing, health, welfare and justice services to facilitate ‘real-time’ sharing of client information to inform the provision of housing and tailored support.

2.2.3 Develop practice guidelines to ensure service providers take a standard approach to client assessment and information sharing that is consistent with information privacy principles and the broader legislative framework governing information management in Victoria.

2.2.4 Establish integrated service panels in key locations with responsibility for establishing support packages for individuals with a history of chronic homelessness, including rough sleeping.


Strategic objective threeEstablish more appropriate and immediate housing options.

Guiding principles• Access to suitable housing is fundamental to the effective prevention and resolution of rough

sleeping.• Housing provision should be planned to facilitate mainstream social and economic participation.• Flexible forms of housing (short-term, transitional and permanent tenure) and greater diversity in

stock are required to meet the individual circumstances and needs of people sleeping rough, while making best use of existing housing and support infrastructure.

• Permanent housing options are ideally dispersed properties integrated with the broader community—‘ordinary houses in ordinary streets’. It is preferable to offer housing that is not institutional in design or scale.

• The greatest potential in the short to medium term for securing housing for people sleeping rough is through the private rental market, requiring a combination of rental subsidies and forms of head leasing or co-leasing.

Key issues• Victoria is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis impacting on low income and vulnerable

households. Without some form of intermediary assistance, access to private rental housing for specialist homelessness services clients who are sleeping rough is becoming increasingly difficult due to increased competition for a dwindling supply of affordable private rental properties. This situation is exacerbated by the dearth of affordable private rental housing that is suited to single person households.

• The available supply of affordable and social housing does not meet demand.• The specialist homelessness service system is struggling to provide a housing outcome for people

sleeping rough. Almost one half (45 per cent) of all clients who were sleeping rough prior to accessing specialist homelessness services during 2015-16 were still sleeping rough when the support period ended. One-fifth (21 per cent) were in short-term temporary accommodation, 7 per cent were in social housing and 11 per cent were in private/other housing.

• Service outcomes for rough sleepers (predominantly single adults) reflect the limited availability of (singles) accommodation and support to which they can be matched.

• There is a strong evidence base to support a Housing First approach - involving rapid access to permanent housing - for people experiencing chronic, long-term homelessness, including periods of rough sleeping. Once placed in suitable and stable housing, other needs of the person can then be addressed through the delivery of community-based support services.

• Although there is widespread support among specialist homelessness service providers for the use of a Housing First approach in the Victorian context, in practice, very few people sleeping rough are placed into long-term housing immediately due to the limited supply of permanent housing options. Most specialist homelessness service providers are required to utilise temporary accommodation as an interim measure pending access to more permanent housing.

• The effectiveness of assertive outreach is undermined by the lack of tangible long-term housing offers that can be made to people sleeping rough. Specialist homelessness service providers are currently predominantly limited to offering crisis/emergency accommodation to people who are sleeping rough, or as is often the case, putting them on a waiting list for such accommodation.


• There is a lack of crisis accommodation in outer suburban Melbourne and across regional and rural Victoria as well as a dwindling supply of other temporary/emergency accommodation options such as privately owned hotels, motels and caravan parks. This is placing increased pressure on specialist homelessness service providers’ capacity to provide emergency accommodation to people whose only other option is to sleep rough.

• The Victorian Government has committed $2.1 billion to increase the supply of social and affordable housing through its Homes for Victorians strategy. Given that there are long lead times for the realisation of this investment, there is a need to consider how initiatives that make use of the private rental market can be brought to greater scale to benefit people who sleep rough. Rental subsidies are generally required to enable these people to sustain a tenancy in the private rental market.


3.1 Prioritise access to social housing for people sleeping rough who are at risk of chronic homelessness.

Rationale: Rapid access to permanent housing is fundamental to the effective resolution of rough sleeping, particularly for individuals with a history of chronic homelessness.


3.1.1 Make an explicit allocation from the social housing growth stock to be delivered as part of the Victorian Government’s Homes for Victorians strategy, including the Public Housing Renewal Program, of singles dwellings for people experiencing chronic homelessness and rough sleeping.

3.2 Make better use of the private rental market to provide permanent housing for people sleeping rough.

Rationale: The private rental market offers the greatest potential to bolster the supply of suitable affordable long-term housing for people sleeping rough in the short to medium-term.


3.2.1 Adopt a flexible model of private rental subsidies for people rough sleeping. For those who are unemployed, the subsidy should be explicitly linked to the provision of JVEN employment assistance referred to in 1.2.7 with the goal of it leading to the recipient becoming employed.

3.2.2 Support specialist homelessness and housing service providers to expand their use of the private rental market by recognising the additional costs involved in providing necessary incentives to landlords and by mitigating financial risk to the providers.

3.3 Make existing forms of temporary housing more effective for people sleeping rough.

Rationale: Both transitional and temporary forms of housing can play a key role as a staging post in a pathway to permanent housing for some people sleeping rough.


3.3.1 Expand the supply of crisis supported accommodation and other temporary accommodation options in outer suburban Melbourne and across country Victoria.

3.3.2 Establish standards for the use of temporary forms of housing, including ‘pop-up’ options as a staging post in a pathway to permanent housing for people sleeping rough.

3.3.3 Ensure current reforms to the provision of crisis supported accommodation in central Melbourne improves access for rough sleepers and delivers a co-ordinated response to vulnerable people experiencing complex homelessness and patterns of frequent service use.


Strategic objective fourEnsure mainstream community links are established and housing is maintained.

Guiding principles• The provision of housing alone is insufficient: effective responses will include help with health and

welfare matters, employment support and the establishment of mainstream community ties. • People sleeping rough are not a homogenous group – different sub-groups within the rough sleeping

population may require modified forms and levels of support. • Offers of support should take into account the potential for reconnection of people to their community

of origin.• Individual support packages, flexible in terms of intensity and have a critical role to play in sustaining

housing and building resilience to housing crisis.• Service provision must respond to the diversity of rough sleeping with offers that match the needs and

reasonable aspirations of individuals and that encourage and assist the building of capability for participation in mainstream community life.

Key issues• People sleeping rough are not a homogenous group; different sub-groups within the rough sleeping

population - such as Aboriginal people, women, families with children, young people, older people and LGBTIQ+ people - may require modified forms and levels of support.

• While all people sleeping rough would benefit from assertive outreach accompanied by an adequate offer of support that includes rapid entry to permanent housing, a subset of rough sleepers will require ongoing support to access and sustain housing and prevent their return to homelessness and rough sleeping in the future. Both the chronic, long-term homeless (typically single adult men with multiple and complex issues) and young people sleeping rough, particularly those who experience homelessness prior to the age of eighteen and/or are out of home care leavers - generally lack the capabilities and foundational life skills, including social capital, to negotiate an exit from homelessness and sustain independent living.

• There is a strong evidence base showing how programs that provide intensive and ongoing support can help to achieve sustained housing for people experiencing chronic, long-term homelessness, including periods of rough sleeping. This includes the Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) pilot - after three years, 85 per cent of J2SI participants were stably and suitably housed.

• Most people sleeping rough who access specialist homelessness services receive only short-term, one-off support. Of all specialist homelessness services clients who were sleeping rough at first presentation, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) received only one period of support over a nineteen-month period. Around one half (57 per cent) received support for up to one day in duration; almost three quarters (71 per cent) received support for up to one week in duration.

• The specialist homelessness service system is not designed to deliver flexible ongoing support to clients once they are housed, including those with histories of chronic, long-term homelessness and rough sleeping or who are at risk of experiencing long-term homelessness and rough sleeping in the future. This service gap is a key driver of unplanned exits from social housing.

• Professional support services alone will often not suffice to settle and sustain a person in their new tenancy. They need to be intentional in building for that person, links and relationships into the mainstream life of the new community they find themselves in. Specialist homelessness service providers are not currently funded to assist clients to make community connections or build the capabilities for social and economic participation once housed.



4.1 Ensure all people with a history of chronic homelessness and rough sleeping who are housed receive support to self-manage their tenancy and build local community connections.

Rationale: Sustainable long-term housing outcomes are more likely where a tenant can self-manage their tenancy, access mainstream services and establish connections in their local community.


4.1.1 Ensure people with a history of chronic homelessness and rough sleeping who are housed receive proactive, tailored tenancy support irrespective of tenure type.

4.1.2 Support people with a history of chronic homelessness and rough sleeping who are housed to access mainstream services and build connections in their local community.

4.2 Assist people to become resilient to housing loss by ensuring models of practice give greater emphasis to building community connections and creating opportunity for social and economic participation.

Rationale: Living independently following chronic homelessness and rough sleeping can be difficult - loneliness, poverty and isolation perpetuates people’s vulnerability to recurring homelessness, despite best efforts to establish stable tenancies.


4.2.1 Allocate a fixed portion of annual funding to the specialist homelessness service providers for community capacity building. This will involve assisting the newly housed person build connections into the local community and create opportunities for their social and economic participation.

4.2.2 Develop a community capacity building practice framework for specialist homelessness services.

4.2.3 Recognise and promote the role of drop-in centres in providing ongoing engagement, support and early intervention with vulnerable people whose housing stability is tenuous.


Strategic objective fiveEnsure the efforts of all parties are coordinated and contribute to shared objectives.

Guiding principles• The reduction of rough sleeping is a shared responsibility across all levels of government, service

sectors and the broader community.• Communication of a consistent and clear message to people sleeping rough and to the broader

community regarding the service response should be a key element of a new strategy.• Service systems are most effective when state wide policies and standards are adapted to reflect

local circumstances, and all local stakeholders are engaged in the design and governance of the local service system.

Key issues• Rough sleeping has received an unprecedented level of media attention recently and continues to

elicit a significant amount of community concern. This in turn has elicited a high level of community goodwill expressed in the establishment of numerous volunteer-run initiatives providing immediate, tangible support to people sleeping rough.

• At times, the public donation of material goods such as blankets, sleeping bags and mattresses has reached saturation point in certain locations. The City of Melbourne currently removes hundreds of kilograms of abandoned donated goods from the central business district every week. In other locations, specialist homelessness service providers and other welfare organisations are at times unable to source enough material goods to meet demand.

• The service responses from voluntary groups appear to operate in a way largely disconnected from government-funded services. This creates the risk of the two forms of service being at cross purposes and of providing mixed messages to the people they are trying to help.

• People sleeping rough may come into direct contact with frontline workers from a broad range of public service delivery agencies. These include local city/shire councils, Victoria Police, Parks Victoria, Vic Roads, Vic Track, public train, tram and bus operators and emergency services. They may also encounter business owners, property owners, owner’s corporations and staff from local organisations such as schools, child care centres, churches and sporting clubs - each of whom may respond differently to the presence of an individual sleeping rough within their immediate vicinity.

• Responses to rough sleeping vary between and within communities throughout Victoria. In several communities, the local city/shire council has taken a lead role in coordinating efforts across a range of local service providers and organisations to ensure a more consistent and integrated approach. For example, some local councils have developed longer-term strategies to address the broader inter-related issues of homelessness and housing affordability.

• There is some variation in local responses to the use of public space by people sleeping rough. In some communities, and at different times, local authorities have adopted a regulatory approach to people sleeping rough in public places through the enforcement of local laws. In other communities, local councils and/or Victoria Police maintain a more inclusive approach. In August 2017, Moreland City Council announced a proposed a local law amendment that will prevent people sleeping rough from being moved from public areas across the City of Moreland. In September 2017, the City of Melbourne, in partnership with Victoria Police, announced a new operating protocol for responding to rough sleeping in Melbourne’s central business district.



5.1 Recognise the important role that informal volunteer-run services can play in assisting people sleeping rough and encourage these services to collaborate with government funded specialist homelessness services.

Rationale: Informal volunteer-run services provide material assistance to people sleeping rough, however they currently operate in a way that is largely disconnected from government-funded services.


5.1.1 Explicitly recognise voluntary services as part of the homelessness service system when designing public policy responses.

5.1.2 Establish an innovation fund to support closer collaboration between voluntary services and government funded specialist homelessness services.

5.2 Deliver a consistent and coordinated response to rough sleeping throughout Victoria.

Rationale: The effective resolution of rough sleeping requires the involvement of a broad range of government-funded service delivery agencies, community organisations and volunteer groups.


5.2.1 Establish a model statewide charter for responding to people sleeping rough that commits all parties to an agreed set of principles and objectives to guide practice. The charter should involve all relevant service delivery agencies including voluntary services.

5.3 Formalise service integration and collaborative practice between specialist homelessness service providers and housing, health, welfare and justice services through governance arrangements.

Rationale: Rough sleeping is highly dynamic and demands agile, often place-based responses that co-ordinate and harness the strategic effort of all relevant players, aligned to a common purpose.


5.3.1 Adapt the service co-ordination model established in central Melbourne in other regions and communities across Victoria to provide a method of providing the most effective services relevant to each community.


Strategic objective sixBuild the evidence base about what works in practice and be prepared to adapt quickly.

Guiding principles• Research and evidence should underpin efforts to reduce rough sleeping. Action research is required

to support an adaptive approach to management, inform further policy development, and enable experience and best practice to be shared.

Key issues• Accurate data collection about people experiencing homelessness, including rough sleeping, is

constrained by a range of factors. These include the often hidden and transient nature of the locations in which people sleep rough (particularly in middle/outer suburban and rural areas) and the brief and/or intermittent nature of a significant volume of occasions of rough sleeping.

• Official data collections, including the Australian Bureau of Statistic’s Census of Population and Housing and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s National Specialist Homelessness Services Collection, most likely underestimate the number of people sleeping rough in Victoria - both at any given point in time and over any given period.

• There is limited research and data in relation to the geographical drift of people sleeping rough over time, as well as the turnover of people sleeping rough in any given location.

• Stakeholder consultation suggests that the current funding and service model for Victoria’s specialist homelessness services, with its emphasis on throughputs and targets, does not actively encourage flexibility and innovation in the delivery of services to people sleeping rough.


6.1 Foster a culture of learning and adaptation across the network of organisations that deliver services to people sleeping rough.

Rationale: Adaptive management strategies and action research methods are needed to inform our understanding of the impact of interventions and make prompt adjustments on the ground.


6.1.1 Revise the funding and service model for specialist homelessness services to ensure it is focused on client outcomes and offers greater flexibility in the use of funding to assist clients.

6.1.2 Develop an evidence-based model of best practice for engaging with and supporting people who are sleeping rough.

6.1.3 Establish regional service provider networks, or communities of practice, to support the implementation of the best practice model by specialist homelessness services and ensure its fidelity.


6.2 Invest in research and evaluation to build the evidence base about rough sleeping and best practice approaches to engage, support and sustain housing outcomes for rough sleepers.

Rationale: Robust evidence on impact and value for money is essential to inform the future direction of interventions aimed at preventing and resolving rough sleeping.


6.2.1 Establish and resource a research and evaluation plan to build the evidence base regarding the impact of measures implemented under the rough sleeping strategy.

6.2.2 Establish a research and evaluation steering group co-auspiced by an appropriate academic institution and the Council to Homeless Persons and with an independent chair.

6.2.3 Ensure the timely dissemination of research data and evaluation findings to support adaptive management strategies and inform performance review across the sector.


Documents

A proposed strategy to reduce rough sleeping in Victoria ... · Web viewThe limited early intervention capacity within health, justice and human service systems, incorporating both